It’s nearly summer, and in the UK that means that one out of every 4 weekends will be BBQ-friendly, if we’re lucky.

But if you’re in or near London and you want smoky goodness without having to cower under an umbrella, you should get to the Duke’s Head in Highgate for Prairie Fire BBQ’s June residency.

I got to sneak a peek behind the scenes into the cramped quarters of the Duke’s Head kitchen, where every month, guest chefs take over and share their skills.

Prairie Fire is the brain child of American Michael Gratz, who saw a gap in the market for Kansas City style slow cooked meat. In the Duke’s Head kitchen, you’ll find his collaborators, Londoners Louis Lillywhite and Yasemin Ozekimci managing the meat, the veggie burgers, and all the fixins. Look to Laura’s homemade brownies, if you have any room left when you’re finished.

Speaking of, here’s what you’d find on the menu if (no … when) you make your way over.

Pulled pork tacos in freshly-fried shells, crunchy and absolutely loaded with toppings like chipotle sour cream, spring onions and punchy chiles. Don’t forget to try the refried bean ‘glue’ underneath, especially if you have any shell shards left over.

The mac & cheese is made with beautiful big curly tubes, al dente and covered in a silky, creamy unctious cheese sauce. I decided not to pry for the secret recipe, but this is a down and dirty cheese sauce, not some overwrought stilton and leek gastropub version.

That PFQ burger. A brief moment of doubt crept in when I cut it in half and the patties weren’t as pink as I tend to have them. After taking a bite, I realized I was very wrong. Louis’s blend of chuck and rib tip beef was juicy, meaty … very messy and absolutely packed with flavor. All of that in a toasted bun with gooey melty cheese.

Fall-apart in your fingers 16-hour smoked brisket in a delicious floury but not dry or dense bun. Seriously, why is it so hard to find a good bun? These guys have gotten it absolutely right.

The brisket completely surrenders to a plastic knife. Useful, because I was sharing it. Compared to some recent City-based brisket that will remain unnamed, this was soft and tender, lightly seasoned and obviously given the low and slow treatment. And get a look at that Prairie Fire BBQ sauce…

While it’s easy to ignore the fries as just another side dish, I can’t go without mentioning them. Crispy and crunchy, not even slightly oily, and generously dusted with spice that reminds me just a little bit of Old Bay (for the East Coasters). I barely had space for them but couldn’t stop picking at my portion, and maybe everyone else’s portions, too.

Like I said, there is also a veggie burger, but I can’t say that I’ve tried it. If you do, I’d be curious to know if you recommend it.

If you’re a beer drinker, I recommend spending a few indecisive minutes at the bar with the many great rotating options. There’s also a gin bar with Highgate-distilled Sacred and a temptation-filled cocktail menu.

While Prairie Fire don’t have anything else official in the calendar yet, keep an eye on the Prairie Fire BBQ Twitter for food market updates… and maybe even another residency soon.

Prairie Fire BBQ is at the Duke’s Head for the rest of June, every day of the week, and the kitchen is open from 12pm to 10pm. 

Keep your eyes peeled for them at Brisket Fest, where I’ve been promised you can try something from Prairie Fire that no one in the UK has done before.

Recently (but maybe not as recently as I’m willing to admit), it was Urban Food Fortnight, which celebrates the best of London’s local food scene of small producers. It’s a pretty cool way to meet and eat, and learn more about how big cities are no longer so far removed from our food supply as they used to be.

The Old Street Food Assembly celebrated with a tasting event, including local producers and growers who all sell through the Food Assembly.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, let me explain. The FA (not the football one) is a concept that started in France, and lets you pre-order directly from small, local suppliers within 150 miles of the Assembly. Then, when the pick-up day comes, you turn up, meet the producers and take home the bounty.

So when my Food Assembly announced a Tuesday evening tasting, you know I’d be there. Several luscious snack servings later, and dinner didn’t seem like a necessity anymore.

Rich reds and oranges on crunchy peppers, sharp and herbal cheeses, funky new jam flavors, smoky cashew spread and punchy fruit drinks with cayenne … and that’s just a start. Such a great way to introduce producers and purchasers.

But really, I should let the food speak for itself.

I knew there would be things that I’d miss when I moved from the US to the UK. Watching my favorite sport, for one thing. (Ice hockey, if you’re curious.) The convenience of 24 hour public transportation. NY style pizza. Lately, it’s been Buffalo wings. Maybe it’s all the talk about deflate-gate, another Super Bowl rooting against the Patriots, or maybe it’s the great wings I had last time I was home, but I just can’t stop thinking about Buffalo wings.

When you crave something, and I mean really can’t-stop-thinking-about-it crave, there isn’t much that can fill the void except the exact thing you want. If you want Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food, frozen yogurt is not going to cut it. In my case, nothing but real, good, bright orangey red spicy messy Buffalo wings would do. Thankfully, I found somewhere that’s as good as advertised here in London called Sticky Wings, on Brick Lane in East London.

I’ve been a few times already and sampled most of the menu with my fellow wings crew. There are 4 different varieties of wings on offer, either bone-in or boneless. You can choose from American Buffalo (with what I’m pretty sure is Frank’s Red Hot sauce), Sticky Wings BBQ, Jerk Twist and Hot Chilli.

I’ve tried everything but the Jerk Twist (maybe next time…), and while everything was good, the American Buffalo win. While we got a sample selection the first time around, we were all converted to American Buffalo on the next visit.

