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Fan the flames of your barbecue love with these meaty recipes

RECIPES BY GENEVIEVE TAYLOR

When you get it right, food cooked with fire quite simply tastes amazing—especially meat. Even as a committed omnivore who adores vegetables cooked over fire, there is no denying that meat forms the backbone of good barbecue, notes fire cooking specialist Genevieve Taylor in the intro of her new book, “Seared: The Ultimate Guide to Barbecuing Meat.” Meat and fire were simply made for each other. The savory celebration of that partnership brings together the joy of being outdoors with deliciously prepared meats such as the following recipes from her book for juicy tri-tip with sauces, pork and steak kebabs, or what she describes as insanely good pork ribs.

Balsamic Pork Kebabs, Pesto Dressing

MAKES 8 KEBABS

Vinegar is a wonderful acidic tenderizer but the slight sweetness to this marinade means the kebabs can burn over too high a heat, so be prepared to cook slightly away from the fire for a little longer. (You will need 8 metal skewers.)

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon brown sugar

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 pound-10 ounce pork leg, diced into 1¼–1½ inch cubes

1 bunch (about 6) scallions, cut into 1½-inch lengths Flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Pesto

2 ounces pine nuts

1 ounce basil, leaves and stems, roughly torn

1½ ounces Parmesan, grated

6 tablespoons olive oil

Juice of ½ lemon

1 garlic clove, crushed

1. Mix together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, brown sugar, garlic and smoked paprika in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, add the pork and toss together to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.

2. To make the pesto, tip the pine nuts into a small skillet and set over a medium heat. Toast for a couple of minutes until golden, then tip into a food processor. Add the basil, Parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic along with a little salt and pepper. Blitz to a purée then scoop into a bowl. I always think pesto tastes best when freshly made, but you can make a few hours ahead if you prefer. You can also make by hand by chopping everything and pounding to a paste in a mortar and pestle.

3. When you are ready to cook, fire up the barbecue ready for direct and indirect grilling. Thread the pork onto metal skewers, alternating it with the spring onion/scallion. Cook, taking care to keep the kebabs a little away from the fierce infrared heat directly over the fire: Rest kebabs on the grill bars, slightly away from the fire so they cook over a medium heat and cook on all sides for 15 to 20 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature, taking care the tip doesn’t touch the metal skewer or you will get a false reading. Pork is safe to eat at 145°F for medium or take it up to 160°F for well done. Serve the kebabs with the pesto dressing on the side.

Cook’s Note: Pork leg is a lean cut compared to shoulder and can become dry with long cooking, so it’s ideally suited for quick cooks like these kebabs. Increasing the surface area of meat, by slicing or dicing, is a brilliant way to maximize the effectiveness of a marinade since marinades only ever penetrate a few millimeters in, so quite simply more surface area equals more flavor.

Rump Tail or Tri-Tip, Plus Three Steak Sauces

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Rump tail or tri-tip is a triangular cut from the bottom tip of the sirloin, so you get two per cow, one either side. It’s a tender and tasty cut cooked hot and fast, but do take a careful look at your meat before you cook it—although it’s one single muscle, the grain actually runs in two different directions. To ensure that all-important cutting across the grain, you need to slice it in one direction to the point where the grain changes, about in the middle, then turn through 90 degrees and slice it in the other direction. Also, because of its triangular shape, the thin end does have a tendency to be done before the fat end.

2pounds, 4 ounces rump tail

1tablespoon flaked sea salt, plus more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Walnut and Tarragon Pesto

3½ ounces walnuts

Bunch of fresh tarragon (½ ounce), leaves and fine stalks, roughly chopped

1garlic clove, chopped

3½ounces extra-virgin olive oil

2tablespoons white wine vinegar

For the Romesco Sauce

2large red peppers

2ounces whole blanched almonds

1slice of slightly stale sourdough bread, torn into chunks

5tablespoons olive oil

3garlic cloves, crushed

½teaspoon smoked paprika

1–2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, to taste

For the Chimichurri Sauce

3garlic cloves, chopped

Large bunch (about 3½ ounces) flat-leaf parsley, larger stalks discarded, chopped

2tablespoons fresh oregano leaves

2long red chilies, chopped

3½ounces (7 tablespoons) olive oil

Juice of ½–1 lemon, to taste

Pinch superfine sugar

1. Begin by dry-brining the steak: Simply sprinkle the salt all over and place on a rack set over a tray. Slide into the fridge for 24 hours if you have time.

2. Decide on your sauce and get that ready. If you are making romesco, go ahead and fire up the barbecue first as you need it to grill the peppers; for the other two sauces, begin inside. Either way, when you are ready to cook, fire up your barbecue ready for direct grilling but leaving half of your grill coal-free so you can maneuver if things are getting too hot.

