Author Archives: Jon Finch

Accessorise your barbecue with Weber

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We’re all familiar with Weber’s outstanding range of barbecues, but a Weber barbecue can be made even better by using Weber’s cool range of accessories.

In keeping with Weber’s colourful new barbecues for 2011, there is a full range of stunning accessories available. Why not match your Smokey Joe with a beautiful Weber Style BBQ Tool Set, Pizza Paddle, Pizza Wheel, Lighter, Spice Grinder or Salt and Pepper Grinder Set – all available in Spring Green, Blue Wave, Lemongrass, Ivory, Red and Black.

To see the full range and more, please visit www.weberbbq.co.uk

Smack In The Mouth Peppercorn Sauce

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For me, it doesn’t get much better than steak, a big pile of chunky chips and a great peppercorn sauce. Here’s my favourite recipe for the sauce. I use ingredients you are likely to have to hand including cider! Obviously we heartily recommened Orchard Pig for this….

  • Sauté 3-4 sliced mushrooms in a generous glug of olive oil and a knob of butter.
  • When the mushrooms are brown and are starting caramelise, add half a finely minced onion or a couple of finely sliced shallots
  • When the onions are soft and starting to brown, add around 50ml of dry cider. (you can use red wine or 25ml of brandy if you prefer. I like the cider though as it adds a subtle fruity flavour and keeps the sauce light.
  • Stir to deglaze the pan and reduce down for about 3-4 mins
  • Add 1 tsp of whole peppercorns and 3 tsp of freshly ground/cracked peppercorns. I like do this in a pestle and mortar so some are ground right down to dust and some are left roughly cracked. I like a peppercorn sauce to smack me in the face with pepper. You can tone this down!
  • Now add 150ml of Worcestershire sauce and 50 ml of beef stock (or water) and simmer gently for 10-15 mins until it starts to thicken up and the whole peppercorns are tender
  • Finally, add around 100-125ml of double cream and bring back to the simmer. If it’s too runny, just let it simmer a little while longer.
  • After your steak has rested on a plate under foil, you’ll be left with some juice – tip it into the sauce.

On the very, very, very rare occasion that you are cooking steak in a pan rather than on your grill (you never heard me say that) – once you take out your steak to rest, splash a bit more booze into the pan to deglaze and pick up all the burnt, juicy, steak bits. Bubble down and pour into your sauce.
You can make this in advance. Store it covered and then re-heat and stir thoroughly as you serve the steaks.

Whet your appetite with Weber recipes

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Chocolate Molten Pudding Cooked On a Weber

If you have had enough of burgers and sausages during the recent glut of bank holidays, then treat yourself to something different on the barbecue this weekend.

Being the barbecue expert, Weber has a wealth of innovative and delicious recipes ideal for changing things up on the grill. Why not try Weber’s molten chocolate puddings for a bit of barbecue baking or continue the summer vibes with a seared strawberry and vanilla sundae?

Whatever you fancy, the recipes and more can be found at www.weberbbq.co.uk

Six Hour Hickory Smoked Sticky Babyback Ribs

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Here are a few photos of some babybacks I smoked on Friday on the Macs ProQ Excel smoker. Full recipe details to follow!

Click on each one to enlarge.

 

Monkfish & Chorizo Kebabs

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Monkfish & Chorizo Kebabs With Roast Charlotte Potatoes

Monkfish is superb on the grill,which ever way you choose to prepare it. It holds up to stong flavours well so you can use BBQ rubs or powerful spices with it and it is meaty enough to sear at a hight temperature to develop a lovely crust. The monkfish tails are great cooked whole on the bone but today I’ve gone for cutting into bite size chunks.

A classic partner for monkfish is chorizo. The spicy, paprika flavour from the chorizo matches the monkfish superbly. This recipe also adds red onions and cherry tomatoes giving a real sweet, spicy and juicy flavour-packed skewer.

Monkfish Tails From Rockfish and Chorizo From The Bath Pig

To serve two people you’ll need:

  • 2 large monkfish tails or 4 small tails – (ask your fishmonger to filet them ) cut into bite size chunks
  • 75-100g Bath Pig chorizo, sliced into 5mm wheels
  • 10-15 cherry tomatoes
  • half a red onion
  • juice of half a lemon
  • small handful of chopped fresh parsley

Skewers Ready For The Grill

Here’s how to put it together…

  1. Soak the skewers in water for a bout 30 mins to help stop the ends from burning
  2. Thread the monkfish onto the skewers alternating each chunk with chorizo, red onion or a tomato
  3. Drizzle with a good olive oil and season generously with salt and freshly gournd black pepper
  4. Set your grill up to medium/hot and when it has reached the desired temperature, wipe over with sunflower oil (use a piece of scrunched up kitchen roll, dipped in the oil and held with BBQ tongs to do this)
  5. Lay the skewers down and cook for around 4 mins each side until the fish stars to get sear marks, the onions soften and the cherry toms shrink down
  6. Squeeze over the lemon juice and then once plated, sprinkle over the parsely

I served with some charlotte potatoes cut into small chunks and roasted in a hot oven with rosemary, garlic and some more red onion. You could do this on a baking tray over the coals if you like, or even wrap everything in 2 layers of foils and place directly on the grill, giving a shake every 15 mins. The crispy burnt bits are the best bits.