Rib of Beef
The Next Cook
Budget Q is back again, and this time we are cooking a Rib of Beef.
Modifying the BBQ
After using the BBQ last time I found that the air intake blocked very quickly with ash, so I’ve modified it with a cut down sieve to try and improve matters,
We will be cooking the beef using a two zone system and finishing the beef off on the direct side (called reverse sear).
Cooking the Rib of Beef
Fill the chimney starter with charcoal and light a eco fire underneath and in 15 -20 minutes we will be ready to go.
Meanwhile I am going to setup the BUDGET thermometers. These were purchased from Aldi they retail at £12.99, but I got these on sale for £5.00, YES a fiver each ………. Bargain!
They are a single probe and they can be changed from centigrade to fahrenheit and are wireless. The base unit stays near the BBQ and the readout unit goes anywhere convenient.
I ran one thermometer for the pit temp and the other was monitoring the beef temp. I tested them together because I didn’t think they would side by side but worked very well.
I also prepared a few potatoes and popped in a tray with a bit of olive oil and salt to sit under the Rib of Beef.
When the charcoal is up to temperature carefully pour the coals onto the fire grate. Pop in small piece of your wood of choice – I went cherry.
Don’t get carried away with smoking wood. It’s easy to oversmoke. Less is more guys!
Pop on the cooking grate, insert the pit temperature probe through a screwed up piece of kitchen foil to keep it were it needs to be.
Next put the lid on and watch the pit tempature rise up to 225 / 250 f (107 / 121c).
Control the temp by opening or closing the air dampers on the bottom , leave the exhaust damper on the lid wide open.
When up to temperature open the lid and quickly pop on the meat. Push in the meat probe and quick as you can pop the lid back on making sure the exhaust damper is over the meat (so the smoke flows over the meat).
Now just relax………keep an eye on the temperatures and adjust damper accordingly. If you’re anything like me you can now tidy up the trail of destruction left behind in the kitchen.
Note on temperatures, don’t get stressed or hung up. If it goes up to 275f (135c) even 300f (149c) don’t panic and close the intake damper all the way. It’s just like steering a boat, steer and minutes later it turns ,just make slight adjustments and wait. If it goes down and the vents are wide open pop some more charcoal into your chimney and light, then pop in the BBQ.
When the meat temp reaches 120f (49c) lift off the lid and move the meat over to the hot direct side and brown on all sides until the internal temp is 135f (medium rare) 57c.
Take off the beef, lift the cooking grate and remove the potatoes and serve.
Rest the beef for 10 minutes, which allows the meat to reabsorb the juices. As the chef you need to ensure you get the first slice – just for testing purposes of course.
Enjoy…….
Curry Weekend! An Amazing Weekend of Cooks
UK BBQ Week kicked off on last Saturday, with a focus on BBQ curry, and the response has been unbelievable. We have seen a tremendous response from around the UK, with hundreds of posts across the various social media platforms, both promoting the week and also many photos to enter the various competitions. The food has looked amazing across the board and shows how strong the BBQ scene is within the UK.
The main prize theme for the weekend was to cook a curry on your BBQ. We received some fantastic competition entries and the whole UK BBQ team has a really hard time picking the winner.
It really was a fantastic way to start the UK BBQ week.
After much debate, Ray Barber was our winner with his cook of Tandoori Chicken and Aloo Sag.
We have created a montage of some our favourite curry cooks from the weekend.
Thank you to everyone that entered and keep those submissions coming in through the week as there are still some great prizes to be won.
Afterburner Lamb Tikka
Afterburner Lamb Tikka
- Prep Time2 hr
- Cook Time15 min
- Total Time2 hr 15 min
- Yield4 Servings
Ingredients
For the Lamb Tikka
- 500g thinly cut lamb leg steaks
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp crushed chilli (adjust to suit)
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 inch ginger, peeled
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 4 Tbs plain yogurt
Method
Preparing the Lamb Tikka
Grind the marinade ingredients in a pestle and mortar to make a paste then mix with the plain yogurt.
