Mark Jenner

Founder, Barbecue and Grilling Expert

Expertise

Barbecue, Grilling, Smoking (cooking), Product Reviews, Food Safety

Education

Essex University

Mark Jenner

Highlights

  • Barbecuing and grilling since 2005.
  • Founded and written for FoodFireFriends since 2017.
  • Hands-on experience with almost every type of smoker and grill imaginable.
  • Currently owns and uses over 30 different smokers and grills for hands-on experience while creating content for this site.
  • Skilled BBQ product tester with years of experience across all types of smokers, grills, tools, and accessories.
  • Has developed and written up countless BBQ and grilling recipes.
  • Quoted in and mentioned in numerous publications across the web for his BBQ advice.

Experience

I am a barbecue addict who first got into it in 2005 when someone offered me a second-hand Weber Kettle charcoal grill at a knock-down price.

I’d recently moved into a rented, shared house with three good friends, one of them being my American friend, Michael. He knew his way around a grill, showed me how to smoke chicken and ribs, and soon convinced me to go halves with him for the price of a Weber Smokey Mountain.

I soon became obsessed and decided to learn everything I could about BBQ, grilling and smoking. I remember the first two books I bought: ‘The BBQ Bible,’ by Steven Raichlen,’ and ‘Peace, Love & Barbecue,’ by Mike Mills.’ Excellent books, and Michael and I worked our way through most of their recipes, and for me, a new love was born.

I’ve loved all forms of food and cooking since I was a young teenager anyway, and this was just the next step in my culinary journey. But BBQ is the one I enjoy and am now most passionate about.

Since those early days, I have bought and sold scores of different grills and smokers, eaten at dozens of smokehouses, and attended countless barbecue festivals and cookouts.

I was initially an electronic engineer by trade and then a technical specialist in the CCTV and security systems world. And I’ve always enjoyed writing, teaching, IT, programming, and the world of computers. So back in 2017, I decided I would start a website, and one in BBQ and grilling was a natural choice. And so FoodFireFriends was born.

Over the years, I’ve worked on the site slowly. But from humble beginnings, it has become a large and popular resource for many. And I’m now beginning to add team members to help me grow the site faster, to add more expertise and voices to this incredible resource.

These days I regularly contribute to this site as an author, the lead content strategist, and chief editor. I barbecue between 3 and 10 times weekly, satisfying my passion for creating great food from raw ingredients over live fire.

The main equipment I currently own and use is:

  • Three Kamado Joes (Junior, Classic I, and Big Joe III.)
  • A Weber Smokey Mountain.
  • A Masterbuilt Gravity Fed charcoal smoker.
  • A Camp Chef Woodwind pellet grill.
  • Two Z Grills pellet grills.
  • A Pit Barrel cooker.
  • Two Weber kettle grills (original and Mastertouch.)
  • A Napoleon Pro charcoal kettle grill.
  • A Weber Genesis gas grill.
  • A Masterbuilt 30 electric smoker.
  • A Kadai open fire cooking pit.
  • An Ooni Karu 16 pizza oven.
  • A handful of travel grills, including Weber Go-Anywhere and Smokey Joe portable charcoal grills, and a Napoleon TravelQ Pro285 gas grill.
  • A vast range of remote thermometers, temperature controllers, instant-read thermometers, and other BBQ tools and accessories.

I sometimes buy, use, review and sell on grills and smokers while always keeping at least one of each type for me to cook on and experiment with to help me create content for this site. And besides, I have a bit of a collector’s attitude; The right number of barbecues to own is always what I have + 1. I can never have enough or too many!

I am 45 years old, married with two children, and my hobbies include playing in a darts team, amateur golf, general fitness, and a bit of travel.

More From Mark Jenner

Lamb leg sitting on foil, about to be wrapped and rested until carryover cooking ends.
General Knowledge

Carryover Cooking — What Is It, and Why Is It Important?

Food continues to cook and rise in temp after coming off the heat, be that a grill, smoker, hob, or oven. Understanding this and planning for carryover cooking is essential if you want to nail the correct doneness of your food every time and not serve it overcooked.

Ingredients prepared for dry brining some partridge, all seen laid out on a chopping board.
Prep & Serving

Wet Brining — Complete Guide With Step-by-Step Instructions

Wet brining is a fantastic way to drive extra flavor into meat, while helping to retain moisture after cooking. Great for whole birds such as chicken and turkey, but can also be used for smaller cuts to add extra tenderness and a big punch of flavor.

