CHAPTER 1
BEEF
I have many friends from South Africa, and they are very proud of their braai culture, so I ran this recipe by a few of them to make sure it wouldn't cause any upset. Needless to say, it had unanimous approval! I was in two minds about skewering sausage, as it can easily lose its juice to the flames. I decided to use very fine skewers so the holes were minimal. Skewering maintains the shape of the sausage wheel, so it can be loaded up with the cheese and chutney (according to my friends it has to be Mrs Balls chutney, made with dried fruit and a hint of chilli for heat). I used a Namibian hardwood kameeldoring (camelthorn), which can be bought online if you want to try it.
BOEREWORS, CHEESE & CHUTNEY
FEEDS 2
RECOMMENDED HEAT
moderate
1 large boerewors sausage in a wheel (about 500 g/1 lb. 2 oz.)
50 g/½ packed cup plus 1 tablespoon grated Cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons Mrs Balls Chutney, or other spiced fruit chutney
chunky bread, to serve
very fine metal skewers
Set up your barbecue with a bed of hot charcoal - a couple of handfuls should be enough. Place two small pieces of braaiwood, such as camelthorn, on to the coals and let the wood burn down to embers. You could use oak or cherry, but it won't have the authentic flavour of braaiwood. Once the flames have settled down and you have a fragrant bed of embers (around 180°C/350°F), you are ready to start cooking.
Place two very fine metal skewers at 90 degrees to each other through the sausage to hold the shape together. Cook the sausage slowly - ideally with the lid down. It should take about 15 minutes to reach an internal temperature of 74°C/165°F on a digital probe thermometer. Top the sausage with the grated cheese and chutney, following the wheel of the sausage. Cook with the lid down for another 5 minutes or so until the cheese has melted.
Serve the sausage with chunks of bread and enjoy with a cold beer.
I first cooked a Stinking Bishop-stuffed burger many years ago, but I wanted to recreate this wonderful dish for this book. Stinking Bishop, as its name suggests, is a strong pungent cheese, but it is also very creamy and works really nicely with dry-aged beef. The cheese goes really melty and oozy.
STINKING BISHOP-STUFFED BURGERS
FEEDS 2
RECOMMENDED HEAT
moderate-high
4 thin dry-aged beef patties or 400 g/14 oz. minced/ground dry-aged beef shaped into 4 patties
60 g/2 oz. Stinking Bishop or other strong cheese, grated
1 onion, thinly sliced
15 g/1 tablespoon butter
2 brioche burger buns, toasted
2 tablespoons piccalilli
4 double-pronged metal skewers
Set up your barbecue for cooking on a hot plate or in a cast-iron pan over moderate-high heat (180-200°C/350-400°F).
Take two of the patties and place half of the cheese in between them. Press the patties together to seal the cheese in the middle. Repeat with the remaining patties and cheese.
Sear the burgers on the hot plate or cast-iron pan, and cook on both sides until the meat is cooked through (has reached an internal temperature of 74°C/165°F on a digital probe thermometer) and the cheese has melted. Remove and set aside.
Add the onion and butter to the hot plate or pan and cook until charred and soft.
Serve the burgers on toasted brioche buns with the charred onions and some piccalilli for a powerfully flavoured, juicy burger.
I have travelled to various Scandinavian countries with my day job over the years, and while working in Norway I tried Beef Lindstrom, a classic dish from neighbouring Sweden, which is a delicious burger patty containing chopped beetroot and capers. I really wanted to try this on my grill back home.
BEEF LINDSTROM BURGERS
FEEDS 2
RECOMMENDED HEAT
moderate
2 small beetroots/beets
2 teaspoons capers
240 g/9 oz. minced/ground beef
2 slices sourdough bread, toasted
a handful of rocket/arugula
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon creamed horseradish
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Set up your barbecue for direct cooking over moderate heat (around 180°C/350°F).
Place the beetroots directly in the coals and cook until they are charred on the outside and soft on the inside, 25-30 minutes.
Finely chop one of the beetroots and the capers, then add to the beef and mix together. Form the mixture into two patties, then grill over direct heat until the meat is cooked through and has reached an internal temperature of 74°C/165°F on a digital probe thermometer.
