Marinades help lock in juiciness, especially when cooking lean meat, but they also combine beautifully with the smokiness that comes with cooking over charcoal. Here are five to wow your friends.
Don’t fiddle around with endless chicken legs: go bold and barbecue a whole bird. Spatchcocking your chicken not only reduces the time it needs on the grill, but helpfully ensures every part cooks evenly.
Chicken is a brilliant vehicle for showing off big flavours and a good marinade creates harmonious charisma from a jumble of contrasting ingredients. Why not rub your spatchcocked bird with a winning combination of olive oil, vibrant orange zest, smoky paprika, hot mustard, sweet honey and tangy tomato ketchup. Throw in a few chilli flakes for some extra kick.
If you’re not averse to getting your hands dirty and some enthusiastic bone gnawing, then little quail offer a perfectly sized portion. Quail are widespread in north Africa so it’s no surprise that they taste wonderful with the addition of some of the fiery, aromatic ingredients that characterise the local cuisines.
Every cook should have a jar of harissa in their larder. Track down rose harissa for extra, gloriously heady perfume. For the time-pressed chef, this hot, spicy paste is a quick route to big flavour. Just combine the harissa with a little olive oil and seasoning, then rub all over the quail. Cook one bird per person, keeping them whole on skewers for easy turning and maximum table impact.
Transport yourself instantly to a Greek island with the winning combination of lamb and Mediterranean herbs. Oregano, rosemary and thyme all go brilliantly with lamb, conjuring up wild, sun-drenched hillsides and cicada-serenaded lazy afternoons. That said, you may well have many of these herbs growing in your garden, making this a particularly convenient marinade. It’s also a very flexible one, going just as beautifully with pork.
Simply chop the fresh herbs roughly, add crushed garlic, seasoning and olive oil, then slather them onto the meat. For the best results, plan ahead and leave the marinade on the lamb overnight. Make it a proper family feast by cooking a whole leg or shoulder. Unlike chicken or fish, there’s plenty of fat on lamb so the meat will self-baste while you relax. Just add a glass of Xinomavro (to yourself, not the lamb).
Is there anything nicer than freshly caught mackerel grilled on the beach? Although delicious with just a squeeze of lemon, rich, oily mackerel is also able to carry off bolder flavours than more delicate fish. If you love Asian cuisine then this is the perfect excuse to reach for the soy sauce.
Combine the soy with ginger, garlic, lime and honey, then spread the mixture over your mackerel about 30 minutes before cooking. Grill briefly, add a scattering of chopped spring onions and you’re ready. Don’t be so greedy that you forget to watch out for those fiendish bones.
We tend to think of marinades as liquid, and many countries choose to braise their brisket, but don’t overlook the genius of a dry rub. It’s an approach particularly associated with the BBQ obsessed southern states of the US. Here “low and slow” cooking transforms cheap, chewy cuts of meat into meltingly tender mouthfuls, while the transformative effect of heat and smoke on the “bark” hit your taste buds with serious flavour.
The cattle rich state of Texas specialises in this approach to beef brisket. Every fanatic has their own, closely guarded recipe for the protective, mouth-wateringly tasty rub. Some swear by nothing more than salt and pepper, but if you’re feeling more adventurous then bolster the mix with powdered chilli, garlic and mustard, then paprika, ground cumin and brown sugar.
Make sure your butcher keeps the fatty layer on the brisket to stop it drying out – it will also carry some serious flavour by the time it reaches your plate. Massage the dry rub onto the meat, leave overnight, then cook for anywhere between 5 and 16 hours, depending on patience, temperature and the meat itself. Serve in a roll with BBQ sauce – either from a bottle or whip up your own version – and a refreshing coleslaw.
