Where Are The Worst Barbecue Chefs?

It’s an annual pilgrimage and it takes place usually on the second weekend in June and it’s considered to be the greatest British sporting event held on foreign soil. Thousands of perfectly rational Englishmen (and some ladies) squeeze a small amount of belongings into a classic or performance sportscars and head south. nnIt’s a time of year when the cargo on the cross channel ferries is actually more valuable than the ferry itself. Many locals line the road and watch the steady procession down to the venue affectionately known as La Sarthe. If you haven’t worked it out, I’m talking about the city of Le Mans, 3 hours in land from the northern coast of France where they hold the most famous motor race on Earth called Les Vingt Quatre Heures Du Mans. If you can’t speak French then that’s the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race to you and me.nnI try to go every year and the first item that gets packed is my portable BBQ grill. There’s a fantastic atmosphere amongst the crowd and while qualifying and the race takes place, there’s many a BBQ, pop of a cork, firework explosion and all round party atmosphere. The food is an important part for me and it’s probably for this reason that my classic car is not only a looker but tremendously practical too.nnMany fans have so little space that they buy their BBQ’s when they get there and these can range a full blown kettle barbie right down to those disposable bbq grill trays.nnWhatever the style of barbecue one thing remains common to all of my friends and neighbours on the campsite – they don’t know how to cook. For this reason I’ve decided to prepare my own list of Le Mans BBQ Recipes to ensure that I set a good example.nnOne of the menu this year I’m going to start with the full English and for that I’ll have to bring the bacon with me because bacon in France it just isn’t the same but having said that I can’t wait to put some French sausages with it. At last sausages that are filled with meat rather than rusk and breadcrumbs. The big challenge for doing the full English is of course the egg and to get it right I fry them on the charcoal barbeque grill in homemade foil trays. A little homemade bbq sauce and there’s the perfect way to start race day.nnI’ve already expressed my delight at tasting French sausages again and there’s lots of others such as Merguez (spicy) and Saucisses De Toulouse (herby and garlicky) that will go great in a baguette for a great barbecue variation on the hot dog. Just avoid the sausages called andouillette unless you like tripe!nnFor the evening meal I’m gonna keep my Le Mans BBQ very simple with a boned shoulder of lamb, dusted in paprika and grilled accompanied with a fire roasted red pepper salad.nnI’m hoping that some of my Le Mans Barbeque Recipes will rub off on my fellow motor racing enthusiasts……..well we’ll just have to wait and see.n