The Big Grill Festival, acknowledged as the largest live fire cooking gathering in Europe, will be honouring its tenth year in existence this August. Herbert Park in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, a well-groomed suburban area, is once more preparing to be cloaked in wood smoke and mouth-watering food aromas.
From the 22nd to the 25th of August, the four-day festivity, devoted to cooking on wood or charcoal – gas barbeques are strictly forbidden – is projected to draw in approximately 25,000 attendees. They will savour a packed programme featuring demonstrations by barbeque specialists, panel debates, live music and, naturally, exquisite food. The planning for this sizeable event is indeed considerable, especially given the location inside a high-end residential neighbourhood. Andy Noonan, the festival creator, has been the mastermind behind each event since its inception.
Noonan, formerly a car salesman from Dublin’s Rathfarnham, has loved barbecuing since his school days, organising full-day grilling events with friends. Concurrently, he was running nightclub happenings and working as a pub and club DJ whilst still at school, which allowed him to marry his two passions – BBQ and event organisation – into devising a live fire festival in 2014.
He talks about taking inspiration from BBQ events in America and realising the potential to bring to life his knowledge of event management and hosting barbeques in an extensive setting. The first edition of the Big Grill only involved five local restaurants, but, surprisingly, it sold 10,000 tickets, signalling Noonan that the idea had merit. Since then, the Big Grill has attracted some of the best known live fire cooking experts globally. For its 10th-anniversary celebration, Noonan is introducing something new.
Brad Leone, a popular American chef with a prominent presence on YouTube and a New York Times bestselling cookbook to his name, is set to take command of the largest stage, the Bastecamp, on Saturday for the two sessions. According to Noonan, Leone, who first visited The Big Grill last year, is a skilled host with a tremendous personality that everyone admires.
The festival is set to expand its horizon across the Irish Sea, making an appearance in London in the forthcoming month. A two-day event is slated to take place on June 8th and 9th at The Five Points Brewery in Hackney. As per Noonan’s description, this occasion is a cosier version of ‘The Big Grill.’ There will be some notable presence of chefs from Ireland, alongside the London Irish chef and hospitality community, which counts among them well-known chef and restaurateur Robin Gill and Oisín Rogers, a notable personality from the Soho pub and restaurant – The Devonshire.
Despite its green and suburban setting, Herbert Park is perhaps an unexpected venue for a barbecue food festival. From the beginning, Noonan was told in no uncertain terms that setting up a music festival here was a forbiddance. Their understanding of the same led them to focus on food instead of music, keeping in mind the family-friendly aspect and the fact that the location is a hotspot for events, typically clustered between RDS and Aviva.
The journey in organising the festival, however, has not been without its share of challenges. The previous year, adverse weather conditions brought about issues. With heavy rain and troublesome winds, they had to cancel only their Saturday morning session. Noonan recalls the nightmare scenario faced, after an early morning safety inspection revealed fallen trees and continued high winds. The good news was that the afternoon session could proceed, and the programme on the following Sunday sold out for the first time.
Noonan’s partner Lisa, mother to their six-year-old son, Max, joined him in work last year. They are both involved in managing the festival through their Scorchio brand, assisted by a compact and dedicated team of four working full time before the event, and almost sixty individuals working during the festival. This Scorchio brand was originally intended to be the name of a barbecue restaurant that Noonan had envisioned on Thomas Street in Dublin 8, but that didn’t materialise. “Looking back, I’m contented with that choice, considering the state of cost in the restaurant industry,” says Noonan.
Noonan has ambitious intentions for Scorchio, which encompass orchestrating and advocating a multitude of petite events, generating barbecue cooking content from his home base and open-air kitchen located in Southern Dublin, and taking charge of festival bookings for culinary professionals and food celebrities. However, current focus is resting upon The Big Grill 2024, with preparations now being in sophisticated progress. Tickets can be procured online for both London and Dublin events.
BBQ guidelines and recipes by Andy Noonan
– Asado, Argentina’s version of a bbq, signifies more than a mere repast. It’s a convivial event underpinning the essence of Argentinian customs. It unfolds as a convergence of friends and relatives around the ‘parrilla’ or grill.
– Irrespective of whether I’m devising a barbecue for 20 or an open-fire festival for 20,000 attendees, this ethos prevails. It’s designated time for camaraderie centered around excellent food and beverages. Here are some of my cherished preparations, meant to be served in a family style, eliminating unnecessary hassle and letting you devote more quality time with your guests.
– Beverages: Ensure your beverages are lined up ready to be served, wine bottles and glasses accessible, a jug of punch or pre-mixed cocktails to be poured over cubes of ice. Keep icy beers in a cooler and jugs of water on the table.
– Handy equipment checklist: A lidded charcoal barbecue; premium quality lumpwood charcoal or, ideally, hardwood burned into embers; a pair of long, solid tongs; an ash rake; heat-bearing gloves; and a digital meat thermometer.