BBQ bliss: Nico Reynolds’ grill-seekers –storecupboard salt chicken with seared corn ribs, black bean burgers, a sizzling steak sandwich, and rhubarb and mango crumble

Summer is hotting up so it’s time to get the barbecue smoking…

Storecupboard salt chicken with seared corn ribs

Serves: 4. Timing: 45 minutes

Ingredients

Free-range chicken wings, thighs and drumsticks

500g free-range chicken wings

500g free-range chicken thighs, skin on, bone in

500g free-range chicken drumsticks

Your choice of: hot sauce salt, orange and herb salt (see below)

Method 1. Cover the chicken in the hot sauce salt or orange and rosemary salt (recipes below) and leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

2. For grilling the chicken, we’re going to use a vortex method — light a little mound of coal right in the centre of the grill and leave until the coals are ash-grey.

3. Place the chicken around the heat source in a circle and keep the lid closed, leaving the vent open. Cook for between 45 minutes and 1 hour until the chicken is cooked through and golden — use a meat thermometer to check the temperature; you’re looking for a reading of 75C.

Hot sauce salt

Ingredients

200g sea salt

1-3 tbsp of your favourite hot sauce

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Method 1. Mix the ingredients together in a small bowl until completely combined.

Then, either:

2. Spread out over a non-reactive tray and wait for the liquids to evaporate — this will take a few days. Try to put the tray in a sunny place to speed up the process.

Or…

3. Spread out over a non-reactive tray and put in the oven at 90-100C for 30 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated.

Orange and herb salt

Ingredients

200g sea salt

4 rosemary sprigs, leaves removed and finely diced

5 thyme sprigs, leaves removed and finely diced

Zest and juice of 2 oranges

Method 1. Mix the salt and chopped herbs together in a small bowl until completely combined. Add the juice and zest from the 2 oranges and stir into the salt.

Then, either:

2. Spread out over a non-reactive tray and wait for the liquid to evaporate — this will take a few days. Try to put the tray in a sunny place to speed up the process.

Or…

3. Spread out over a non-reactive tray and put in the oven at 90-100C for 30 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated.

Corn ribs

Ingredients

2 ears of sweetcorn

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp cayenne pepper

A pinch of cumin seeds

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Method 1. Husk the corn, cut in half horizontally, then cut each half into quarters lengthwise to give you 8 corn batons. Make sure to keep the middle intact.

2. Toss these in a large bowl with the olive oil, cayenne, cumin seeds, salt and pepper.

3. Arrange on the direct side of the grill and cook for about 15-20 minutes in total, turning until all sides are charred.

Black bean burger with chipotle mayo and avocado

Serves: 5-6. Timing: 45 minutes

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

A handful of coriander, leaves and stalks separated, stalks chopped

Zest of 1 lime

1 onion, finely diced

1 green pepper, finely diced

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 fresh jalapeño, finely diced

½ tsp oregano

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

2 x 400g tins of black beans, drained and rinsed

100g oat flour — to make, blitz 100g oats in a blender until they resemble flour (you could also use regular flour, a handful of breadcrumbs or an egg to bind)

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

For the chipotle mayonnaise

4 jalapeños (if you’re smoking your own) or 1 tsp chipotle paste

3 tbsp mayonnaise

Juice of 1 lime

To serve

4 burger buns

1 butterhead lettuce, leaves separated

1 avocado (optional)

Method 1. Light your barbecue, setting it up with a direct and indirect side. (For charcoal, fill one side with charcoal and leave until the charcoal is covered in grey ash. For gas, preheat the entire grill and turn off the burners on one side.)

2. If you’re making your own chipotle, pop 4 jalapeños on the indirect side, close the lid and leave for 1 hour to smoke.

3. Place a skillet over the direct side of the grill and add the olive oil, chopped coriander stems and zest of 1 lime. Take it off the heat and allow the flavours to infuse with the oil for a few minutes.

4. Move the pan back to the higher heat and add the diced onion, chopped green pepper, diced garlic and 1 diced fresh jalapeño (seeds removed).

5. Sauté for 10 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent and the pepper is cooked. You may need to move your skillet around your grill if the heat becomes too fierce — use your initiative and if you think the heat is too high, move the skillet over to the indirect side.

6. When the onion is soft, add the dry spices, season and stir to combine. Cook for a few minutes until fragrant before adding your black beans. Stir until everything is hot.

7. Remove from the heat, pour your mixture into a bowl and leave to cool slightly.

8. Add the oat flour and roughly mash the mixture, breaking the beans down but retaining some texture. Season well, lightly oil your hands and form the mix into 120-150g patties before brushing the patties with a little more oil.