Completely coat the lamb and leave in the fridge to marinade for two to four hours.
Set up a charcoal chimney starter 3/4 full with lumpwood charcoal, and start it going with a sheet of lit crumpled newspaper underneath (or use parrafin-free fire lighters). Wait 10-15 minutes until it’s screaming hot and place a BBQ grill grate over it.
Place the marinated lamb on the searing hot grill grate for a couple of minutes each side, until you develop a lovely char on the outside.
Serve with basmati rice, yoghurt, and a naan bread cooked over the coals. The meat stays pink, tender and juicy inside, but has the smoky charred sear of a tandoor.
BBQ Tandoori Chicken
BBQ Tandoori Chicken
- Prep Time30 min
- Cook Time30 min
- Total Time1 hr
- Yield4 Servings
Ingredients
For the BBQ Tandoori Chicken
- 8-10 free range chicken thighs, skinned and boned
For the Marinade
- Juice of two lemons
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 3 Tbs vegetable oil
- 6 cloves garlic – smashed into a paste
- 1 two-inch piece of ginger – smashed
- into a paste
- 1 Tbs (or more) red hot chilli powder
- 2 Tbs cumin seeds
- 2 TBs coriander seeds
For the Sauce
- 2 tins (800ml) chopped tomatoes
- 3 bay leaves
- 5 cloves garlic – smashed
- 1 inch piece of ginger – finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
- 4 cloves – crushed
- 1 Tbs red chilli powder
- 1 Tbs dried fenugreek leaves
- 1 tsp garam masala
Method
Preparing the BBQ Tandoori Chicken
To prepare the chicken for the marinade, make shallow slits in each piece of chicken. This will help the chicken to marinate and cook more evenly. Pour the lemon juice over the chicken pieces along with the salt and rub deep into the flesh.
Place the rest of the marinade ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour the marinade over the chicken pieces and rub it in well. Cover and allow to marinade in the fridge as long as possible up to 48 hours.
To cook the sauce, put the chopped tomatoes, bay leaves, garlic, ginger, cardamom seeds and cloves into a large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for about ten minutes and then remove from the heat to cool a little.
Place the tomato combination in a blender and blend for about two minutes until the sauce is very smooth then pour back into the saucepan and bring to a brisk simmer.
Add the chilli powder, garam masala, double cream and sugar and then add the butter one tablespoon at a time while stirring continuously (if you are preparing the sauce ahead of time, heat the sauce just before serving and then add the butter).
Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and top with chopped coriander.
Rub the marinade off the chicken pieces and skewer them on thick flat skewers with slices of red onion and peppers, place on the red hot BBQ, for about ten minutes until cooked through, with a little charring. Turn each piece several times so that they cook evenly. Be sure to cook through so that the meat reaches an internal temperature of at least 75°C.
Place a couple of pieces of chicken each plate and top with the sauce, serve with fresh naan heated on the BBQ or rice.
Find Marcus on Twitter @devonwoodsmoke and Instagram @countrywoodsmoke, and Facebook @mbawdon or in the Countrywoodsmoke Facebook group, he is also the editor of UK BBQ Magazine
Dan Toombs (The Curry Guy Author) BBQ Tandoori Whole Fish
Dan Toombs (The Curry Guy Author) BBQ Tandoori Whole Fish
- Prep Time45 min
- Cook Time15 min
- Total Time1 hr
- Yield4 Servings
Ingredients
For the BBQ Tandoori Whole Fish
- 2 whole bream or sea bass, cleaned
- 1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
- 4 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp rapeseed oil
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 2 tbsp tandoori masala (see separate
- recipe sheet)
- 1 tsp garam masala (see separate
- recipe sheet)
- 1½ tbsp plain yoghurt
- 1 lemon, quartered
- Salt
Method
Preparing the BBQ Tandoori Whole Fish
Make shallow slits on each side of the fish.
