"I want to blow their minds," is the crux of Joe Minoli's ethos when it comes to cooking authentic barbecue for diners and regulars of Flamin' Joe's BBQ. And this became - and this is in no way overstating it - an absolute obsession during lockdown for the dad-of-five from Blackwood.
From building a DIY smoker back in 2020 from an old filing cabinet at home to firing up weekly at his own, outdoor restaurant which opened in July 2021 to a queue of hundreds at their farmyard setting, Joe and his wife, Lauren have had a whirlwind couple of years... or should we say smoking years?
When you're told by someone that the best barbecue they've tasted is from a place found on what was once a cowshed-now-car-park at a farm in the valleys you sit up and pay attention. Visiting on a quiet July Thursday, the setting is about as authentic as you'll get short of a smoking pit buried underground. From the piles of wood for the smoker, to the rustic barns, animal paddock and fresh dairy milk shop, Flamin' Joe's position at Pencoed Fach Farm, just outside Blackwood, sets itself apart from the majority of other restaurants.
