I asked the UK's top chefs for the best BBQ recipe - perfect for spring
As soon as the sun shows its face again in the UK, Brits relish the opportunity to head outside and spend as much time basking in the sun as possible. It's also the perfect time to crack out the barbecue for some flavourful al fresco cooking.
The Express asked some of the UK's best chefs and grilling masters for their ultimate spring-summer barbecue recipes, and surprisingly, no sausages were on the menu. To celebrate the return of Pub in the Park in Marlow, the chefs shared some of their absolute favourite things to cook over the grills - and coals. Here's what you should be cooking on your barbecues this summer, without the need for sausages.
Genevieveis live fire and BBQ expert and the mastermind of the Bristol Fire School, and is obsessed with all things BBQ.
Ingredients (serve four to six)
- 1kg (2lb 4oz) skin-on chicken thigh fillets (start with 1.2kg/2lb 12oz bone-in thighs if you are filleting yourself)
- Six garlic cloves, crushed
- Two tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Two tbsp olive oil
- One tbsp sea salt flakes (kosher salt)
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the dressing
- 300g (10½oz) vine tomatoes
- 100g (3½oz) fresh basil, leaves and thinner stalks chopped
- 100ml (3½fl oz/generous cup)extra virgin olive oil
- ½-one lemon, juiced, to taste
- One-two tsp sugar, to taste
Technique: Indirect to direct
Fire set up: Small central fire
Method
If you can, marinate the chicken ahead of time - anything from an hour to 48 hours is fine. Place in a single layer in a shallow bowl and add the garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and generously season with the salt and black pepper.
Use your hands to work everything together so it's well coated. Cover and slide into the fridge for as long as you have.
When you are ready to cook, fire up the barbecue with a small central fire so you have a fire-free ring around the edge.. The cut of meat is identical, this is just a different way of flavouring them.
Set the chicken thighs on the grill bars in a ring around the edge of the fire, so they are cooking indirectly but each is equidistant from the heat. Shut the lid and leave to cook for about 35-40 minutes, turning over halfway through, until the thighs are well on their way to being cooked - a temperature probe should read around 60°C (140°F).
Meanwhile, make the dressing. Use a small sharp knife to score the skin all around the middle of the tomatoes.
Put them in a heatproof bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover. Leave for five minutes, then remove the tomatoes and peel and discard the skins. Slice in half and then finely chop the flesh, scooping it into a bowl as you go.
Stir through the basil and extra virgin olive oil. Add lemon juice and sugar to taste,and season well with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
Once the chicken fillets have had their slow indirect cook, use tongs to lift them over the fire. Cook over a direct heat, turning frequently, for another 10 minutes or until they are nicely coloured all over and cooked through - a temperature probe should read 74°C (165°F) in the deepest part of each thigh. Be prepared to slide the thighs back off the fire if things look to be getting a little hot and out of control.
To serve, spoon the dressing over plates, then slice the chicken and lay on top of the dressing.
Melissa, best-selling food writer and cook, described these burgers: "When my friend and barbecue legend Dan 'Elky' Whittaker asked me to take part in Burganuary, a celebration of burgers in January that he runs as part of his Smokin' Elk BBQ School, of course I said yes. At the time, it had been years and years since I had last had a lamb burger as I'd previously found them dry and flavourless.
"Burganuary seemed like the perfect opportunity to revisit them, and so this burger was born. It's quite light yet utterly satisfying. You can double up the patties if you wish, but I think there's no need."
Prep: 40 minutes, Cook: 15 minutes
Ingredients (makes four)
- 520g 20% fat lamb mince
- Four brioche buns, split open
- Four slices of burger cheese (I use Dairylea slices for this - trust me - though American cheese also works)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the sumac onions
- One small red onion
- A good pinch of salt
- One tbsp sumac
- Juice of one lemon
- Small handful of parsley, roughly chopped
For the herby cucumber yoghurt
- 150g Greek yoghurt
- cucumber, finely diced
- Handful of parsley, finely chopped
- Pinch of salt
Method
First make the sumac onions: in a bowl combine the onion, salt, sumac and lemon juice. Leave to soften for 15 minutes, then add the parsley. For the cucumber yoghurt, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Light the barbecue with the coals set up using the bullseye method. Divide the lamb mince into four 130g balls, moulding them lightly and not compacting them too much.
Cut out two 20cm square pieces of baking paper and place one on a flat, hard surface. Place one of the balls of mince in the middle. Place the other piece of baking paper on top, then use something heavy and completely flat, like the base of a frying pan, to press down firmly to flatten the patty to about 1cm thick.
Repeat with the remaining balls of mince. Once the coals are glowing, carefully place the patties on the grill directly over the coals. Season the tops with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for two minutes until browned on the bottom.
Now place the buns cut-side down on the grill and toast them for 30-60 seconds, keeping an eye on them as they can quickly burn. Remove as soon as they are golden brown.
Flip the patties and season the other side. Cook for one minute, then place a slice of cheese on top of each patty, followed by a generous pile of the sumac onions, then top with the top of the burger bun.
Spread a generous tablespoon of the cucumber yoghurt onto the bottom buns. Let the patties cook for another minute or two, then slide them off onto the bun. Press down gently, then serve immediately.
