Meatopia UK, Launch Party (46 Pics)

 

Meatopia Launch Party
Tuner & George Butcher (Will open in Sep), 399 St John St, London EC1V 4LD (map)

Carnivores rejoice! Meatopia, the American festival of meat, is coming to the UK in September. Some of the UK’s top chefs will be cooking up their favourite meats. TWENTY FIVE teams will be cooking signature dishes in THE most impressive line up I’ve seen for any food event. The ultra-heavyweight lineup includes names synonymous with the best meat venues in London. This includes Richard Turner (Head Chef, Hawksmoor), Neil Rankin (former-Head Chef, Pitt Cue Co), Fergus Henderson (Founder of St John’s), and… my all time favourite Pakistani mixed grill venue, Tayyabs!

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Hungry anyone?

One look at Richard Turner’s CV confirms that he absolutely loves meat (Executive Chef of Hawksmoor, Director of the East London Steak Co and Pitt Cue Co.). Fortunately for us in the UK, he has teamed up with Josh Ozersky, the founder of Meatopia, to bring this celebration of all things meaty to London!

Meatopia was created in 2007 by Josh Ozersky, founding editor of New York Magazine‘s food blog, Grub Street. Described as “A meat-lover’s paradise” it is finally coming to feed us Brits! This is their impressive manifesto for fire cooked, ethnically and locally sourced food.

The ‘Meatopia Manifesto’

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Meatopia is coming

Meatopia is a call to arms for all you judicious lovers of meat, a clarion toot to the perfectionists amongst you who demand the best in taste and provenance. So, pick up your forks, sharpen your knives and ask not what you can do for Meatopia but what Meatopia can do for you.

For we the chefs, butchers, artisans, evangelists and burgerati of the movement hereby pledge that this September’s Meatopia UK festival shall adhere to the following sacred principles.

1. WE PROMISE… REAL FIRE
   No butane, no propane, no convection and certainly no microwavery nonsense. Your taste buds will get nothing but meat cooked only over logs or hardwood charcoal.
2. WE PROMISE… NOTHING BUT THE BEST
   Every piece of meat on offer will have been raised naturally, lived the best of lives and be totally and utterly hormone, anti-biotic and cruelty free.
3. WE PROMISE… LOCALLY SOURCED MEAT
   Our animals will all be native UK breeds. Bred raised and butchered so locally even UKIP would be impressed.
4. WE PROMISE… NOSE TO TAIL TREATS
   There’s so much more to meat than your day to day cuts. At Meatopia we celebrate the whole animal and will encourage you to do the same.
5. WE PROMISE… THE BEST IN BEVERAGES
   Wondering what you’ll wash all this down with? Fear not. Meatopia will have the best in artisan ales, fine wines and delicious spirits to complement the food.
6. WE PROMISE… LIVE MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT
   Meatopia is not just about eating and drinking. There will be live bands, butchery demos, informal workshops, art installations, our favourite street theatre and jaw dropping live performances.

Source: www.meatopia.co.uk

For those of you who have been following the London food scene, you will recognise most (if not all) of these names.

• Richard H Turner, Hawksmoor, Pitt Cue Co, East London Steak Co
• Daniel Doherty, Duck & Waffle, London
• Tom Adams, Pitt Cue Co, Soho, London
• Fergus Henderson, St John’s, London
• Michael White, Chop Shop, London (coming soon)
• James Lowe, ex-Fat Duck, ex-St John’s Food & Wine
• Martin Morales, Ceviche, London
• Junya Yamasaki, Koya, London
• Gizzi Erskine, Food Writer & TV Presenter London

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Neil Rankin (ex-Head Chef of Pitt Cue) eyes up his meaty leaving gift

I’m very pleased to see that the list isn’t all about “hardcore meat” powerhouses. Following his “Kitchen Swap” with equally excellent Soho neighbour Barrafina, I am very interested in the “Hay seared venison fillet sashimi” by Head Chef Juna Yamasaki, of Udon specialist “Koya“. Also, representing the ladies as the only female entry is writer and TV Chef is Gizzi Erskine, who will be cooking up “BBQ Chicken Korean Style”.

For all you ex-pat Americans here in the UK, four of your countryfolk will be making the trip across the pond to bring you a taste of home. As someone who has heard a lot about “Southern Cooking” I’ll definitely be in line to see what the fuss is all about!

