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But back to the meat at hand: "If you squeeze the burger, and the juices pulse in and out, then you know it's the real deal," says Ozersky, between mouthfuls. (The less said about the "stem cell burger", grown in a laboratory and being tasted this week, the better.) The recommended accompaniment is a half-sour pickle on the side. "Take a bite of pickle after every bite to cleanse the palate."

Out of all the world's barbecue supremos, "Texan barbecue is the pinnacle," opines Ozersky. "There's the top-quality meat, cooked with salt and pepper and that's it. The cows are grass-fed or given a botanical garden diet, which gives the meat its terroir. Sauces should be kept on the side."

Ozersky himself uses an "old oil drum barbecue like the Jamaican Jerk men use" with a smoker on the side. Turner swears by an advanced insulated ceramic barbecue, such as the Big Green Egg, with an internal chamber for indirect cooking and "very moist and tender meat".

Nuggets of barbecue wisdom are coming as fast as the ribeye is disappearing. Says Ozersky: "If you're looking, you're not cooking. People are too impatient, letting the heat out to check how the meat is cooking. Don't rush it."

"The biggest mistakes are not having a hot enough surface," says Turner, "and insufficient salt. Shower the meat on both sides."

The quality of your meat will dictate its taste. "Seventy per cent of the flavour of meat comes down to what the animal has eaten," he claims "150 years ago, we produced the best meat in the world. Then there was a decline in quality after the two World Wars, and intensive farming, but there is now a return to more ethical farming and rare breeds, packed with flavour."

And what about gas versus charcoal? "Gas is tantamount to tofu," splutters Ozersky. "No, gas is worse than tofu," says Turner, who, contrary to those who believe there is no difference, has blind tasted meat cooked both ways and says charcoal wins every time.

Wrapping meat in foil on the barbecue is also a no-no for Ozersky: "That's like a TV dinner: cheap and artificial. The tenderness in meat should come entirely from the melting fat and the smoke."

When it comes to charred perfection, Tim Byres, an acclaimed barbecue chef from Dallas, who will be cooking at Meatopia, suggests both the direct method - where the meat is cooked over the heat source - and indirect: slower cooking at a lower temperature in a barbecue with a lid, so "the convection of smoke can whirl around inside, roasting like an oven."

Use direct heat for quick-grilling steaks, chops and vegetables, whereas tougher, larger cuts of meat such as brisket and ribs are more suited to the indirect method. "Sear the meat and move it to the cooler side if things begin to flare up," says Byres.

On the all-important question of when is the barbecue ready, "if you can hold your hand six inches above the grill for a few seconds without burning your hand then it's perfect for grilling."

His beef brisket, slathered in a coffee rub and smoked for 12 hours, is one of the hardest meats to cook well. "In Texas, this dish is a benchmark for how good a cook or restaurant is, and everyone has an opinion about how to do it right."

His only "must have" piece of BBQ kit is a charcoal chimney starter - a small steel cylinder with holes drilled below the grate that allows the air to flow up under the charcoal. "It's the safest and easiest way to get the grill rolling without the use of chemical starters."

The quality of your fuel also dramatically affects the flavour of your food, believes Tom Adams, head chef of Pitt Cue. He recommends lumpwood charcoal, made from good quality hardwood with no added chemicals to sully the flavour of your meat, and experimenting with hardwood chunks, such as oak, apple, or mesquite.

For those barbecuing on a budget, pig is the ultimate animal, with every part available from the snout to the tail. At the other end of the scale: "steak is the crown jewel of beef cookery," says Ozersky, "but don't ignore the rest: cow cheeks are really tender, oxtail and skirt steak is delicious", and one of the cheapest cuts.

But for the ultimate way to impress, "I would barbecue a very good, juicy, lushly marbled steak and cut it into perfect squares, dressing each piece in crunchy sea salt and silken anchovy butter." And at that, the table falls silent. There's feasting to be done.