Top the toasted sourdough bread with the rocket and then the patties. Mix together the mayonnaise and horseradish, and spread on top. Finally, chop the second ember-cooked beetroot and add to the top.
As much as I love a proper 'full packer' cut of brisket, sometimes I don't fancy cooking a whole one. Rolled brisket is great slow-cooked and braised in a nice liquid, such as beer! I'm a big fan of the smoke-braise-dip method: smoke until you're happy with the crust on the outside; braise in a suitable container, with a liquid such as stock, beer or wine; then dip the sliced brisket in the braising liquor when serving. Jonathan from Black Tor Brewery on the edge of Dartmoor gave me a few bottles of his ales to see what I could come up with.
BRISKET POT ROAST
SERVES 4
RECOMMENDED HEAT
low
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 kg/4½ lb. rolled brisket
6 tablespoons beef rub (I used the wonderful Quiet Waters Farm Grass Fed Beef Rub)
500 ml/2 cups your favourite dark beer
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
brioche rolls, to serve
Set up your barbecue for indirect cooking over low heat (around 130°C/265°F) with the lid on, adding a few chunks of cherry and pecan wood to smoke on the coals for additional flavour and colour.
Place the onion and garlic in a small baking pan and place the brisket on top. Season the meat with the beef rub, then smoke the brisket on the barbecue with the lid on for 5 hours.
After 5 hours, pour half the beer over the brisket - enjoy the other half as a 'pit boss perk' - and then wrap the baking pan snugly with foil.
Cook for a further 4 hours at 130°C/265°F until the internal temperature of the brisket reaches 96°C/205°F on a digital probe thermometer and the meat is soft like butter when probed.
Remove from the barbecue, cover the pan with foil, and let rest for 30 minutes in the braising liquor. Season the liquor with salt and pepper to taste.
Cut the meat into thick slices, fill the brioche rolls and serve with the braising liquor for dunking.
In my day job in the oil industry I have been fortunate to travel to some really interesting places. I worked in Nigeria for a couple of years in the late 90s and vividly remember piles of suya - beef in a spicy peanut rub - being cooked over charcoal on large grills. Many years later, in the cooler climate of Aberdeen, I cooked suya on a charcoal grill for a friend, who liked these skewers nice and crispy. I use peanut butter powder in the rub, which is pretty easy to obtain, but feel free to use pre-made suya powder if you can get it from an African shop.
SUYA
FEEDS 2
RECOMMENDED HEAT
high
500 g/1 lb. 2 oz. hanger steak (or rump steak)
3½ tablespoons rapeseed/canola oil
SUYA RUB
40 g/1½ oz. peanut butter powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic granules
½ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
pre-soaked long wooden skewers
Set up your barbecue for close proximity direct grilling over high heat (around 200°C/400°F). You want hot embers with a little flame left in them.
Ensure the steaks are trimmed and any sinew removed (they sometimes have a length of tough sinew going down the middle between the two lobes of steak - ask your butcher to remove it if it's still there, or cut it out using a sharp knife). Cut the steak across the grain into long slices about the thickness of your finger and thread on to the skewers. Drizzle over the oil and rub it into the meat.
To make the suya rub, in a bowl mix together all the ingredients until combined. Sprinkle evenly over the steak.
Cook for about 3 minutes on each side until cooked to your liking. I prefer my steak to be medium-rare (with an internal temperature of 55°C/130°F on a digital probe thermometer), but I know many might prefer things a little more well done and crispy.
Serve immediately, hot off the grill.
The simple way is often the best. These skewers are made with just three ingredients, but are wonderfully tasty. The key is really good beef (around 20 per cent fat) that has been twice ground through a medium plate on a mincer to get the right texture - a good butcher should be able to do this for you. Chuck is a great cut for this, or ask your butcher for their fatty burger mince. These are great served in a hot dog bun with cheese on top.
SWEET SMOKY BEEF SKEWERS
FEEDS 4
RECOMMENDED HEAT
high
600 g/1 lb. 5 oz. minced/ground beef (20% fat)
3 tablespoons barbecue dry rub of your choice
5 tablespoons barbecue sauce of...