• Aaron Franklin, Franklin Barbecue, Austin, Texas
• Tim Byres, SMOKE, Dallas. Texas
• Chris Hastings, The Hot and Hot Fish Club, Alabama
• Seamus Mullen, Tertulia, New York City BBQ

It was with some surprise that Josh Ozersky told me that they have already had plenty of “What do you have for vegetarians?” enquiries. So many enquiries that they have put their appropriate “two word answer” in their FAQs. (Answer: “Um… no”). How annoying. Personally, I would suggest directions to the nearest exit. After all, if I’m a meat eater I don’t stroll into a greengrocer and ask “What do you have for carnivores?”.

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Rod Laver… meets Hannah Norris?

Note: Many thanks to NourishPR for the invitation, Richard Turner, Josh Ozersky, Big Green Egg and the Meatopia Team for their hospitality and finally Rod Laver for the most entertaining ‘ping pong ball’ show outside Bangkok.

VINE: ROD LAVER – Ping Pong Ball Act
PING PONG ACT 1: https://vine.co/v/h7FK9d1pr2L
PING PONG ACT 2: https://vine.co/v/h7FmbD9wTbE

EVENT DETAILS

Meatopia UK
Sat 07th Sep 2013, 12h00-21h00 (Coals on the grills 13h00-19h00)
Ad: 50 Porters Walk, Wapping, London, E1W 2SF (map).
Ww: www.meatopia.co.uk
Fb: www.facebook.com/MeatopiaUk
Tw: @MeatopiaUK

Meatopia UK Launch Party – “A glorious city of meat”

Meatopia UK Launch Party – BBQ Shack “Bourbon and Maple Cured Ham”

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Bird of Smithfield’s entry “Smoking Bird BBQ Brisket”

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Almost Famous “The Almost Famous Meaty Monster”; Shake Shack “Super Shack Burger, London Style” and BBQ Whisky Beer “St Louis Cut pork belly ribs in bourbon”

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Moro “Charcoal Grilled Lamb Cutlet with cumin and paprika”

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Chris Hastings “Lamb shoulder with barley, figs, chestnuts, harissa and mint espuma

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Wild Game Co “Venison steak frites”; Koya “Hay seared venison fillet sashimi”

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Pitt Cue “Pigs head sausage with apple ketchup”; Duck & Waffle “Korean BBQ pigs head fennel and truffle slaw”

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Meat anyone?

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Gizzi Erskine “BBQ chicken ‘Korean’ style”

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Ceviche “Tender beef heart with yucca chips”

Meatopia UK Launch Party – This little piggy went to Meatopia…

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Live Butchery from ‘Turner & George’ (Opening soon)

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Caption competition?

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Hanging meat

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Ceviche “Tender ox heart with yucca chips”; St John “Grilled head of an Ox with horseradish”; Seamus Mullen “Tamworth pig paella”

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Meat lovers paradise

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Josh Ozersky, the founder of Meatopia… with meat

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Josh Ozersky, the founder of Meatopia… with meat

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Richard Turner (Head Chef, Hawksmoor)… with meat

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Hungry anyone?

Meatopia UK Launch Party – The Big Green Egg mobile… a kitchen converted from a London Cab

Meatopia UK Launch Party – A preview of Turner & George (Richard Turner & James George’s new Butchery)

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Big Green Egg, kamado style cookers

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Lamb with Anchovy Butter

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Meat Eaters… in their natural habitat…

Meatopia UK Launch Party – The ultimate portable oven

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Chef Neil Rankin

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Richard Turner behind the grill

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Richard Turner behind the grill

Meatopia UK Launch Party – The Big Green Egg

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Smokey!

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Flame licked

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Rod Laver… the most entertaining ping pong act since Bangkok

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Rod Laver… meets Hannah Norris?

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Smokey blondes

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Flame grilled!

Meatopia UK Launch Party – The girls of Meatopia… as assembled by Josh Ozersky

Meatopia UK Launch Party – The girls of Meatopia… as assembled by Josh Ozersky

Meatopia UK Launch Party – The girls of Meatopia… as assembled by Josh Ozersky

Meatopia UK Launch Party – The girls of Meatopia… as assembled by Josh Ozersky

Meatopia UK Launch Party – The girls of Meatopia… as assembled by Josh Ozersky

Meatopia UK Launch Party – The girls of Meatopia… as assembled by Josh Ozersky

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Sausages

Meatopia UK Launch Party – A very happy Josh Ozersky announces meaty goodie bags

Meatopia UK Launch Party – Neil Rankin (ex-Head Chef of Pitt Cue) eyes up his meaty leaving gift