ChefCampers

Episode 2 : Notepad

I hope you enjoyed my second episode and picked up a few things. Here's the recap along with the recipes below!

BBQ - Fuels

Charcoal - Buy natural charcoal. Avoid anything "instant light" and any cheap brands. The charcoal will be laced with chemicals and give a horrible taste to your food. DO NOT BUY DISPOSABLE BBQS

Natural charcoal is simply just wood that has been extinguished, it shouldn't contain anything else.

Charcoal burns at a hotter temperature and can vary, depending on the wood type. Try to buy local and from someone who can specify the wood type in their charcoal.

https://houseofcharcoal.co.uk/ is a great resource for shopping for charcoal.

Briquettes - Like charcoal, there are two main types, natural and then the cheap nasty ones. Natural Briquettes offer a consitant and steady heat. They tend to burn for longer, at lower temperatures than charcoal. These are great for long steady cooks, but they can contain less flavour than more traditional charcoal.

Cheap Briquettes contain chemicals from the glue that is used to bind them together. They are unpleasant and I feel they taint your food, so please avoid!

Direct or Indirect BBQ cooking

Direct - This is when you fill your BBQ with charcoal, so the whole grill has heat. Great for quick cooks such as burgers and kebabs. You don't need a lid and you can make a BBQ like this almost anywhere! The cooking is similiar to a grill, it's just upside down on a BBQ.

Indirect BBQ - This is like an oven. You place the charcoal or briquettes in one side and you cook on the other side by closing the lid and using the vents to control air. You would typically close the vent above the fuel and open the vent above the food. The more you open it, the hotter the oven will be. It's as simple as that! There are many more things you can do and many within the BBQ world often complicate it more than it ought to be. Keep it simple and learn the nuances of fuel and air, before bringing in too many variable gadgets.

Indirect Duck Leg - served with Charred Veg

Step 1 - Set up the BBQ

Set up your BBQ for Indirect Cooking, charcoal at one end. Prepare some smoke chips in water, if you have any.

Step 2 - Cook the duck and sweet potatoe

Salt the duck and chop the sweet potato into chunks. Place the sweet potatoe in a drip tray below the duck. If you are cooking on a cobb, place them all in a dish together and simply cook together in a dish. This is actually tastier as the potatoes have more duck fat to cook in! The secret is a low and slow cook. After around 2 hours, the duck should be nice and tender. You can add more charcoal, if it starts going out.

Step 3 Make the marinade dressing

Finely dice 1 red onion, add to a dish.

Segment the orange and place over the onion.

Squeeze the leftover orange into a dish and add equal parts olive oil, 2 pinches of salt and a dash of red wine vinegar. Finely chop fresh rosemary into it too. Feel free to experiment and add more flavours, such as mustard, honey, balsamic etc.

Step 4 - Prepare the Vegetables

Chop the fennel into 1cm thick sections, try to cut between the shoots.

Cut the baby gem lettuce into quarters.

Brush the marinade over them.

Step 5 - Finish the duck and char the potatoes

Once the duck is cooked, remove from the BBQ with the sweet potatoes. Place them both over the charcoal, to cook direct. Be careful, as the duck will flair up, so keep turning it to develop a crispy skin.

The potatoes just need some extra crusty pieces on, to add texture and char.

Steph 6 - Cook the vegetables on direct heat

Place the fennel directly over the charcoal. It should take around 2-3 minutes on each side. Place the duck and sweet potatoes into the offset heat zone, they will rest, whilst staying warm.

Once the fennel is cooked, then add the baby gem lettuce. Keep turning to check for hot spots and develop a light char on the vegetables.

Steph 7 - Plate up!

Arrange the food onto a serving platter, topping with the fresh oranges, the finely diced onion (which has been sitting underneath the oranges).

Then finish with the dressing and tuck in!

EP 2 - An introduction to BBQ