BBQ expert Dan Cooper was recently appointed Executive Chef for the Weber Experience. We caught up with him recently to get the low down on Weber’s exciting new converted Airstream demo station that will be at Grillstock next month…..

Grillstock:      Dan, tell us a little bit about what you’re doing with Weber at the moment?

Dan Cooper: Well, I suppose my job title is Grill Academy Trainer and Airstream Chef so a little bit of two things!  I’m working at the Weber Oxford Grill Academy and then also when we’re in the busy summer months, on the road as the Airstream chef.

I’m in charge of pulling around this giant 3 tonne, 31 foot American Airstream Caravan that opens up into a display arena when we turn up to festivals.

Grillstock:      And who came up with the Weber Experience and decided to bring it on the road?  How did that all happen?

Dan Cooper: Well, I think it’s the brain child of John Cooper (Weber MD) really.  He started the whole idea and he’s been very much involved up until the point I took over, making sure that this project really happened.

Grillstock:      How does the  Weber Experience Airstream Demo Station  actually work?

Dan Cooper: Well the sides come down on electric winches like something out of Thunderbirds and it makes a big five meter stage.  And we’ve got an awning that comes out.  You can stand on the stage and it’s five meters wide and then you can walk in into the actual Airstream and all the sides open at that point with like an awning over the top.

So it’s really like a – it’s a bizarre looking thing!!  It looks like a big sort of shiny jewel stone.  It’s amazing!!  It’s all red and polished, highly polished, air craft aluminum and full of accessories and barbeques that we’re showing like the Smokey Joe’s and the Q series.

Grillstock:      And so what’s your background Dan?  How did you get involved with Weber ?

Dan Cooper: Well, I’ve always had a love of cooking and I left school and did a chef’s course.

I went to Australia and obviously there’s a massive barbeque culture there.  My real love for food then took me on such an outside catering business with a good friend of mine.

And in the summer we were actually very much involved with outdoor cooking doing things like Paella’s, big pig roasts, lots of barbeque, barbequing whole lambs, whole big bits of meat.  So it was always very much kind of in the forefront of what we were doing.

I then was involved with the Chadwick Oven which is a business which is being set up by a local Gloucestershire artist who’s developed an amazing pizza oven.  I was lucky enough to go to America to the Weber headquarters and actually demo this pizza oven for Weber.  That was when we kind of made the connection there and then they got to know me and I got involved with them a few months after that.

Grillstock:      And so going to the Grillstock Weekend, what can our visitors expect to see you doing on stage?

Dan Cooper: First of all what we’re trying to promote is outdoor cooking and obviously the Weber grills are the best barbeques!! Buying a big Weber gas barbeque is an investment but does come with peace of mind and warranties up to 25 years.

It’s something that’s improving the flavour of your food.  It’s making you happier because you’ve got tastier food.  It’s that kind of thing that we’re trying to promote and the actual food that we’re cooking is lovely, it’s healthy, it’s all about fresh herbs, lovely marinades, good quality meat.

So people that come to see us will hopefully be able to take away some recipes but also get inspired about going out, cranking up their barbeque all year round and just really cooking some delicious food that they can feel good about.

Grillstock:      Fantastic!

Dan Cooper: And it’s using it like an oven as well.  It’s not just grilling sausages and burgers.  We’re roasting on this and we’re baking.  So we’re roasting whole chickens, whole joints of meat, Yorkshire puddings, chocolate brownies, you know, we’re doing things that people don’t associate with barbeque cooking on a barbeque.

And what I’m trying to say is it actually tastes better doing it this way than doing it in your fan oven.

Grillstock:      We’ve heard you might be teaming up with celebrity baker, Tom, from Hobbs House Bakery at some point over the weekend.  What’s happening with that?

Dan Cooper: Well, he’s a dear friend and I’ve known him for a long time and had a lot to do with him through my catering business was just next to his Nailsworth shop and I just thought it would be a really, really good idea to kind of merge the two.  Obviously, you know, bread and meat is a staple and meat cooked in our barbeques is fantastic.

So I thought it would be a really good combination.  He’s obviously great with the crowds and the Airstream pulls in a lot of people and I thought we could do a nice little set where people could learn a little bit about how to cook breads on the barbeque and match that with some delicious meats.  So it’s really going to be sort of a double act.

Grillstock:      You’ve probably got a job that most people are very envious of!!  What’s your favourite part of the role Dan?

Dan Cooper: Well I like the places it takes you and the people you meet.  There’s obviously some very hard and strenuous parts of the job and some very challenging parts especially when you’re towing around a big old 31 foot caravan from the 70’s!! But I think my favorite part is just the people you meet and the experiences that you have away and being able to make people smile, make people happy with the food that you’re cooking.  And it seems to be working.  People are getting inspired by it and I’ve had some good feedback on my blog and some really nice comments and letters from people saying how much they enjoyed what we were doing which is great.

Grillstock:      So you obviously know every Weber product intimately now.  So what’s your favourite??

Dan Cooper: I think my favorite Weber product has got to be one of the big gas grills, something like a Genesis E330, a three burner, with a sear station and all the bells and whistles.

Grillstock:      That’s the exact one I have actually Dan!!

Dan Cooper: It’s fantastically built.  And having worked in catering, the way they’re put together and the way they perform is very much in par with kind of the professional catering equipment.  It gets to that kind of level in terms of the heat and the performance.

So, yeah, I think those big gas grills are just fantastic especially for catering for loads of people.  It’s just a good tool to have in your backyard.

Grillstock:      Fantastic.  Thanks Dan!