Wyatt´s Beach Barbecue Crew 2016 Photo by Sheetale Sharma
With the weather turning warmer, our friend Wyatt hosted his traditional springtime barbecue event at his waterfront hideaway outside Barcelona. With barbecue loving friends from near and as far away as Australia, Argentina and California bringing their favorite food, this is definitely one of the most coveted gastronomic invites among our community.
Words do not do justice to describe the spectacular beauty of this stretch of beaches on the Costa Brava, just one and a half hours from the city center. The location, literally on the edge of the Mediterranean´s crystal blue waters, is another reason why Barcelona is an unparalleled barbecue capital in Europe.
Our favorite photo of the entire day by mixed media artist, Lisa Rubin.
Logistics of a Beach Barbecue
Mr Barcelona BBQ with the Joy Charcoal Stove | Photo by Tobias Laarmann
The logistics of barbecuing, on the rocks of a wind swept cove, a half kilometer from any car parking, is tackled by a team effort of fifty to sixty people carrying supplies down the cliff. This year, we took advantage of using two new portable hibachi charcoal stoves that were given to us to test out by the JOY Charcoal Stove company. These modern, lightweight, cast aluminum barbecues were perfect for transporting to the beach. They also gave very little smoke, which was helpful so not to bother the other beach goers nearby. As well, the easy to adjust ventilation system allowed us to conserve and maximize the heat without having problems with the strong sea breeze.
I would not purchase this barbecue in place of my larger home barbecue, but it is a great complimentary barbecue for when you need to barbecue in a remote location, on a boat, or for an urban terrace with limited space. I was surprisingly satisfied with the quality of the heat and functionality of these little powerhouses. I wish they came with legs, but we made do without them.
Beach Barbecue Buffet
Brian with Brenden keeping an eye on his kangaroo meat | Photo by Tobias Laarmann
Besides the staple of botifarras (Catalan Sausages), chicken and hamburgers, the menu always includes many impressive options, and this year was no exception. The highlight for most of us was the kangaroo meat – quite exotic, except for our Australian barbecue chef and restaurant owner, Brenden Smith of el Atril Barcelona who was eating it raw.
Cala s´Alguer is located next to the port town of Palamos, famous for their intensively red gambas (shrimp). Larger than the typical crustacean, the meaty, firm delicacy were perfect for the barbecue. We threw on some pulpo (octapus) as well, and our taste buds went into overload.
We still had our salted Brazilian picanha (rump steak), entraña (skirt steak), several ribeye filets and many kilos of artisan chorizo sausages to continue the ridiculous explosion of barbecue goodness, which, besides the picanha, all were locally produced.
To finish off the day, our friend Sheetale added to the fire a pot of homemade biryani, steamed rice and lamb curry, that was prepared especially for the barbecue. It was brilliantly spiced and the meat melted off the bone.
But wait…there were a few late arrivals to the party, and what did they bring?!
Teriyaki Duck, which was perfectly prepared. (The following video may make you eat your screen)
This truly was a gastronomic feast that would only be rivaled by the top Michelin star restaurants. Again, proving why Barcelona is the Barbecue Capital of Europe.
Thank you Wyatt for your kind hospitality.
Oh! and we debut our new Barcelona BBQ Koozies.
Who wants a cold beer? Photo by Denise Rubin
