What is Northern Barbecue™
Everything You Need to Know About the Northern Barbecue™ Method by Chef Mike Belobradic
If you want to improve, enhance and grow your backyard barbecue skills, but aren’t sure how to do it, the Northern Barbecue Method™ may be right for you.
Northern Barbecue™ is truly a global cultural journey. It is as much about research and understanding different cultures as it is about the actual cooking.
— Chef Mike Belobradic
What is the Northern Barbecue™ Method
Northern Barbecue™ is a barbecue curriculum of sorts. It is a structure or framework that will help you to improve and enhance your barbecue and grilling skills year-after-year, and have fun doing it. Northern Barbecue™ is not a course in the traditional sense, but rather a way to bring structure to your learning and continually improve your live-fire cooking skills and confidence.
Northern Barbecue™ is truly a global cultural journey. It is as much about research, learning and understanding different cultures, cuisines and methods as it is about the actual cooking.
Northern Barbecue™ is not about following recipes.
The Northern Barbecue™ Method is about:
Learning the stories and methods behind the grilled foods of a culture or place,
understanding the nuances of how it is prepared in its original location,
understanding the spices and techniques used, and then
determining what you will need to do (and likely acquire) in order to create your own version of these dishes in your own backyard.
Northern Barbecue is a global culinary food adventure, developed through the lens of a Canadian with a global cultural perspective on food and the world.
Who is Northern Barbecue™ For?
The Northern Barbecue™ Method is suitable for any barbecue cook who enjoys grilling or smoking over hardwood lump charcoal or live fire in their backyard – and who wants to improve their skills and be challenged.
Northern Barbecue™ is not meant for beginners. It is not a Barbecue 101 program.
The Northern Barbecue™ Method is best suited to cooks who already have a good understanding and skill set based on Southern BBQ methods and northern grilling style. It is for cooks who want to learn new things from around the globe and continue to expand their BBQ proficiency. It is for those who want to have fun with their barbecue in an enjoyable way, in the comfort of their own backyard grilling space.
As a prerequisite for the Northern Barbecue™ Method, you should be able to at least, for example, smoke ribs to perfection over hardwood heat and grill a perfect 1.5” steak to order, in a repeatable and confident manner.
The skills from smoking and grilling are basic skills needed to carry you through the Northern Barbecue journey into global barbecue. These core skills will carry you through as you discover and learn new ways to grill, smoke and cook dishes over live-fire sources from around the globe.
How Does Northern Barbecue™ Work
The Northern Barbecue™ Method was built on the premise that self-taught learning and doing is the optimal way to enhance your skills at the grill or fire pit. It runs on a seasonal calendar, with each year representing a new type of barbecue to explore, learn and “master” (master being a relative term meaning that you can prepare and repeat a dish with confidence and style).
One of the most important parts about the Northern Barbecue Method is the research and learning that you will do on your own. This is not a cookbook to follow, or a rigid course outline. Rather, it a guided path that will take you on a journey of global culinary discovery. The theory and understanding of the techniques of each far-off place should light a fire inside you to try to (as authentically as possible) recreate any dish over its original live-fire source.
Northern Barbecue works for those who want to seek new experiences for their cooking and who have the drive and patience to perfect their art over the long haul. Northern Barbecue is not a race; it is a journey.
That old saying: It is the journey, not the destination, applies perfectly to the Northern Barbecue Method of barbecue skills enhancement.
Do I Have to Cook Over Charcoal to Follow the Northern Barbecue™ Method?
Yes. The method was designed and based on the core premise of cooking over fire, hardwood lump charcoal and wood.
Sure, you can cook any dish at home in the oven or on an electric pellet grill, but that will not be authentic or anything resembling the live-fire methods and flavours of the original dishes. There is a difference between following a recipe and preparing a dish in the authentic original manner, especially when that means cooking over hardwood heat and live fire.
When Should I Start the Northern Barbecue™ Method?
The best time to start the Northern Barbecue™ Method is at the beginning of your grilling season.
The Northern Barbecue™ Method is based on an approach that allows you to sharpen your skills with a few cooks of your chosen regional cuisine each calendar year. If you live in a climate where your most comfortable grilling season is during the spring, summer and fall, then a good time to start is in the spring. But remember, there will be a lot of research and possibly acquisition of accessories for each year’s cooks, so you can always start that work in the colder months leading to a spring kick-off.
The key is to maintain the Northern Barbecue™ Method year-after-year, once you begin. You will be building on learnings from past years and your best improvement will come by challenging yourself each year with a new global cuisine.
I have included a sample curriculum that you may want to use as a starting point for your journey along the path of the Northern Barbecue™ Method.
Northern Barbecue™ Method FAQs
Northern Barbecue™ is designed to be both a personal journey and a shared framework for those who want to take their live-fire cooking beyond recipes and routines. As more cooks around the world explore the method and contribute their own experiences, common questions naturally arise about its origins, purpose, and practical application. The following answers clarify what the Northern Barbecue™ Method is, what it is not, and how it continues to evolve.
Why Would I Follow the Northern Barbecue™ Method?
1
The Northern Barbecue™ Method helps barbecue cooks move beyond recipes and into true skill-building and cultural understanding. Instead of simply following instructions, you learn how and why dishes are prepared the way they are in different parts of the world.
By researching techniques, spices, fire sources, and traditions, you develop a deeper awareness of global barbecue methods and how to adapt them confidently in your own backyard. Over time, this process expands your taste, technique, and cultural knowledge, helping you become a more capable, creative, and well-rounded pitmaster.
Is Northern Barbecue™ About Cold Weather or Northern Climate Cooking?
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No. Northern Barbecue™ is not related to climate, temperature, or seasonal cooking. The word “Northern” refers to the Canadian perspective from which the method was created, not to cold-weather grilling.
The method reflects Canada’s globally welcoming food culture and its openness to learning from barbecue traditions around the world. It combines the foundational skills of Southern barbecue and Northern-style grilling techniques to create a framework for exploring global live-fire cooking, regardless of where or when you grill.
Do I Need Special Equipment to Follow the Northern Barbecue™ Method?
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You do not need brand-specific equipment to follow the Northern Barbecue™ Method, but you may need specialty equipemnt along the way in order to replicate authentic global dishes. You do need the ability to cook over live fire, hardwood lump charcoal, or wood.
The focus is on developing fire management, heat control, and technique. The addition of any new tools or accessories will be related to what you may need to acquire to authentically recreate a dish. Whether you use a charcoal grill, smoker, or fire pit, what matters most is your ability to work with real fire and apply what you learn from global barbecue traditions in a repeatable and confident way.
Is Northern Barbecue™ a Course, Certification, or Cooking Class?
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Northern Barbecue™ is not a formal course, certification, or paid cooking class. It is a self-guided learning framework designed to give structure and purpose to your long-term development as a barbecue cook.
Think of it as a personal curriculum that encourages research, practice, and cultural exploration, year after year. The goal is not to complete a program, but to continually refine your skills and deepen your understanding of live-fire cooking traditions from around the world.
Over time, as the Northern Barbecue™ community grows, this framework may evolve into a formal learning path or certification for those who want to demonstrate a deeper level of mastery and cultural understanding in global live-fire cooking.
About Chef Mike Belobradic
Chef Mike Belobradic is a Canadian live-fire and barbecue chef based in Ontario, Canada, and the creator of the Northern Barbecue™ Method. Through SmokeFireGrill.ca, he explores hardwood grilling, low-and-slow barbecue, and global fire-cooking traditions adapted for the Canadian outdoor kitchen.