9. Place on to the barbecue over the direct side and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, until charred and hot throughout.

10. While they cook, make the chipotle mayonnaise. Remove the stalks from your smoked jalapeños and blend with the mayonnaise, lime juice, a handful of coriander leaves and seasoning.

11. Alternatively, add chipotle paste to the mayo, lime juice, handful of coriander and seasoning, and mix well.

12. Toast the buns, then slather in the chipotle mayonnaise. Add a few leaves of lettuce, then top with a burger patty. Add a bit more chipotle mayonnaise, a few slices of avocado if you like, and serve.

Grilled steak sandwich with roast shallot, garlic and tarragon butter, and horseradish mayo

Serves: 4. Timing: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 thick-cut rib-eye steak

5 shallots, halved

1 bulb of garlic

100g unsalted butter, softened

A handful of tarragon, finely chopped

150g cherry tomatoes

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

1 baguette

2 tbsp horseradish sauce

100g mayonnaise

A large handful of rocket

100g Parmesan, finely grated

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

​Method 1. Remove your steak from the fridge 30 minutes before you want to cook, place on a plate and season with salt. Pat dry to remove any moisture.

2. Light your barbecue, setting it up with a direct and indirect side.

3. Wrap the shallots and garlic in tin foil and place on the indirect side of the barbecue for about 40 minutes, or until soft and tender throughout. Remove the roasted garlic from the bulb and place into a bowl. Remove the shallots from their skins and roughly chop — they should be tender enough to almost ‘mash’ them — and place into the bowl with the roasted garlic. To this bowl add the softened butter and chopped tarragon and some seasoning. Mix to combine and set aside.

4. Brush your steak and cherry tomatoes with a neutral oil (e.g. sunflower) and place on to the barbecue.

5. Cook on each side for a few minutes until charred and cooked to your liking — use a meat thermometer here to help you: for a medium-rare steak, you’re looking for a temperature of about 52C; for medium, 58C, and for well-done, 65C. This is about 5 degrees short of the actual temperature you’re looking for, as the steak is likely to continue cooking when it’s left to rest.

6. Remove the steak from the barbecue and place on a clean plate, with some butter and a squeeze of lemon juice. Cover with tin foil/parchment paper and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

7. Now slice your baguette in half lengthways and place on the grill to toast.

8. In a small bowl, mix together the horseradish sauce, mayonnaise, lemon juice and zest, and some seasoning.

9. Remove the baguette from the barbecue and slather both sides in your garlic and shallot butter. Add a good handful of rocket and the grilled cherry tomatoes, then drizzle over the horseradish mayonnaise. Add the sliced steak and then drown in finely grated Parmesan. Add the buttered lid and press down, then slice the baguette into four.

10. Serve straight away with lots of kitchen paper for mopping up the juices!

Grilled rhubarb and mango crumble

Serves: 4-6. Timing: 35 minutes

Ingredients

3 mangoes, peeled

300g rhubarb

Oil, for brushing

Zest and juice of ½ orange

30g caster sugar

1 tbsp honey

For the crumble

75g plain flour

50g unsalted butter

2 tbsp runny honey

50g light brown sugar

30g jumbo oats

100g flaked almonds

½ tsp cinnamon

A pinch of sea salt

To serve

Vanilla ice cream

Method 1. Light your barbecue, setting it up with a direct and indirect side.

2. Slice the cheeks off the mango and brush them and the rhubarb stalks with oil.

3. Place on the direct side of the barbecue for a few minutes on each side until charred but not soft — we don’t want the fruit to turn mushy.

4. Remove from the barbecue and cut the fruit into bite-sized pieces. Place in a bowl and mix with the orange zest, juice, sugar and honey, then place into a barbecue-safe dish, about 22cm diameter.

5. Place the flour, butter and honey into a bowl and rub together with your fingers until they resemble breadcrumbs. Stir through the sugar, oats, almonds, cinnamon and a pinch of salt.

6. Place a skillet over the direct side of the barbecue and add the crumble mixture. Begin to toast it, stirring constantly, until the mixture turns a lovely, nutty, golden-brown colour. Pour this crumble mixture over the fruit and place the dish back on to the barbecue, on the indirect side with the lid closed, for about 10-15 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and piping hot throughout.

7. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

‘All Fired Up’, the hit barbecue show, starts on RTÉ One, Thursday June 15 at 7pm, sponsored by Tesco Fire Pit

Get ahead of the day with the morning headlines at 7.30am and Fionnán Sheahan’s exclusive take on the day’s news every afternoon, with our free daily newsletter.