The steaks are high for Andy's new business

Being booted out of his job was the best thing that ever happened to Andy Stubbs.

The barbecue fanatic was working in a dead-end factory job, at Cheslyn Hay, near Cannock, when he was given his cards. He had no idea what to do next. So he did the thing that had always made him happy – fired up the barbie.

Andy had grown up in a close-knit family where holidays would be on caravan sites and dinner would be served al fresco. “We’d always be firing up a barbecue when we were on holiday,” he says. “It’s a very social way of eating. We’d sit around, telling stories, having a drink and eating great food straight off the fire. There’s nothing better.”

So Andy decided to make his passion a business. He formed Low ‘N’ Slow from the back garden of his mother’s house – until he got shut down by environmental health officers.

The 36-year-old adds: “I run the business with my partner, Donna Church, and started out five years ago, after being made redundant. I’d always been cooking bits of barbecue in the back garden because I’d been inspired by trips to Notting Hill Carnival, as well as our family holidays.

“One thing led to another and I started off doing pop ups at the local pub. Every bit of money we made we reinvested in equipment and within no time at all we’d got ourselves a few smokers and started smoking the meat in my mum’s back garden.

“But we were shut down by the council at my mum’s house due to complaints about the smell and the smoke. So now we hire a big prep kitchen instead and things are working nicely.”

Andy is no amateur. He doesn’t take his T-shirt off when the weather gets hot or pop on a pair of shorts while he’s slaving over his barbecue. Instead, he hangs out with chefs and takes inspiration from those who cook with fire. “It’s a big scene,” he adds.

“We used to go to London to see chefs who were cooking with fire and we really got into the detail. These days, a very good friend makes my charcoal for me. Teaching people how charcoal is made from sustainable sources is so important. A lot of people don’t understand that; they use briquettes instead. But briquettes are made from compressed dust, so they’re no good. Some people buy from unsustainable sources in South America. You have to do your homework and do things properly.”

Andy teaches people how to cook over open fire and avoid the classic mistakes that many barbecuers make. He educates cooks into controlling their fire and making sure their smoke doesn’t overpower the food.

“The typical British thing to do is get the barbecue raging hot, then you burn the burgers and there’s no where to put them because the griddle is surrounded by heat.

“When you’re barbecuing, you have to have two separate spaces. One should be hot and the other should be cool, so there’s space to put your meat. It’s not just about firing up the barbecue and banging on the burgers. You have to take your time and do things properly if you want to get decent food.”

Andy even works directly with farmers so that he can source the best quality meat while also supporting British industry. “We’ve swapped to farm in the Cotswolds and are working direct with farmers. We’re putting money back into the British farming industry. We’re trying to lead by example.”

His reputation has grown in recent times and he’s been invited to cook at the prestigious Meatopia event, which features cooks from around the world, including expert barbecuers from Brazil. The event, which is by invitation only, is a feather in his cap.

“We’ve put a lot of time and money into it. I’ve bought a £15,000 smoker from America. It cooks up to 40 pork shoulders or four whole pigs on it. Then we also sometimes do things Argentinian-style, with meat pinned to whole crosses on an open fire.

“My pork shoulders are cooked for 20 hours. Each animal is different and the heat you get from different charcoal also varies. There’s no set rules, it’s not a perfect science. Some wood and charcoal runs hotter than others, you have to build your skills and cook with good meat. You won’t turn bad meat into something delicious just because it’s on a barbecue.

“We use Gloucester Old Spot pigs and Long Horn beef. They’ve all had happy lives, with the pigs fending for themselves in the forest.”

Andy’s seasonings and rubs are usually based on salt, pepper, onion, garlic and a little paprika, so that the meat does the talking and true flavours aren’t masked. Fans of Digbeth Dining Club, in Gibb Street, will have sampled Andy’s Low ‘N’ Slow meat. The businessman, who is now based in Halesowen and has a kitchen in Rowley Regis, also hopes to open his own restaurant.

“I guess it all started by going to the caravan with mum and dad. That was the normal thing to do in the 1980s and 1990s and the smell of charcoal brings back happy memories.

“And that’s what I’m trying to do now – creating food memories for people. We don’t do competitive barbecuing, we’re all about flavour and taste.

“The long-term plan is to have a restaurant and we are looking for property to open our first one in the city centre or suburbs.

“We want to do something similar to what we do now but a little bit more refined. It would be proper table service and seasonal vegetables, natural wines and loads of nice sides.

“Birmingham has changed a lot over the last five or years but there’s a massive gap in the market for us.

“We’ve got a brilliant top end dining scene and great coffee places and small cafés. But we lack mid-range independents – we’re being taken over by the big boys and national chains. I’m hoping we can fight back.”

With his recipe for perfectly pulled Low ‘N’ Slow pork, Andy may well have the recipe to succeed.