Here are two ideas for how to cook larger pieces of meat on the barbecue, one influenced by Australian and North American ways with chicken, and the other by Middle Eastern methods for lamb. Both require a kettle barbecue with ample space under the lid, and both meats take quite a long time to cook. Allow plenty of time, and have a supply of nibbles for guests to eat as the meat cooks. Although perfect outdoor food, it is probably best to try these recipes out in the comfort of the back garden, at least for the first time, so that a supply of kitchen implements is on hand for manoeuvring and cutting pieces of hot meat.
Knives, forks and plates are best for the chicken, and it is good accompanied by a selection of salads, or some grilled vegetables. In theory, at least, the lamb can be rolled in flatbreads and eaten with the fingers. Make sure there is a generous supply of paper napkins to hand.
The salsa mix is excellent alone as an appetiser salad with some bread or with any barbecued meat. Provide any other dips as desired, or serve a cold soup such as the Gazpacho Shots or Chilled Cucumber Cream, with or without some finger food such as Bresaola Rolls or Lettuce Wraps with Chicken and Tongue. Alternatively, you could light up a small separate fire in a bucket barbecue or hibachi and grill some Prosciutto-wrapped Scallops, or Marinated Barbecued Prawns. While the coals are still hot, cook a vegetable selection to go with the chicken.
Serves 4 (if using shoulder) or 6 (if using leg of lamb)
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
a small piece cinnamon stick or ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
freshly grated nutmeg
1½ teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon paprika
3 garlic cloves, crushed
juice of ½ lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for cooking
a half-shoulder of lamb (blade end) or fillet end of a leg of lamb, 1–1.5kg in weight
To serve
4–6 flatbreads, flour tortillas or pitta breads
Tahini Sauce (see opposite)
salad made with chopped tomatoes, cucumber and onion, and dressed with a little lemon juice and olive oil
chopped mint and coriander leaves
This is loosely based on the idea of shawarma, a Middle Eastern dish of lamb cut in thin slices, seasoned and packed on a vertical spit, which turns constantly in front of the heat. Very thin slices are shaved off as it cooks and are scattered over a flatbread. This is then dressed with salad and tahini, rolled tightly and wrapped in paper to be eaten in the hand. It is a difficult dish to replicate without the spit, but the interesting spice mixture and slowly cooked lamb are delicious. Although the leg of lamb is a neater, denser meat, it can be too lean and dry. Because of this, I prefer to use shoulder.
Put the peppercorns, fennel seeds, cinnamon stick and cumin in a small frying pan over a medium heat. Heat gently for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, or until they turn a shade darker in colour and release an appetising, slightly roasted aroma. Grind to a powder using a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle. Empty into a large bowl. Stir in a generous grating of nutmeg, the salt, paprika, garlic, lemon juice and oil to make a marinade.
If using shoulder, leave it in one piece. For leg, cut into the lamb where the meat is shallowest and remove the bone, making a piece of meat that opens out into a rough rectangle. Put the shoulder or leg in a large dish.
Add the marinade and rub it in well on all sides, and into any pockets or flaps left by removing the bone from the leg. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 7 hours or up to 2 days, turning from time to time.
Light the barbecue. When the coals are covered with white ash and very hot, put on a pair of gauntlets and take a pair of long-handled tongs, or a poker or rake. Carefully move the coals out into a circle or two long lines, leaving space for a large foil tray to be inserted into the middle. Add about 600ml water to the foil tray. Put the grill rack back on.
Take the lamb out of the marinade and brush a little extra oil over the fat side of the leg of lamb. Put the lamb, fat-side down if using leg, on the grill over the foil tray, and close the lid. Check every 15–20 minutes, turning after about 45 minutes (although this may depend a little on the size of the piece of meat and the heat of the coals). Add more water to the drip tray if it starts to dry out. The lamb should be very well cooked and tender, and can take between 1½ –2 hours to cook.
Remove from the heat and leave to rest for 20 minutes, then carve into very thin slices. Meanwhile, warm the flatbreads through on the barbecue (don’t let them toast and become rigid). Cut into one edge of the pitta breads, if using, to make a pocket. Allow everyone to fill their own flatbread or pitta bread: start with a layer of sliced lamb, sprinkle with a little tahini sauce, add a scatter of the tomato salad and a sprinkling of herbs. If using flatbreads, roll them up tightly around the filling before eating.
Serves 4–6
2 tablespoons light tahini
1 garlic clove, crushed
juice of ½ lemon
1 generous teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
salt and ground black pepper
Tahni – a paste made of ground sesame seeds – gives this light sauce a slightly nutty flavour. It works well with the Spiced Lamb (opposite) but equally with plainly grilled lamb or chicken.
Put the tahini in a small bowl and add the garlic, lemon juice, oil and parsley. Mix to make a stiffish paste, then stir in a little tepid water until the mixture is the consistency of thick cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 4–6
1 large chicken
Seasoning Mix for Chicken
4–6 rosemary sprigs
1 small (330ml) can of beer. Cider, lemonade or even water will do the job just as well
This is an excellent method for cooking a whole bird on the barbecue, because it steams from the inside and roasts on the outside, producing moist, succulent meat and wonderfully crisp and well-flavoured skin. The original version, which begins ‘open a can of beer and drink half of it’ before going on to balance the chicken on the can, has a certain appeal, but variously specially designed stands and trays for ‘beer-can chicken’ are available. You will need a foil roasting tray, a large kettle barbecue with ample space between the lid and the grill, as the chicken has to sit vertically on the tray (I acquired a grill a couple of inches smaller in diameter than the one which came with the barbecue, so that it dropped further into the base).
