Today we planned a barbecue - the first of the season. The sky, on the other hand, planned something different - namely rain the entire day. No matter. I'd already bought all the materials the day before, and Sunday looked like being equally rainy, so we went ahead.
I decided to do two new dishes, and I am pleased to say they both turned out very well indeed. One was the legendary beer-can chicken which I have seen done several times on TV and read about numerous other times. It seemed, to be honest, a bit to down-homey for me, more like a party trick than a real meal. Well, I couldn't be more wrong.
For a start, you get to drink 1/4 can of beer, so the recipe is a hit right off the bat. Second, it is so simple you literally have to do nothing for an hour and a half. I suppose you could always drink the rest of the six pack. Or figure out ways to get the chicken off the can after it is cooked. What I did was just rub the chicken all over, inside and out with my special barbecue spice rub (see below), slide it on to the beer can that I had opened, drank 1/4 of, and poked a few holes in, then set on a baking tray in a 350 oven.
After 90 minutes cooking, 15 minutes resting, and ten minutes wrestling off the can, the chicken was devoured in less than five.
The other dish was ribs, slow cooked on the barbecue (total cooking time around 2 1/2 hours). This was a bit more complex process but a very rewarding one.
First, I coated my ribs liberally with my spice rub. Then made little smoke packs by soaking wood chips for a few minutes, then wrapping them in foil - about the size of a tennis ball - and poked holes in for the smoke to escape. These I put right on the burner under the grill. You only need one side lit as you are using indirect heat. You turn the gas up and let the balls smoke for ten minutes or so, then slap the ribs on the other side.
These you let cook for 30-45 minutes or so, until they start to look cooked. You need to keep the temperature under 300 at this stage.
Take the ribs off and wrap them in foil, adding about a cup of apple juice before you seal the packets. Put the ribs back on the grill and cook them at 320 or so for around 45+ minutes. I ended up taking them off a bit early as I lost 45 minutes cooking time because I ran out of gas. Otherwise I would have them there for close to an hour to ensure they were really tender.
Next, unwrap the ribs, put them back on the grill and take a bottle of any decent barbecue sauce. Now you baste them, grill for five minutes, turn them over and baste again. You keep this up for at least half an hour. One final baste and then take the ribs off. Chop up and serve.
What else did we have? Apologies for the lack of pictures.
Buffalo wings with blue cheese dip. I used Frank's Red Hot - supposedly the classic - and was very disappointed in the lack of heat until I noticed I had bought the ready made Buffalo Wing sauce, and not the hot sauce itself. Next time ...
A slow-roasted chicken that is cooked on a moderate oven in a roasting pan sealed tight with foil, and with about two pints of wine/stock to keep it moist and make a delicious gravy that I thickened with flour and Marmite ( a neat trick I got from the BBC site). Served with roast potatoes.
My own grilled chicken and tofu patties.
Grilled whiting.
Salad.
A huge fruit salad brought to us by our friend Rebecca. Thanks Rebecca!
Wine (of course) and cheesecake.
I am sure there was more that people brought but that was most of it.
All in all we had around 20 people - not bad for a horrible rainy day. Just wait till the sun comes out and stays out!
Barbecue spice rub.
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
It should keep for a few weeks at least.
After 90 minutes cooking, 15 minutes resting, and ten minutes wrestling off the can, the chicken was devoured in less than five.
First, I coated my ribs liberally with my spice rub. Then made little smoke packs by soaking wood chips for a few minutes, then wrapping them in foil - about the size of a tennis ball - and poked holes in for the smoke to escape. These I put right on the burner under the grill. You only need one side lit as you are using indirect heat. You turn the gas up and let the balls smoke for ten minutes or so, then slap the ribs on the other side.
These you let cook for 30-45 minutes or so, until they start to look cooked. You need to keep the temperature under 300 at this stage.
Take the ribs off and wrap them in foil, adding about a cup of apple juice before you seal the packets. Put the ribs back on the grill and cook them at 320 or so for around 45+ minutes. I ended up taking them off a bit early as I lost 45 minutes cooking time because I ran out of gas. Otherwise I would have them there for close to an hour to ensure they were really tender.
Next, unwrap the ribs, put them back on the grill and take a bottle of any decent barbecue sauce. Now you baste them, grill for five minutes, turn them over and baste again. You keep this up for at least half an hour. One final baste and then take the ribs off. Chop up and serve.
Buffalo wings with blue cheese dip. I used Frank's Red Hot - supposedly the classic - and was very disappointed in the lack of heat until I noticed I had bought the ready made Buffalo Wing sauce, and not the hot sauce itself. Next time ...
A slow-roasted chicken that is cooked on a moderate oven in a roasting pan sealed tight with foil, and with about two pints of wine/stock to keep it moist and make a delicious gravy that I thickened with flour and Marmite ( a neat trick I got from the BBC site). Served with roast potatoes.
My own grilled chicken and tofu patties.
Grilled whiting.
Salad.
A huge fruit salad brought to us by our friend Rebecca. Thanks Rebecca!
Wine (of course) and cheesecake.
I am sure there was more that people brought but that was most of it.
* * *
All in all we had around 20 people - not bad for a horrible rainy day. Just wait till the sun comes out and stays out!
* * *
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
It should keep for a few weeks at least.
* * *
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