But the way we go about it varies greatly from one person to the next. There are those for whom throwing a few hot dogs on the grill constitutes a good barbie, but there are just as many who take the art of grilling to a whole new level. If you happened to be in the centre of Torhout, West Flanders, last weekend, these barbecue aficionados were present en masse. The occasion was the Belgian Barbecue Championship, and it drew a crowd of more than 10,000 visitors on 30 August to the small town about 15 kilometres south of Bruges.

In total, 34 teams were present at the two-day event, each with their own unique stand and approach to grilling. Most had big Smoker Joes and Oklahoma barbecues set up, or the more classic Webers. One creative team was using a grill made out of a beer keg that they had sliced in half. I was being shown around by a most inspired team, the Belgian Egg Heads from Merelbeke, outside of Ghent.

“Eggheads”, as they call themselves, cook on Big Green Egg grills. Invented in the United States over 30 years ago, Big Green Eggs are essentially the modern version of ancient clay ovens. You cook kamado style: close the lid, and hot air from the flames circulates around the food. Moisture is retained, resulting in tender, juicy pieces of meat.

Brothers Kris and Glenn Vandorpe are grill masters who help Belgian Michelin star restaurants get set up with Big Green Eggs in their kitchens. “We recently took an entire chicken, placed it over a can of white beer and let it roast for about an hour,” Glenn says. The chicken came out succulent and full of flavour. “But it’s no longer just about meat,” he says. The Egg has transformed the way people think about barbecuing because they can be used for pizzas, veggies, slow-cooked stews and even desserts like pies and cookies.

Each team at the Barbecue Championship prepared five different dishes using fish, chicken, pork, beef and a fruit dessert. More than 80 jury members, mostly top chefs and culinary gurus, then made a decision based on the quality of the dishes. Meanwhile, visitors could meander from stand to stand, tasting the grilled goodies and gaining inspiration for their own backyard barbecues.

Special guest this year was Herr Seele, Flemish cartoonist and promoter of macrobiotic foods. “When it comes to barbecue, a lot of people automatically picture a guy flipping burgers on his patio,” he says. “Now, however, people are realizing that grilling outside can in fact be a very natural way of cooking and good for you.”

So who is Belgian Champion 2009? Appropriately enough, a team called Healthy People from Rijmenam-Bonheiden, Antwerp province. Their prize was an Oklahoma smoker-barbecue.

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