Credit: Jason Ingram
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5 min read
When the sun shines nothing beats a barbecue, make the most of it with these show-stopping recipes.
We may be back to work after a long weekend, but with the prospect of another warm weather spell on the horizon, we’re already dreaming of our next days off – not to mention the upcoming extra-long weekend in June for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. And what better way is there to enjoy our free time then by making the most of the great outdoors?
While we love a rosé-fuelled picnic in the park or a drink in one of the capital’s best beer gardens, there’s nothing like a barbecue when the sun shines (and even when it doesn’t).
And when it comes to barbecues, in recent years, our horizons have widened from the usual suspects of burgers, sausages and long-life buns. We already have an abundance of vegetarian-friendly recipes in our summer repertoire, but if you’re looking to feed a carnivorous crowd with a show-stopping main, we have the recipes for you – all with a helping hand from live fire and barbecue expert Genevieve Taylor.
Credit: Hardie Grant
With her new book Seared: The Ultimate Guide to Barbecuing Meat, Genevieve is giving all the recipes and practical advice to help you get the most from cooking meat on your barbecue. From sizzling steaks to whole roasted birds, the dishes may require a little more effort than your go-to grilled recipes, we promise that they’ll be more than worth it.
First up is Genevieve’s chicken shawarma flatbreads with toum. Taking your standard chicken kebabs to new heights, the show-stopping main is perfect for hungry crowds. Juicy, charred, garlicky sauce and soft flatbreads? It’s a yes from us.
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Next up is Genevieve’s take on the much-loved steak sandwich. Her steak butty is laden with mustardy mayo and peppery watercress, along with the very welcome double-carb addition of a handful of skinny fries. Who knew you could cook frozen oven chips on the barbecue?
And no one at your barbecue will be able to resist Genevieve’s balsamic pork kebabs with pesto dressing. Simple to put together and perfect served alongside a zingy salad, the meat is marinated overnight in a combination of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, brown sugar, garlic and smoked paprika to guarantee succulent, sweet yet tangy kebabs, ideal with the fresh pesto dip.
Chicken shawarma flatbreads with toum
Genevieve says: “This kebab-of-dreams is designed to feed a hearty crowd. Traditionally a shawarma is cooked on a vertical spit, which the majority of us won’t have in a domestic situation. So here it’s designed as a giant kebab cooked on a rotisserie spit. You could also cook it directly on the grill bars, away from the fire so it cooks gently and indirectly from the fire and rotating often. The toum, an intensely garlicky sauce, can be a slightly tricky candidate. If you add the oil too fast it can end up on the thin side, but it will still taste totally delicious drizzled over the chicken. It keeps for up to a month in the fridge and leftovers are fantastic used in place of fresh garlic in pasta sauces or any general cooking. I used whole filleted legs for this recipe, giving me a nice fat shawarma. You could use thigh fillets instead, but the overall circumference will be less, resulting in a reduced cooking time.”
Serves 8
Ingredients
For the shawarma:
- 3 tbsp cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 2 tbsp black peppercorns, to taste
- 2 tsp cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp cardamom pods
- 2 tbsp paprika (unsmoked)
- ½ nutmeg, grated
- 2kg chicken thigh or leg fillets (skin on or off)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 heaped tbsp flaked sea salt
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
For the toum:
- 1 large garlic bulb (nice fat, firm cloves)
- 1 tsp flaked sea salt
- juice of 1 fat lemon
- 400ml neutral oil (grapeseed, groundnut, vegetable)
- 4 tbsp iced water
To serve, per person:
- a large flatbread (or pitta)
- a handful of salad
- a good handful of cooked chips – I don’t think you can beat skinny oven fries here
- a little chopped parsley or coriander
- a sprinkle of pul biber (red pepper flakes) or other chilli flakes
Method
Set a small frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat and tip in the cumin and coriander seeds, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods. Toast for a minute or two until you can smell the fragrance wafting up from the pan, then transfer to a spice mill. Add the paprika and nutmeg and grind to a powder.
Add the chicken to a bowl along with the olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Sprinkle over the spice mix and stir well to mix. Cover and slide into the fridge to marinate for a good few hours, 24 would be ideal.
You can also make the toum ahead of time – it will keep (covered) in the fridge for up to a month. Peel the garlic cloves and slice in half, removing any green central stem as it can add a little bitterness to the sauce. Put the garlic into a food processor and whizz until very finely chopped, stopping the motor and scraping down the sides if necessary. Add the salt and lemon juice and process until creamy. With the motor running, very gradually drizzle in the oil, literally a few drops at a time at first so it begins to emulsify. If you add the oil too fast it can split or not thicken. Once you’ve added about a quarter of the oil, add a tablespoon of iced water, then continue adding more oil. Keep alternating drizzling oil with tablespoons of water until the sauce thickens. Spoon into a bowl, cover and refrigerate.
When you are ready to cook, assemble the shawarma by laying the chicken fillets out one on top of the other, adding a scattering of thinly sliced onion between each layer, until you have a neat vertical stack. Tuck in any little loose bits as best you can. Take your metal skewers and insert them at intervals around the circumference of the stack, piercing them all the way through as far as they will go. Turn the stack on its side and push the skewers further until they poke out the other side. Insert the rotisserie spike and attach the clamps to really secure the shawarma in place. If you are not using a rotisserie, use a few extra skewers to ensure the shawarma is really well held together.