John, the chef and founder of London restaurant AngloThai, said: "Sirloin is a cut of beef that comes from a part of the cow that does very little work. The meat is very tender with a luxurious beefy and rich flavour. What adds to the intense flavor of this cut is the naturally occurring fat marbling.
"I recommend cooking sirloin to a medium, ensuring the marbling fat is rendered, keeping the meat juicy and tender. In Thailand, grilled steak is served with a style of dipping sauce called 'nahm jim jaew' which is typically sweet, tart and spicy to help cut through the rich meat."
Ingredients
For the Roasted chilli & tamarind sauce
- Three tbsp palm sugar
- One tbsp water
- Two tbsp tamarind paste
- Two tbsp fish sauce
- One tsp chilli flakes, toasted briefly in a pan
- One tsp lime juice (¼ lime)
- One tbsp coriander leaf and stem, roughly chopped
For the Beef Sirloin
- One x Beef sirloin steak (300g spec)
- Three tbsp fish sauce
- One tsp caster sugar
Method
Make the roasted chilli & tamarind sauce by dissolving the palm sugar with the water, then add the tamarind paste, fish sauce and toasted chilli flakes. Finish with the lime juice and stir through the chopped coriander. It should taste sweet, tart and spicy.
For the beef sirloin, combine the fish sauce and caster sugar and transfer to a wide bowl. Add the sirloin steak and liberally roll in the marinade. Set aside for 5 minutes.
Grill your steak over a medium-high heat. My favoured technique is to leave the steak alone once on the grill, allow it to colour and develop a nice crust and colour, this will likely take around two minutes depending how hot your charcoal is.
Flip and cook the other side for the same length of time. It'll likely need longer, but now flip the steak regularly, being sure not to burn it. To ensure a medium cook, use a temperature probe and check the internal core is 48 degrees celsius before removing and resting the meat in a warm spot on your grill away from direct heat. The temperature will rise a few degrees as the steak rests, you are looking to reach an internal temperature of 55 degrees celsius after resting.
After resting your steak, slice into 2cm thick pieces. When you slice, look for the grain of the meat and cut in the opposite direction, this will make the steak more tender and delicious. Serve alongside the roasted chilli & tamarind sauce in a ramekin for spooning over.
Melissa said: "Proper jerk takes time but jerk prawns are one rendition that can be on the table within an hour. Because prawns are relatively small and absorbent, and because their shells can trap the marinade close, they don't need much contact with the marinade for its flavour to penetrate."
Marinate: 15 minutes, Prep: 20 minutes, Cook: 10 minutes
Ingredients (serves four as a starter)
- 20 raw shell-on king prawns
- Two spring onions
- Two tsp ground pimento (allspice)
- Two garlic cloves
- 10g fresh ginger
- One tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Zest and juice of two limes, plus wedges to serve
- One tsp golden caster sugar
- Five sprigs of thyme
- ½-one Scotch bonnet, depending on heat preference
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- One tbsp neutral oil
Fire-roasted Tomato & Garlic Pepper Sauce (see recipe below)
Method
Prepare the prawns by cutting through the back of the shell with a pair of scissors from the bottom of the head to just before the beginning of the tail. Use a toothpick to remove the dark intestinal tract from the back of the prawns. Place the prawns in a bowl.
Put all the remaining ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth, then pour over the prawns. Massage into the prawns to get the marinade into the shell, then leave to marinate while you light the barbecue.
Light the barbecue with the coals set up for 50:50 cooking. Place the prawns on the grill directly over the coals. Cook for a couple of minutes until you can see the prawn start to turn pink, then flip and continue cooking.
Keep turning until the prawns are pink and the edges of their shells start to char. Move the prawns to the indirect-heat side once fully cooked, then when they are all ready, transfer them to a big serving platter.
Serve with some fire-roasted tomato and garlic pepper sauce and lime wedges.
Fire-roasted Tomato & Garlic Pepper SaucePrep: five minutes, Cook: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- Two red onions
- One garlic bulb, outer skin removed and root end sliced off
- One red pepper
- Two tomatoes
- Two Scotch bonnets
- Two tbsp rapeseed oil, plus extra for drizzling
- Two tbsp cider vinegar
- Two tsp light brown sugar (optional)
- Pinch of salt, plus extra to taste
Method
Light the barbecue with the coals set up for 50:50 cooking. Place the onions directly onto the coals and cook, turning every 10 minutes, until blackened all over and soft when pressed.
Place in a lidded container, then seal and leave to cool and steam. Drizzle some oil onto the cut side of the garlic bulb and sprinkle it with a pinch of salt, then wrap in foil and place over the coals, along with the red pepper and tomatoes.
Cook the tomatoes and pepper, turning
them frequently, until blackened all over, then place them in the container with the onions. Once the garlic has softened, about 20 minutes, remove it from the heat. Quickly blacken the Scotch bonnets over the fire, being careful not to burn them.
Once cool enough to handle, peel the onions, tomatoes and pepper and remove the seeds, then transfer to a food processor. Add the Scotch bonnets, oil, vinegar, sugar and salt. Squeeze the garlic cloves into the food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and more salt if needed. Transfer to a sterilised glass jar or bottle and store in the fridge for up to three months.
Pub in the Park returns to Higginson Park, Marlow from Thursday, May 14 to Sunday, May 17. Tickets are available to purchase now, starting from £47. For more information, visit here.