3. To make the walnut and tarragon pesto, tip the walnuts into a small fireproof skillet and toast over a medium heat for a couple

RUMP TAIL OR TRI-TIP, PLUS THREE STEAK SAUCES AND STEAK, SPRING ONION AND GINGER SKEWERS WITH CHILI PEANUT OIL of minutes. Add to a food processor along with the tarragon, garlic, olive oil and white wine vinegar and blend to a smooth paste. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and scoop into a bowl. Set aside.

4. For the romesco sauce, set the red peppers onto the grill bars directly over the fire. Grill for around 20 minutes, rotating regularly until they are soft and lightly charred. Remove from the heat and put in a bowl. Cover and allow to cool for a few minutes, then peel and slice in half, removing the seeds and stems. Add to the bowl of a food processor. Toast the almonds in a dry skillet over a medium heat for a couple of minutes until they are golden. You can do this on the barbecue by setting the pan slightly off the fire, or on the stove inside. Add to the food processor, along with the bread, olive oil, garlic and smoked paprika. Blitz until smooth, adding just enough cold water to make a smooth paste. Season with a little vinegar and salt and black pepper to taste, then scoop into a bowl and set aside.

5. For the chimichurri, add the garlic to a mortar and pestle and crush. Add the parsley, oregano and chilies and pound together.

Stir through the olive oil, lemon juice and sugar to taste and season with a little salt and pepper. Scoop into a bowl and set aside.

6. When you are ready to cook your steak, make sure your grill is really good and hot, adding extra charcoal to the fire if necessary if you’ve been grilling the peppers for romesco. Drizzle a little oil over the rump tail and rest on the grill bars directly over the fire, turning every 30 seconds or so, to build up a good crust all over. Using a meat thermometer, check the temperature of the meat at the thickest point—125°F for rare, 132°F for medium-rare. If the thin end is overcooking but the thick end isn’t ready, rotate the steak so the thinner end stays farther from the fire each time you turn.

7. Set the steak on a board and carve into thick slices before eating with your chosen sauce. If you want to rest the steak before carving, be sure to remove it a few degrees below eating temperature to allow for carryover cooking.

Cook’s Notes: Other favorite thinner steaks (¾ inch or less) for quick, hot and fast cooking include: Skirt, bavette (flank or goose skirt), feather blade and flat iron.

Steak, Spring Onion and Ginger Skewers with Chili Peanut Oil

MAKES 8 KEBABS

I love using bavette (also known as flank) steak for kebabs: sliced across the grain and ribboned onto sticks it cooks quickly and stays tender. You could substitute it for hanger (onglet) too. It also stands up to a good long marinade for maximum flavor—48 hours wouldn’t hurt—and the chili oil gets better after a couple of days, so start early if you can. Then the cooking is a breeze. Served with steamed rice and something green like stir-fried asparagus or broccoli, this is insanely good and fast. (You will need 8 metal skewers.) –genevieve

taylor

1pound, 12 ounces quick-cooking steak, such as flank, skirt or hanger is ideal

1bunch (about 6) spring onions/scallions, cut into 1¼-1½ inch lengths

2ounces fresh root ginger, grated

4tablespoons soy sauce

½-1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice, or to taste

(it’s quite a strong spice blend)

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Chili Peanut Oil

1cup vegetable oil

2ounces salted peanuts, chopped

2ounces dried chili flakes

4garlic cloves, sliced

1banana shallot, finely chopped

2teaspoons flaked sea salt

1. Rest the steak on a board and use a large sharp knife to cut into ½-inch strips, making sure you cut across the grain. Toss into a bowl and add the spring onions/scallions, ginger, soy sauce, fivespice and a generous grind of black pepper. Toss to mix, cover and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.

2. At the same time, make the chili oil as it improves after a day or so. Pour the oil into a small heavy-based saucepan and set over a low heat on the stove. Add the peanuts, chili flakes, garlic, shallots and salt and simmer really gently for a good 30 minutes until the chili is crispy and the peanuts, garlic and spring onions/shallot are golden. Leave to cool in the pan before transferring to a screw-top jar or a bowl with a lid. Once cold, slide into the fridge where it will keep for a good month, although I guarantee it won’t last that long.

3. When you are ready to cook, thread the meat onto the skewers, ribboning the slices a few times on the sticks, and alternating them with pieces of spring onion.

4. Fire up your barbecue ready for direct grilling—the skewers cook quickly, so you shouldn’t need to use too much fuel (just half a chimney or so, if you are using the best quality charcoal).

5. Sear the skewers over a high direct heat for 5 to 7 minutes with the lid open, turning regularly. Cooking with the lid open means you are only using direct radiant heat from the charcoal plus conduction heat from the grill bars, so you have a good chance of a getting a lovely caramelized sear on the meat before it overcooks. Serve immediately with the crispy chili oil alongside. BEIGNETS