Fire up your barbecue with two smallish fires on either side of where the rotisserie spike will sit so the shawarma can cook semi-indirectly. You are aiming for an air temperature inside the barbecue of around 150°C or so. Slot the spike with the shawarma into place and set the motor running. Shut the lid of the barbecue and cook gently until the internal temperature, right in the middle of the shawarma, reaches 74°C. This may well take 2½–3 hours. Be patient: low and slow is best so that the chicken cooks all the way through to the centre without overcooking the outside. If you are not using a rotisserie, rest the shawarma directly on the grill bars between the two fires and turn regularly to ensure even cooking.
Once the shawarma is cooked through, remove it to a chopping board and carefully remove the rotisserie spike and clamps along with the metal skewers. Carve into slivers.
To serve, sprinkle a little salad over a wrap. Top with a handful each of chips and sliced chicken. Drizzle over toum to taste and finish with a sprinkle of herbs and chill flakes. Roll up tight and tuck in.
Steak and chips butty, mustard mayo, watercress
Genevieve says: “It perhaps feels a little brave-slash-foolish to start my ode to meat over fire with something so simple as a steak butty, but I surely can’t be alone in thinking this might just be my perfect last supper? A double carb hit from bread and chips, double heat hit from mustard and watercress, with my favourite steak in the world slapped squarely in between. Oh, yes please. Oh, and yes, you can cook frozen oven chips on the barbecue! Read on…”
Serves 2 as a feast, or 4 as a snack
Ingredients
- 400–500g hanger steak
- 1 tbsp flaked sea salt
- 300g frozen oven chips – I like skinny French fries
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
- 1–2 tsp English mustard
- 1 ciabatta loaf
- olive oil, for drizzling
- a good handful of watercress
- freshly ground black pepper
Method
In an ideal world, dry-brine your steak the day before you cook it. Simply sprinkle the salt over and place on a rack set over a tray and slide into the fridge. Even if you do this for a couple of hours or so it will benefit taste and tenderness.
When you are ready to cook, fire up your barbecue ready for high temperature direct and indirect grilling, piling a whole chimney of lit coals to one side of the grill.
Once the barbecue is hot, scatter the frozen chips onto a grilling tray or sheet of foil. Set onto the grill bars away from the fire so that they cook over a high but indirect heat. Shut the lid of the barbecue and cook for around 20 minutes, turning and tossing about a few times until crisp in parts and just a touch soggy in others. Yes, here I think a little soggy can be a good thing so you get that good ‘squish’ when you bite.
Stir together the mayonnaise, both mustards and a generous grind of pepper. Set aside.
Open up the ciabatta lengthways to give you two long pieces and drizzle a little oil over the cut sides. Grill for a couple of minutes to warm and lightly toast. Then rest on top of the cooked fries to keep warm off the heat while you cook the steak.
Drizzle a little oil all over the steak and set on the grill bars directly over the fire. Cook, turning frequently with the lid up, until grilled to perfection – use your meat probe here. If you are not resting your steak, take it to 52°C (125°F) for rare or 56°C (132°F) for medium-rare. If you want to rest, go a few degrees less to allow for carryover cooking.
Scatter the watercress in the base of the ciabatta and top with the fries, sprinkling a little extra salt over them. Slice the steak across the grain into 1cm (½in) strips and add on top of the fries, adding any juices that have seeped from the meat.
Finish by dolloping on the mustard mayo and topping with the other piece of ciabatta. Give it a firm squish down to meld everything together and slice in half to give you two very generous portions, or into quarters for four if there is more to follow. Tuck in without delay
Balsamic pork kebabs, pesto dressing
Genevieve says: “Vinegar is a wonderful acidic tenderizer but the slight sweetness to this marinade means the kebabs can burn over too high a heat, so be prepared to cook slightly away from the fire for a little longer.”
Makes 8 kebabs
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1.2kg pork leg, diced into 3–4cm (1¼in–1½in) cubes
- a bunch of spring onions, cut into 4cm (1½in) lengths
- flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the pesto:
- 50g pine nuts
- 30g basil, leaves and stems, roughly torn
- 40g Parmesan, grated
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- juice of ½ lemon
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- You also need 8 metal skewers
Method
Mix together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, brown sugar, garlic and smoked paprika in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, add the pork and toss together to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 12–24 hours.
To make the pesto, tip the pine nuts into a small frying pan (skillet) and set over a medium heat. Toast for a couple of minutes until golden, then tip into a food processor. Add the basil, Parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic along with a little salt and pepper. Blitz to a purée then scoop into a bowl. I always think pesto tastes best when freshly made, but you can make a few hours ahead if you prefer. You can also make by hand by chopping everything and pounding to a paste in a pestle and mortar.
When you are ready to cook, fire up the barbecue ready for direct and indirect grilling.
Thread the pork onto metal skewers, alternating it with the spring onion. Cook, taking care to keep the kebabs a little away from the fierce infrared heat directly over the fire.
Serve the kebabs with the pesto dressing on the side.
Seared: The Ultimate Guide to Barbecuing Meat by Genevieve Taylor (£20, Hardie Grant) is out now
Photography: Jason Ingram
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