For more tips on smoking, indirect and direct cooking and all things barbecue: 'Smoke', by Tim Byres (Rizzoli Publications) and 'Pitt Cue Co, The Cookbook' (Mitchell Beazley)

RECIPES

The Hawksmoor Burger

Serves two

2 burgers made to the Hawksmoor recipe (500g beef cuts, minced; 50g-100g bone marrow, chopped finely and combined with the meat, divided into three rounds 12cm-14cm in diameter)

Smoked Maldon sea salt

Black pepper, roughly crushed

2 burger buns, preferably home-made

2 slices of Ogleshield cheese

Mustard mayonnaise (50:50 Hellmann's and Colman's)

Heinz ketchup

2 leaves of butterhead lettuce (classic English round lettuce)

2 slices of onion

2 thin slices of pickled cucumber

2 thin slices of beef tomato

On a charcoal barbecue, allow the charcoal to burn down until it is completely white hot, with no black showing, over 45 minutes to an hour.

Take the burger out of the fridge at least 10 minutes before cooking. Season it heavily.

Place on the grill and cook for one minute, and then turn them 90 degrees. Leave for one more minute, then flip over. Repeat the process for another minute and keep turning and flipping until you have colour all over the meat. This will give you a pink interior. Cook them longer if you prefer them more well done. You want a little give in the centre when you press it with a pair of tongs for medium; a lot more give will be medium rare.

Place a slice of cheese on top for a few seconds until melted.

Remove the burgers from the grill and allow them to rest at 60C/140F for at least five minutes.

To assemble the burger, toast the cut sides of the bun and spread the bottom half with the mustard mayonnaise and top half with ketchup. Place the lettuce leaf, onion and gherkin on the mayonnaise side and the tomato on the ketchup side. Place the cooked burger on top and sandwich with the top half of the bun. Serve with chips and wedges of pickled cucumber.

Recipe adapted from 'Hawksmoor at Home' (Preface, £25)

LAMB CHOPS MECHOUI by Sam and Sam Clark, Moro

Serves four

2 tbsp whole cumin seeds, freshly ground

1 tsp sweet paprika

½ tsp hot paprika

1 tbsp sea salt, like Maldon

12-16 lamb chops, depending on size

40g butter, melted

Mix the spices and salt together in a bowl. Just before you are ready to grill the lamb chops, brush them with the melted butter and sprinkle liberally with half the cumin mixture.

To cook place the chops under a hot grill, or on a smoking griddle pan, or on a barbecue that is not too hot, for about five to eight minutes either side for pink, turning once or twice.

Serve immediately with some of the remaining cumin salt on the side. Delicious on its own or with bread, chopped salad and labneh.

HOUSE RUB by Pitt Cue co

Makes 300g

10g fennel seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp coriander seeds 100g soft brown sugar

50g granulated sugar

10g garlic powder

100g fine salt

15g smoked paprika

30g paprika

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp cayenne

Toast the fennel, cumin seeds, peppercorns and coriander seeds in a pan over a medium heat for a few minutes, shaking the pan, until they release an aroma. Put in bowl and leave to cool.

Blitz the toasted spices in a blender to a rough powder. Combine with the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Keep in a sealed container for up to one week.

Pitt Cue Chipotle Ketchup

MAKES APPROXIMATELY 1 LITRE

ripe tomatoes, chopped 1kg

onions, peeled and chopped 250g

cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped 250g

chipotle peppers 250g

cider vinegar 250ml

smoked Maldon sea salt 25g

hot smoked paprika 25g

light muscovado sugar 250g

Place all the ingredients except the muscovado sugar in a stainless steel pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Continue to cook at a simmer for 2 hours, then pass through a vegetable mouli.

Return the mixture to the pan with the muscovado sugar and continue cooking for around 30 minutes, or until thickened, stirring regularly to prevent catching.

Decant into sterilized bottles or jars and seal. When cool, refrigerate for a few days before using.

Use within 2 weeks.

Hawksmoor anchovy butter recipe

(Gentleman's Relish)

Serves 8

125g tinned anchovies (good quality such as Conservas Ortiz)

250g unsalted butter, diced

1 small pinch cayenne pepper

1 small pinch ground nutmeg

1 small pinch freshly ground black pepper

1 small pinch ground cinnamon

25ml lemon juice

25ml Worcestershire sauce

25ml water

Put all of the ingredients into a blender and whizz until smooth. Roll into a log wrapped in clingfilm and refrigerate or freeze until required. When required cut a 3cm slice and place on top of steak (flashing under the grill to encourage it to melt) or serve on the side.