Aim is to create new generation of ‘grill masters’ to staff country’s multimillion dollar skewered meat industry

A Chinese university has sparked disbelief by partnering to establish the country’s first Barbecue Research Institute.

The unusual institute aims to professionalise the beloved street food industry and train a new generation of grill masters.

Yueyang Open University in central China’s Hunan province has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Yueyang Barbecue Association to jointly establish the Yueyang Barbecue Research Institute.

The ambitious plan aims to train 1,000 professional barbecue artisans within three years.