LEEK
“Leeks never come off the menu at Burnt Ends. We simply throw them in the oven and burn them and that’s about all there is to it. The outside turns completely black so we strip this part off and then you’re left with this soft, sweet flesh in the middle. We serve the stems with brown butter, chopped capers, lemon juice and toasted hazelnuts.”

Head here for Dave’s leek, hazelnut and brown butter side recipe.

PUMPKIN
“What really attracts me to pumpkin is how tough it is. At Burnt Ends, we throw a whole pumpkin on the coals and just let it burn. It’s like a little pressure cooker. You end up with this charred crust on the outside and this beautiful concentrated flavour in the middle.”

Head here for Dave’s roast pumpkin, yoghurt an za’atar recipe.

PORK TOMAHAWK
“The pork tomahawk cut is an extension of the loins to the ribs. What I like about it is you get a variety of tastes and textures and this nice competition between the slightly tougher loin meat to the really fatty belly meat. If you can’t get your hands on a tomahawk, you can substitute for a standard bone-in pork chop.”

Head here for Dave’s charred pork tomahawk recipe.

MUSHROOM
“I really like the textural component of pine mushrooms. They have a relatively subtle flavour that is not too overpowering when grilled over the coals. The way the mushrooms are designed, with all those tiny pores, allow them to hold the smoke quite cleanly, making them a really good medium for transferring those flavours to a dish.”