Hot coals and smoke signals

There’s nothing quite like the smell of spicy grilled meats hanging in the air on a summer’s day, so tempting if it’s wafting over from the neighbours, especially if you’re hungry and not invited… Alternatively if you’re entertaining, few alfresco parties have quite the same pizazz or get the juices going, as the drama and hot cooking action of the barbie.

With more than a few authoritative books available to educate you about barbecuing (1507 references on one book website alone), this little piece is supposed to inspire rather than educate. Most publications are mostly and perhaps rightly American or Aussie in origin as they are the kings of the barbecue at different sides of the globe though the South African log pit, the braai, does have some claim on its humble campfire origins. British TV chefs such as Antony Worrall Thompson and in particular Ainsley Harriott have written some very good ones. Give Gladstone’s, East Anglia’s only specialist cookbook-shop a ring or email (T: 01263 713733).

These few pages dedicated to the great British obsession with barbecuing (often done under an umbrella in the pouring rain) should give you a little inspiration and inclination to reach for the tongs. Gas powered barbecues heat up very quickly and are easy to control, making burnt offerings less likely but it’s not really in the spirit of adventure we associate with this ancient art, one step removed from rubbing sticks together.

Charcoal, of which there are two types, takes longer to heat up and is less reliable. lumpwood lights easily with kindling, BBQ lighting gel or firelighters and takes around 30 minutes to be ready to cook on but cools down fast. I reckon on getting about a half hour of cooking time once the coals are ready. The other charcoal, briquettes, are harder to light but burn hotter and for longer. With charcoal, make a big pyramid with the lighting medium underneath. Check the coals are burning evenly and have a white coating of ash before you start cooking, not black or red. To get more burning time, use two smaller barbecues, one for cooking, one to heat up more coals or a larger model with two distinct ends for the same purpose. You can then top up with fresh white coals as you cook.

One of the main causes of food poisoning is barbecuing but it’s so simple to ensure food is properly cooked. If you have to resort to frozen meat, whatever the packet may say, don’t copy the modern trend of putting burgers and sausages straight from the freezer on the barbecue, it’s just plain daft. Defrost everything first overnight or if short notice, thaw it out to order first on a low setting in the microwave. Food browned too quickly but which is still raw in the centre is a big risk, more often than not it’s meat containing bones. My easy way to ensure it’s properly cooked, is to lightly brown the food on the barbecue for flavour, give it a good long blast in a pre-heated hot oven and then back on the barbecue for that lovely trademark caramelised flavour. If it’s poultry especially, make sure all the juices run clear and it’s not bloody near any bones. However there is also nothing worse than dried out leathery meat, so if you are using thin boneless cuts, cook them relatively fast to keep in the juiciness. With beef and lamb, eating them pink is highly recommended. I am a huge fan of a thick pound or two of prime rump, aged for 28 days or more, quickly barbecued until blackened’n’blue – very rare in the centre and cooked until crusty almost burnt on the outside. Nothing beats it, served up with lashings of sharp vinegary tarragon flecked egg béarnaise sauce, char-grilled jacket potatoes and a good mixed salad… Well maybe a good flavoursome fatty rib-eye steak, cooked medium-rare – the fattier the cut, the more cooking it needs.

Apart from the good ol’ weather, the other main worry is accidents. Safety is paramount; please keep young children, ball games and tiddly adults especially away from hot objects!

Besides the obvious plain classic cuts of good well hung meat, preferably bought from a local butcher which need little adornment other than a good coarse peppering and a sprinkle of sea salt, there is so much more that can grace your grill. Meat wise, I do love the grilled selections we have on our oh-too-rare holidays, usually to the Greek islands or the Turkish Aegean coast. So one firm favourite are lamb kebabs, either shish or kofte style. Either way the flavourings of my recipe are the same: lots of minced garlic and onion, seasoning, chopped herbs – parsley, mint, thyme – and ground toasted whole spices – coriander seed, cumin, fennel etc. For shish, the cubed lamb is marinated overnight with these flavours in a base of oil and lemon juice, while for kofte the minced lamb is mixed up with the same ingredients and moulded onto skewers first. Greek grilled chicken is a treat, thin slices of chicken breast or juicy bone-in thighs steeped overnight in good olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic, oregano or marjoram, thyme, parsley, red chillies, red onions, kids love it too. Serve it up in pitta bread pockets with feta cheese, black olives, dressed rocket leaves and squeeze over more juice from a lemon half.

The medical profession say we should eat more fish, especially the oily varieties. If on holiday around the Mediterranean coast on the Cote d’Azur or in Italy, you’ve enjoyed sardines fresh from the wood-fired grill, do the same here, or use mackerel or herring, they’re all very similar. You can jazz them up a bit, stuffing them with lemon and sliced fennel, slash their flesh on the outside several times, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with fennel seeds. Cooking anything over herb branches and sprigs adds a herbal savoury note to the smoky flavour and stops the heat from being so fierce, especially if you give them a quick rinse under the tap. Great for making sure bigger fish or meat joints cook through more slowly in the steam/smoke.

You can also use the barbie to do oriental style fish in a foil parcel, keeping fish portions moister especially, more baking and steaming rather than grilling. Take your cleaned fish, it works best though with whole ones, lay it on a very wide double layer of foil, scattered with sliced spring onions, red chillies, garlic and root ginger and put more in the cavity. Fold over the seams on each side flattening them hard and folding them again several times, leaving the top seam open. Sprinkle in a good splash of soy sauce, dry sherry and a drizzle of sesame oil, and secure the seam as before. Place over the parcel close to the hot coals for a good 20-25 minutes, checking the fish is cooked all the way through before serving. Marinating shellfish such as halved lobsters, langoustines or huge tropical tiger prawns in similar flavours before grilling gives that eastern touch too.

Space prevents me talking much more. Just don’t forget to spoil the veggies, whole roast stuffed red peppers, grilled marinated halloumi cheese (use the Greek chicken method above), baba ganoush with blackened aubergine, whole charred sweetcorn in its husks, it’s not just mixed vegetable kebabs on offer.

What about puddings – char-grilled bananas with caramel, Greek yoghurt and pistachios, barbecued figs with honey, pinenuts and ricotta or pineapple parcels with lime, dark rum, butter, brown sugar and cream, yummy!