Put the garlic and ginger paste, vinegar, oil, chilli powder, tandoori masala, garam masala and yoghurt in a bowl and whisk into a marinade. Season with salt to taste then rub the marinade all over the fish, inside and out, and leave to marinate for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare your barbecue for direct grilling.
Remove the fish from the marinade and place in a metal grill fish basket, or thread a couple of skewers through to hold it in place. Cook, turning regularly, until the skin is nicely charred and the fish is cooked through.
Serve with a squeeze of lemon.
Photography © Kris Kirkham
Purchase the book from Amazon: http://amzn.eu/dWSu1Oc
Basic BBQ Tips: The Chimney Starter
Rich Harris (Fire & Smoke Author) BBQ Green Chicken Kebabs
Rich Harris (Fire & Smoke Author) BBQ Green Chicken Kebabs
- Prep Time4 hr
- Cook Time1 min
- Total Time4 hr 1 min
- Yield4 Servings
Ingredients
For the Green Chicken Kebabs
- Finely grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons and juice of 1
- 75ml olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 50g bunch of basil
- 50g bunch of flat-leaf parsley
- 25g bunch of coriander
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 4 free-range skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 3cm cubes
Method
Preparing the Green Chicken Kebabs
Combine all the ingredients, except the chicken, in a liquidizer and blend until smooth.
Put the chicken into a large bowl, pour the marinade over and toss to coat. Don’t season at this stage; the salt will draw the moisture from the chicken and make it tough. Cover with clingfilm and chill for 4 hours or overnight if possible.
Remove the chicken from the fridge an hour before cooking and preheat the barbecue for direct grilling.
Thread the chicken onto skewers and grill the kebabs for 10 minutes until cooked through, turning occasionally.
Transfer to a warm plate to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
You will need metal or wooden skewers; if you’re using wooden skewers, soak them in warm water for at least an hour.
Photography by Martin Poole.
Purchase the book from Amazon: http://amzn.eu/iOzoCjD
How to Light a BBQ
Bloomin’ Vegetable Tart
Bloomin’ Vegetable Tart
- Prep Time40 min
- Cook Time40 min
- Total Time1 hr 20 min
- Yield4 Servings
Ingredients
For the Bloomin’ Vegetable Tart
- 1 x 320g pack pre-rolled puff pastry
- 200g cream cheese
- 50g Sour cream
- 2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
- 1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large green courgette
- 1 large yellow courgette (if you can find
- one, otherwise 2 x green courgettes)
- 1 large carrot, peeled
- 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Method
Preparing the Bloomin’ Vegetable Tart
Set up BBQ for indirect grilling, preheat to 180°C (350°F).
Unroll pastry and line a 20cm quiche dish, poke with a fork in several place and use baking beans to blind bake until slightly golden, about 10 minutes, then let cool slightly.
In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, Parmesan, lemon juice, thyme and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and beat until mixture is very smooth.
Cut the courgettes and carrot in half lengthwise. Lay each vegetable on a cutting board, cut-side down, and thinly slice each vegetable lengthwise into long thick strips, about 2-3mm wide. (You should be able to bend them!) A mandoline is perfect for this but if you don’t have one you may need to use a peeler on the carrots, as cutting them thinly can be difficult.
Spread cream cheese mixture on baked pastry. Roll one of the vegetable strips into a tight coil and place it in the centre of the tart. Arrange vegetable slices in tight concentric circles around the middle, alternating colours (if you only have green courgettes, lay every alternate strip with green side down), until the tart is filled. Drizzle the top with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place in the bbq with a little Silver Birch wood added to the coals for a light tasty smoked flavour. Cook until the vegetables are tender and the crust is a deep golden, 35 to 40 minutes. You may have to turn the tart half way through cooking if the heat is stronger on one side.
Serve warm or at room temperature.