Close up of a dry brining prime beef rib with ribs removed, sitting on a chopping board.
Prep & Serving

Dry Brining Guide — Turkey, Chicken, Steaks, Chops and More

Dry brining gets seasoning deep into the meat and not just sitting on the surface, which increases the flavor considerably. And contrary to belief, it does not lead to dryness! In fact, it helps meat hold onto moisture for a more tender and delicious result.

Brisket on a smoker.
BBQ Theory

The Stall — What is it? Why Does it Happen? How to Beat it

Learn all about the stall in BBQ, the science behind it, why you shouldn’t hate it, and how to get around it if you so desire. In a short reads time, you will know EXACTLY what’s happening and be guided through wrapping at the right time to cut down on cooking time dramatically.

Diagram showing the parts of a knife.
General Knowledge

The Parts of a Knife — The Anatomy of Kitchen and BBQ Knives

In this article, we look at the many different parts of a knife. You will find detailed descriptions, along with illustrations, of each piece of a knife from end to end, so you will be able to understand common terminology when discussing knives with others.

Close up of the membrane of pork ribs being removed by being pulled off gripped with paper towel.
Ribs

How to Remove the Membrane from Ribs — And Why You Should do it!

Rib membrane is tough and chewy, even after a long smoke when the meat is tender, and it spoils the presentation of the final cooked product. Some people like it, most don’t, so let’s get rid of it. Here’s how to remove rib membrane before cooking, in a few simple steps.

A close up shot a vacuum packed frozen steak.
Grilling Guides

Grilling Frozen Steak — How to go From Freezer to Plate in Record Time

Did you know you can grill steak from frozen? It can actually result in fantastic steak, done to perfect doneness levels if you keep in mind these few little tips. Maybe not surprisingly, it can even help avoid overcooking the center while you build a deliciously tasty crust!

View from the inside back of a microwave, looking out over meat through the open door.
General Knowledge

How Many Times Can You Reheat Food, Especially Meat?

Ever defrosted some food, reheated it, but then found out you didn’t eat all that you reheated? Can you re-store it, then reheat it AGAIN? How many times can you safely reheat food? Does the quality suffer? We explore this in depth below.

A bottle of Stubbs liquid smoke on a wooden cutting board.
General Knowledge

What is Liquid Smoke? How to Make it home and When You Might Use it!

Liquid smoke is made by condensing down real smoke into a liquid form. It’s often used in place of cooking food on a smoker to add a smoky flavor. This article looks in-depth at how it’s made, its flavor profile, and what the experts think about its use.

Ribs cooking indirect on a kettle style charcoal grill.
Grilling Guides

Indirect Grilling — What is it? Why Use it? And How to Set Up for it

Open up many more possibilities on your grill by learning how to set up for indirect cooking. In this configuration, you can grill, smoke, roast, and even bake, pretty much enabling you to cook anything on your grill that you would in your kitchen. Here’s how to do it.

Kamado Joe dome thermometer being calibrated in boiling water.
General How Tos

How to Calibrate a Thermometer That You Use for Cooking

Thermometer accuracy can drift over time, so they need calibration to prevent false readings that can lead to woefully under— or over-cooked food and potentially even unsafe food. So follow the steps below to calibrate your thermometers, so you can trust them.

Griddle vs Grill: One of each installed in a kamado Joe Classic I.
General Knowledge

Griddle Vs Grill — What’s the Difference? How and What to Cook on Each?

Many people mistakenly call a griddle a grill…and vice versa. But they are different cooking surfaces, suited to different food types, requiring different techniques to use. This guide answers all your questions on griddle vs. grill, so you know how to use each and when you should pick one over the other.

Prime rib on a chopping board with a few sprigs of fresh rosemary.
Ingredients

What is Prime Rib? Where Does it Come From? How to Buy the Best

Prime rib, also known as a standing rib roast, is cut from the rib primal. It’s usually roasted bone-in as an impressive centerpiece for a dinner party, and it’s a fantastic cut for grilling or smoking if your aim is to impress. Learn all about it here.

A porterhouse steak on the grill.
Ingredients

Porterhouse vs T Bone Steak — Differences and How to Cook Them

Porterhouses are T-bones, but not all T-bones are Porterhouses. Confusing?! We do away with the confusion in this guide by discussing the differences between these two premium steaks. We also discuss how to buy, select and prepare each, and how to cook them.

Overhead view of charcoal snake set up in a weber kettle grill with smoking wood on the snake.
BBQ Guides

The Charcoal Snake Method: Smoking on a Grill — In a Few Easy Steps

The charcoal snake method of fire management is one you need to learn if you want to do low n slow smoking on your standard kettle-style grill. It’s an easy-to-use, reliable, and highly effective way to smoke food controllably for many hours. So, brisket and ribs, here we come!