Five Points Brewing Co is hosting Europe’s biggest BBQ festival this summer.
It’s called Big Grill, and back on its native Irish turf it’s welcomed more than 60 chefs and crowds of over 20,000. To celebrate the festival’s 10th birthday, the team are bringing the show over to London this June – and we’ve distilled the many persuasive reasons you should go into these five points:
1) THE LOCATION
If you’ve been to Five Points before, you’ll know that it’s a brewery, taproom and sprawling courtyard rolled into one; teeming with atmosphere, and less than a 10-minute stroll back to London Fields station. And if you haven’t, well, you’ll know anyway now that you’ve just read about it.
2) THE HOST CHEFS
Leading the charge at Big Grill London are the brewery’s resident chefs, From The Ashes founders Curtis Bell and Martin Anderson. Their nose-to-tail approach to BBQ has taken London by storm over the last few years, and they’ll be taking that to its logical extreme on the second day of the festival, when temper’s Neil Rankin will join them in slow-roasting a whole Dexter steer over the coals for the ultimate Sunday roast.
3) THE GUEST CHEFS
Joining them across the weekend will be a fleet of smokehouse specialists from across the globe, including the award-showered Robin Gill (of Darby’s and Sorella); Jordan Bailey (fresh from winning Ireland’s fastest ever two Michelin Star debut); Cue Point’s Mursal Saiq and Joshua Moroney, serving their signature Afghan-London BBQ with an Irish twist; Dublin’s hit Filipino food truck Bahay, collaborating with Sarap founder Budgie Montoya for one weekend only; and former The Dairy chef Mark O’Brien, bringing his live fire expertise up from Whitstable.
4) THE DRINKS
Being a very literal piss-up in a brewery, there’s no shortage of tank-fresh pints to be had. But since you can’t bring an Irish festival to London and not bring the beers, you’ll also get to sample pints from the Emerald Isle’s finest breweries, including Rascals, Galway Bay Brewery and The White Hag. Plus, Dave Mulligan from Dublin’s multi-multi-award-winning Bar 1661 will be on-hand to rustle up some of the bar’s signature poitín-laced cocktails (that’s an Irish spirit which, for the record, had to be banned in the past).
5) THE ENTERTAINMENT
Sure, a day spent scarfing down BBQ from some of the UK’s most talented fire-wranglers while drinking outlawed Irish liquor all sounds very ‘meh’ so far. But wait till we tell you that Big Grill will also be bussing in London and Dublin’s finest DJs to soundtrack the weekend; there’ll be a stage for talks and live demos; and the return of the festival’s famous Chilli Eating Challenge, which, remember, is easy to win…
…if you don’t sweat it.
NOTE: Big Grill takes place on 8th & 9th June 2024 at Five Points Brewing Co in Hackney. Tickets cost £50 + booking fee, which includes 4 dishes. You can find out more, and book, HERE.
Big Grill | Five Points Brewing Co, 61 Mare Street, London, E8 4RG
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