The Hot Chilli offer a real kick, but it’s not all spice. They’re juicy and flavorful, though your lips will probably be tingling. The StickyWings BBQ sauce version was tasty, but if I had to find a negative, they were a bit sweeter than I would normally like my wings.

In short, it’s worth trying them all, but you’ll probably find yourself drawn back to the American Buffalo wings, and they definitely deliver. They also offer generous pots of homemade dipping sauces for 40p extra, and both the ranch dressing and blue cheese are worth getting – though I’m a sucker for blue cheese, so that wins every time.

When it comes to the sides, though, I have to say that I was disappointed. The onion rings didn’t seem to have any real onions in them, and they were soggy – not quite what I hoped for. I had high hopes for the jalapeño balls, but they were mostly fried cream cheese balls with very little jalapeño bite. The battered and deep fried garlic mushrooms were interesting, but after about 2, I was over them.

My suggestion would be that if you’re getting sides, stick to the fries that automatically come with your wings, and make use of the Frank’s Red Hot sauce on the table, and maybe an extra pot of blue cheese dressing.

And then – there’s dessert. There is only one option on the menu, the Funky Cheesecake. In my international experience, I haven’t had great luck with cheesecake, generally. I have to say, this behemoth was worth it, though. It’s a sharing portion, for sure. For one person, I think the combination of profiteroles on top of cheesecake covered in caramel would be overwhelming, but with a few bites each, you’ll crave it for next time. Bonus: the crunch crumb crust is one of the best I’ve had in a very long time.

[instagram url=http://instagram.com/p/bosL-2Ol0T/ width=400]

If you’re in London and looking for a Buffalo wings fix, Sticky Wings has you covered. It’s nowhere fancy, and you could almost miss it for its cornerside location among the Indian restaurant hawkers and the kebab shops. This isn’t a hipster-chic destination that takes itself too seriously, but a great East London-run place where you can get some amazing wings and a bottle of Sam Adams, and make it out for under £15.

As an aside: I know this is traditionally a recipe blog, but I believe you can get a lot of inspiration from the experts. Eating out is like a research expedition, and while I haven’t yet made successful Buffalo wings, you can rest assured that once I make some I’m happy with, they’ll be up here.

Cooking is about much more than a recipe and a stock of ingredients in the house. I’m the kind of person who likes to shop for groceries and food, and the more options, the better. You can sometimes find me agonizing over the perfect lemons or the biggest head of garlic.

One of my favorite places to shop for those ingredients in London probably isn’t the first place people would expect. Maltby Street market has great food to snack on and speciality items to take home, Borough Market is the foodie’s paradise in London, and North End Road is the place for those who like an old-fashioned working class London experience.

However, my personal favorite has to be Brixton Market. Brixton has everything from measure-your-own spices to the freshest shrimp, with the cheapest vegetables and some of London’s best Neopolitan-style pizza in between.

Recently I introduced a good friend and fellow blogger, Natalia, to the joys of Brixton market. We wandered between market arcades, visited shops, stopped at a few stalls and took lots of photos along the way. Check out her blog post about our day on her blog Nat w Londynie (note: it’s in Polish)

I got to spend a little time being a London Tour Guide (which doesn’t happen very often… the accent probably puts people off) in this slightly off-the-beaten-path neighborhood that isn’t actually very far from Central London. As I write this, I again have the Eddy Grant song “Electric Avenue” in my head, which was written about Brixton’s Electric Avenue, the first market street in London to be lit by electricity.

We picked up quite a few things, like shrimp at Jeffries Fish Market, inside Market Row, across from Franco Manca, where you can get some of London’s best pizza. I love Jeffries (and Franco Manca, for that matter). The seafood is affordable, with a great (fresh!) selection and the nicest people. I would go out of the way for their shrimp – the best I’ve had in London, by far.

Plus there’s Nour Cash & Carry, a wholesale, cash-only store where you can buy all sorts of bulk foods, cheap (so cheap!) fresh vegetables and herbs and some really interesting, unusual things. Definitely not the kind of stock you can find at the local Tesco.

Lots of meals have come from my purchases in Brixton, but this one is symbolic of a day roaming between market arcades and local stores in Brixton.

Polenta with Shrimp and Tomato Sauce

Serves: 4

On the Counter

soft polenta:
2 cups (340 g) coarse-ground corn meal (polenta)
8 cups (2 liters) water
1 tbsp coarse sea salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter

tomato and shrimp:

1.5 lbs (700 g) fresh shrimp (prawns), peeled
1 can peeled plum tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, finely diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 cup (100 g) fresh or frozen shelled peas
crumbled feta to garnish
fresh parsley or cilantro to garnish
salt and pepper to taste

What to Do

Start the polenta by boiling the water in a large pot over high heat, with salt. Slowly whisk the corn meal in, until smooth. Simmer, covered, on lower heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste for desired consistency. Once it’s cooked, whisk in the butter until completely melted.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add garlic and shallot, cook for 2 minutes, or until shallot is translucent. Add in chilli flakes and tomatoes, and break up with a wooden spoon. Add tomato paste and about 1/2 tsp salt, stir to combine. Cook for 15 minutes, tasting, until sauce is mostly smooth. Add more salt if needed. Toss in shrimp and peas, and cook for an additional 5 minutes, until shrimp is pink and opaque.

Spoon the polenta into bowls, top with tomato sauce and shrimp, top with feta and parsley/cilantro.

I got nearly every ingredient for this (including the salt!) from Brixton market, so this meal really was a reminder of an interesting Saturday and the joys of shopping around for quality ingredients.