ba r b ec u e s

BBQ donbecome aw i t h T he m o u t h -wat e r i n gtips, tricks and techniques

Every Man Needs
allservedbyMichux
el Ro

Jr&TomK e rridge

Let our meat-obsessed chefs guide you to a barbecue no one will forgetw w w . S h o r t L i s t . c o m

4 3

ba r b ec u e s

M i c h e l R o u x jr s ay s

T o m K e rr i d g e s ay s

Be patient“ Planning is key”

The fine-dining king on perfect lamb and a new use for pine cones

Barbecued cake and brining with the gastropub master

Gas is cheating

Take upsmoking

Poachchicken first“People are often scared ofundercooking chicken andgetting sick, so a good way
to barbecue chicken is topoach it first. Season wings ordrumsticks to your taste thenbring them to a boil, turn theheat off, then leave it to cool.
Take them out, pat themdry, then barbecue them.
Then you’re sure they will becooked inside.”

Grill fruit“Whole peaches grilled, thendrizzled with honey work well
as a showstopping dessert.
Just hold them on the grill
and get some good markson them. They are also goodwith some goat’s cheese asa side dish to your mains.”

undercookedchicken iseasily avoided

Time totool up
Kit and accessories to raise youroutdoor grilling game4 4w w w . S h o r t L i s t . c o mMake your own burgers“I’ve got a little mincer at home, and wehave great fun making our own burgers
and trying out different seasoning.
Lamb burgers, pork, beef, even duck.”take your time

“The Brits are perhaps a little
bit too impatient. They have afew drinks, spark up the barbie
and just want to eat. Quickly.
And that’s wrong. It doesn’t
work that way. A lot of thoughtgoes into a good barbecue.
But Brits are slowly getting
the hang of it – there are now
barbecue competitions andan awareness of how to cookproperly on barbecues.”

Go forminute steak“You need a really high heat, andflames are good here, as it won’t
cook for more than a minuteeach side. In France, we tend
to eat our meat very rare, so
it’s all about fierce heat anda short time cooking.”

Tabasco Sweet
Chipotle And Cola
Sauce/Marinade
It works. Trust us. £2.29;
tabascofanclub.co.uk

smoking will give
your food theperfect flavour

smoked paprika
is the key tobeef brisket

0C

Maintain thetemperature“Get your barbecue
to the right temperatureand continue feeding
it coals to keep it at thesame level. The key
is maintaining thattemperature andkeeping an eye on it –it’s not just like turning
the oven on.”a leg of lambis delicious
on a barbecue

Alwaysbutterfly
your lamb“Cut a boned leg of lambdown the middle and bash it
out with a mallet so you get it
3cm even thickness, then add
a dry rub. Leave it at room
temperature for an hour, thenleave it on the barbecue overthe embers – no flame, it
shouldn’t be scalding hot –and put the lid on. After 30-45
minutes take it out and carve.”

Weber Smokey
Mountain Cooker
The definitive‘low and slow’
smoker, is 37cm
with two grates
and a built-in
thermometerfor regulating
temperature.
£240;
weberbbq.co.uk

photographs: thinkstock

make sure you
buy charcoal
in big chunks

Put the firelighters down
“I use pine cones. They are natural
firestarters, as they burn very well due to theirresin. And it’s important to get good charcoal:
big chunks, not dusty bits that burn quickly.”“We don’t often have hot
weather in the UK – we set
something alight, quickly get
it hot, then throw the sausages
on. A US barbecue is cooked
for a long period of time, andthere’s an understanding of
the balance of flavour andtransfer of heat, rather than itbeing cooked directly over theflame. We’re now beginning toget more of an understandingof good barbecuing –smokiness and slow cooking.”words: tom bailey, howard calvert“I’ve got a monster of a Weber –the biggest charcoal one youcan get. I also have a small
smoker, but it’s tiny – I can only
fit a few rashers or pigeons inthere. I’m not really into thegas barbecues, that’s cheating.
But with a charcoal one you canput the lid on and, as long as it’s
not too hot, you can throw onsome woodchips then smoke
on it. I’ve smoked salmon before
on my Weber.”Bake a cakeon the barbie“I do a maple sponge cakeon the barbecue. It’s asponge recipe with maple
syrup running through it,then you put it into a cake tin
and sit it on a brick with thebarbecue lid on so the air
circulates. The key is tomake sure the barbecue
doesn’t get too hot.”Cajun Injector
Fat Boy Injector
Inject anything fromcreole butter to honey.
£25; amazon.co.uk

Buy thick steaks“If you have a beautiful
rib of beef, you want thenatural flavours andmarbling to come to theforefront. No marinade,just brush them withbutter when you finish,– the thicker the cut, theslower you should cook
it to let the flavours
speak for themselves.”

Ecogrill All-Natural BBQ
This eco-friendly,
charcoal-filled log turns
into a campfire. £10;
notonthehighstreet.com

Bring onthe brine“It’s always best to brineslow-cooking meat in a salt
solution for 24 hours as itstops it drying out. Then
marinade for 24 to 48 hours
before you cook it. You can
use a wet marinade or a dryrub, whether on a barbecue ornot. If it rains, you can simply
slow cook it in the oven andthe flavour of the marinade
will still come through.”

Plan it
meticulously“If you’re aiming to doa barbecue on Sunday, youneed to start work on theThursday beforehand to getmeat marinating, which isimportant to add a layera flavour. We never doenough of that in this country.”

Hot Smoked Wood
Chip Selection
A selection of flavourenhancing wood chips.
£20; souschef.com

Outset Leather
BBQ Apron
Flame-retardant withextra-deep tool pockets.
£37; amazon.co.uk

Embracebeef brisket“The more complicated themarinade, the more flavour,
but smoked paprika works wellfor brisket. Try 2 tsp smokedpaprika, 1 tsp cayenne, ½ tsp
ground cumin, 1 garlic clove
grated, 2 tsp vegetable oil,
1 tsp dried sage and ½ tsp salt.”

Use a house
brick“Kettle barbecues get very
hot, but you soon understandhow the heat works. I findputting the meat on a brickon the grill, which lifts it awayfrom the heat, helps
when indirect cooking.”
Tom Kerridge and Michel Roux Jr
will be at Taste Of London at
Regent’s Park, London, until 22
June; london.tastefestivals.com

Lotus Smokeless Grill
A smokeless charcoal
grill with a fan that acts
like a bellows. £130;
selfridges.co.uk

w w w . S h o r t L i s t . c o m

4 5