BBQ Quebec in Colombia

In January 2023, Max and I went to Colombia.

It was truly an incredible experience that is worth telling, so I'm taking the opportunity to tell you more about it here.

First of all, you might be wondering why we went there?

In fact, this year is BBQ Québec's 10th anniversary and Max and I want to celebrate it in a big way. So we wanted to travel and explore what's happening elsewhere, BBQ-wise. And then, our buddy Max Le Barbier was getting married in Colombia and asked us to be there so that we could make him the best BBQ meal to celebrate his event. When the opportunity presented itself, we did 1 + 1 and said "Let's go, we're going!" since that was exactly what we wanted.

We also took the opportunity to go with people from our team to take lots of photos and videos in order to make a "pilot" show for an incredible new series where, precisely, we will talk about BBQ around the world. A series in which we will meet specialists in the field, taste barbecue meals, and discover all the best tips from locals and experts.

In Colombia, we took the opportunity to, yes, cook for the wedding, but also to visit butcher shops and BBQ stores, and to create exclusive content to celebrate the 10th anniversary of BBQ Québec. And, having been there, I can tell you that we have something solid on our hands. 😉

And there, I suspect that you are curious to know how things are done at the BBQ/culinary level in Colombia; I'm getting there.

Culinary specialties

Max and I were really happy there, because the big trend is "carne", meat. Beef, pork, chicken, "name it", they cook a lot of meat. It's even so "big" there that instead of having convenience stores, they have grill restaurants on the side of their roads. I even went to a sushi place and there was practically no rice in my sushi; the meat/fish was almost as large as the sushi itself! If in California, there is not a plate without salad, well, there is not one without meat!

In Colombia, people play a lot with fire and meat, but their restaurants are not really "barbecue" restaurants, per se, where they use "smokers" and do slow cooking. No, the chefs cook a lot, a lot, a lot with grills.

As for food, it's very meat (and fish!) based, but you can eat everything: tacos, pasta, beans, rice, eggs... that's life.

What's the barbecue like there?

In Colombia, the barbecue culture is not so much "big". It's more the meat that is popular.

Although you can import meat there, there is a big difference between what you find in Colombia and Canada. Their beef is smaller and less fatty, so the result on our plate is really striking. I ate a tomahawk there that was smaller than a rib steak here, for example. 😱

Barbecue may not be their number one interest, but they still know what it is. For the wedding, my brother and I set up a metal arched structure over a grill about 15 feet tall and hung lots of food on it to cook. All the Colombians there had seen it before; but not on such a large scale. Hanging chorizos or black pudding on a surface to cook is common there. Indeed, they are much more "grills"/open-air barbecues (without a lid)/parillas.

They, if they have to cook meat "low and slow" or "hot and fast", the only thing they will do is play with the height of the grill of their machine to cook the meat as they want; there are not really "air fryers" that go there.

Otherwise, they mainly use wood as fuel, but some also/rather work with coal (that's where I saw the biggest pocket of coal in my life; it must have weighed 20 kg!); very few use gas, and even fewer pellets.

Otherwise, when it comes to seasonings, Colombians cook a lot with salt. They will salt crust their meat; bury it in salt so that it hardens and gives it a salty taste before its salt "wrapping" is removed; or salt it, then wrap it in a towel and throw it in a fire so that the salt hardens and forms a crust on it (as if the towel were a sheet of butcher paper, basically).

What did Colombia allow me to experience/discover, BBQ-wise?

In Colombia, I saw one of the most beautiful BBQ stores of my life. In these stores, there were even more high-end appliances than what we sell in our branches! And, it's pretty crazy when I think about it, because I found that everything was cheaper in Colombia than in Canada, except for barbecues. It's true, a "ride" in Uber is like 10 times cheaper; meat, it costs 2 to 3 times less; but BBQs, themselves, are twice as expensive as the price we sell them for! 😳 (For example, a Prestige 500 from Napoleon, at home it will be around $1700; there, $3500! And they sell!!! 🤯) But hey, people want them and are ready to pay the price. It just makes me smile to think that at BBQ Québec, we sell BBQs at the best price on the market. 😉

Other than that, I would say that Colombia allowed me to have some sick experiences. For example, as I was talking about, the meal that my brother and I had for the wedding was amazing. Honestly, it was the hottest barbecue I have ever had (it's even my personal record!). There was an astronomical amount of food, a dream setup, my bro... it really left its mark on me. There was not one person who was there who didn't take a picture of themselves in front of the "cage", who didn't film the process or who didn't come and ask me questions. It was that sick. 💯

What did I transmit from Quebec to the Colombians?

The first day we arrived, Max and I went to give BBQ lessons to kids. It's pretty funny when I think back on it, because I'm used to giving lessons to adults. And when I show them how to make stuffed burger patties with the Stuffing Machine, theirs always come out all undone or with holes; it looks like they exploded when they took them out of the mold. But here, I was explaining it to kids of about 6 years old, in Spanish (and I don't speak Spanish, I used Google translate to make myself understood 🤪), and theirs were perfect! Max then took over and told them how to cook them on the barbecue and keep them juicy. It made me laugh, because, once again, after that, they outdid the adults! Their patties were bigger than their heads (I'm barely exaggerating 😂) and they ate the whole thing! 😳

Otherwise, in terms of gastronomy, Colombians are more traditional than us. They cook with wood and salt and pepper their meats. So, when I made them smell my jars of pre-mixed spices, they were running from one side to the other because they were so excited. They even asked me all the time if they could keep the jars if there was any dry marinade left in them after I was done using them. I clearly didn't bring enough. 😂🤪

The Dos and Don’ts of BBQ in Colombia

I absolutely loved my trip. So, if you decide to go too (which I recommend), here is what I recommend:

DO

• Try the blood sausage, the entrana, the picanha. The meat there is different from ours, but it is super good and very natural.
• Go out to a restaurant! There are some of the best restaurants there that I have ever eaten at in my life!
• Bring more jars of dry marinades to give as gifts. 🤪

OF WHICH

• Think you'll only want to stay for a week. There's so much hot stuff to see! 😬

There you go. It was a fantastic trip and I feel like telling you "Let's go, we're going back!", but my brother and I still have plenty of other destinations to visit.

On this, we keep the flame and we continue to, little by little, change the world 1 BBQ at a time!

Good BBQ gang! 🔥