Prepare the chicken by rubbing it all over with the seasoning mix, then leave it in the fridge for at least 2 and up to 24 hours. Light a charcoal fire with enough coals to grill for about 2 hours. Start with very hot coals.
When the coals are ready, put the rosemary sprigs inside the chicken. Empty about a third of the beer out of the can, then put it, still with the remaining beer inside, opened up, into the body cavity of the chicken. If you have a stand or tray, follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Move the coals (which should be very hot at this stage) out into a ring around the sides of the barbecue, and put a tray in the middle of the coals to catch any stray fat or juices. Put the grill rack back on, and on top of this put the chicken, sitting on its beer can tray, pushing the bird down well. Cover with the lid of the barbecue and leave to cook. Check occasionally to make sure the bird is still upright and is cooking evenly. It will take 1½–2 hours to cook fully. As a precaution, have some additional charcoal burning in a chimney starter or bucket barbecue to refresh the coals in the main fire if they seem to be dying down too much. When you think the bird is done, test the internal temperature of the meat using a digital probe thermometer; the minimum internal temperature should be 75ºC.
Remove to a carving board, discarding the can, the rosemary and any liquid inside the bird. Leave the bird to rest for 15 minutes and then carve.
Serves 6–8
½ tablespoon black peppercorns
½ tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon salt
2 garlic cloves
zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons sunflower oil or light olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
Use this seasoning mix for chicken pieces with the skin on or for whole birds. This recipe is sufficient for 6–8 chicken portions or 1 large chicken.
Put the peppercorns and cumin seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat and toast them for a few minutes until they turn a shade darker and give off a toasted aroma. Grind to a powder in a wet grinder or using a mortar and pestle.
Add the salt, garlic, lemon zest and oil, and process again, or use the pestle, to make a thick paste. Stir in the rosemary. Rub the mixture into the chicken at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours, before you want to cook.
Makes about 450g
1 large beef tomato
1 large avocado
1 large garlic clove, or to taste, crushed juice of 1 lime
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 small bunch of fresh coriander, leaves finely chopped, plus a few extra leaves to garnish
4–6 tablespoons olive oil, to taste cayenne pepper or chilli powder (optional), to taste
salt and ground black pepper
This is a crowd pleaser and can be made 24 hours ahead. Eat it as a dip with vegetables or snacks, or with bread, as a salad, as a sauce with grilled meat or fish, as you please or just on its own, scooped guiltily from the bowl. The avocado must be fully ripe.
Put the tomato in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over to cover, leave for 30 seconds, then drain and peel off the skin. Discard the core, seeds and surrounding pulp, and chop the flesh into 5mm cubes. Put them in a bowl.
Cut the avocado in half, remove the stone and scoop out the flesh with a tablespoon. Chop this into similar-sized cubes and add them to the tomato in the bowl. Add the garlic, lime juice, chilli and coriander. Stir in the olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and a generous amount of black pepper. Taste and add more salt if you think it needs it, and adjust the chilli heat with cayenne if you like something spicier. Mix well, put in a serving bowl and garnish with coriander leaves. Chill until needed.
Serves 4–6
½ a pineapple
2 bananas
3–4 apricots, cut in half and pitted, or 1 orange
60g caster sugar
2 tablespoons kirsch or rum (optional)
4 slices white bread, crusts removed 60g butter, melted
cream or ice cream, to serve (optional)
To finish off with, offer a barbecued dessert. These kebabs can be put together in advance for last-minute grilling. You may have to put a few more coals on to boost the heat, although they don’t need high temperatures or long cooking. Fruits – some fruits, anyway – cook surprisingly well on a barbecue, and small pieces of bread make a deliciously crisp contrast.
Using a sharp knife, cut the top and bottom off the pineapple, then stand it on one end and cut off the peel and the ‘eyes’. Cut the pineapple in quarters lengthways and cut out the core, then cut across to give slices about 1cm thick. Put the pineapple into a large bowl.
Cut the bananas into 1.5cm chunks and add to the bowl. Cut the apricot halves in half again, and add them to the bowl. If using an orange, using a sharp knife, cut a thin slice of peel and pith from each end of the orange. Put cut-side down on a plate and cut off the peel and pith in strips. Remove any remaining pith. Cut the orange into eighths and then into chunks and add them to the bowl.
Put 2 tablespoons of the caster sugar in the bowl with the fruit and add the kirsch, if using. Stir gently and leave to macerate for 30 minutes, or for up to 3 hours.
Soak 4–6 bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes. Cut the bread into 1 × 2cm pieces. Lightly brush each piece all over with melted butter and then toss in the remaining sugar.
Make up skewers of the fruit, adding 2 pieces of bread to each kebab. Grill over medium or slightly cool coals until the bread develops crisp, golden-brown patches and the fruit is well heated and slightly cooked. Serve with cream or ice cream if you like.
