You deserve a good grilling
Clarke, the Michelin Star chef at l’Ecrivain, has laid out the ingredients for an al fresco feast on the balcony of his Dublin restaurant. His coals are arranged around a silver foil tray, creating a well of space away from direct heat.
“I’m going to smoke a salmon on this,” he says.
Given the recent splash of summer weather, and the Euro 2012 set to get underway, Ireland’s annual barbecue bandwagon has been well and truly jumped upon. For all of our enthusiasm, however, the results don’t often match the smells wafting around our forest parks and housing estates.
“It’s about tossing on a few sausages, burgers and chicken, and hoping for the best,” he says. “Let’s face it, the majority of Irish guys don’t cook during the year, but the minute the sun comes out, they’re out with the tongs and the lighter fluid.”
Clarke will be sharing tips at his BBQ masterclass, with Kevin Dundon, at this year’s Taste of Dublin festival. Coals should create three heat zones on the grill — high, medium, and low. If something starts to burn, you can pull it to a cooler area. Charcoal may take 30 minutes to set, but the flavour is worth the wait.
“Gas is a lazy man’s barbecue. It’s much easier to cook with, because the heat is regulated, and it’s quicker to set. But it doesn’t taste like barbecued food. Charcoal gives that smoky flavour, especially if you throw wood chips onto it. With gas, you might as well cook the food under the grill in the kitchen and bring it outside. It’s the same thing,” he says. First onto the grate is spatchcock chicken, marinated for two hours in herbs and spices, and butterflied by cutting through the backbone. There’s a satisfying sizzle as the flesh hits the hot bars, and a mouth-watering scent infuses the air. Clarke loves barbecuing at parties, and one of his favourite outdoor meals was cooked off his boat in West Cork last summer.
“Andrew, my son, caught some mackerel. There were some guys around with mussels. We just bought a disposable BBQ for a few euro, gutted the fish and threw it on. We ate it with a few beers on the pontoon at Sherkin Island,” he says.
Next up is a pink hunk of organic salmon, from Murphy’s Seafood in Bantry. Boned and de-scaled, this gets the barest sprinkle of salt and pepper before being placed on a strip of tin foil (so it doesn’t stick to the grill) on medium heat in the centre of the barbecue.
With the chicken and salmon sizzling, the barbecue buzz takes over. Clarke is straight-talking, and, milling around in his chef whites and clogs, pausing to strike up the occasional Marlboro Light, it’s fascinating to hear him chat about the industry.
He talks about the British TV chefs he admires (Nigel Slater, Rick Stein), restaurants he likes (Toddies in Kinsale), and the time Jamie Oliver, who will open this year’s Taste of Dublin, cooked lunch at l’Ecrivain.
“He’s one of the most easy-going guys you’ll meet. The people he was most interested in were the two girls washing-up. He made them coffee and everything.”
Irish restaurants are in “a race to the bottom” Clarke says, with prices as low as they can go. In boom times, l’Ecrivain employed 18 chefs. it now has eight, and Clarke is peeling spuds as well as signing off on Michelin Star dishes.
As we chat, he prowls around the barbecue, basting and turning the meat, keeping it moist. Dry food is a problem with barbecuing — he suggests filling a spray bottle with beer, rice vinegar, or garlic and chilli oil for moistening as it cooks.
“Beer is great for food — it makes a great marinade. It tenderises the meat at the same time as flavouring it.”
“Don’t do too many meats,” is another tip. “Keep it simple. Flame is bad in a barbecue. If drippings from the meat or marinade flare up, move it. And don’t flip the meat straight away. Let it make a connection. Leave it for two minutes. You’ll get those lovely grill lines.
“The whole thing about a barbecue is to take time,” Clarke says, moving on to dessert.
Slicing several bananas down the centre, he mashes the fruit, squeezes in chunks of Cadbury Crunchie, and sits them onto the grill until the chocolate melts. It’s time to tuck in. The salmon falls apart in wet, succulent strips. The chicken skin, crusty with charred marinade, gives way to moist, white flesh.
Everything is eaten with the fingers, and the fingers are licked clean. Summer has arrived.
* www.tasteofdublin.ie Check out Blake Creedon’s barbecue selections for beer (p14) and wines (p26).
1 side of fresh salmon 400/500g or 4 fillets 125/140g each, all bones removed, skin left on and de-scaled
Freshly ground sea salt and pepper
2 cups woodchips (Hickory, Applewood, etc)
Step 1: Set the barbeque for indirect cooking, have the middle flame off and each end on high. Get two square pieces of tin foil and wrap 1 cup of chips into each to make a flat parcel. With a fork, punch in several holes. Place the tinfoil parcels at each end of the barbecue. Close the lid, when the woodchips start smoking, you’re ready to smoke the salmon
Step 2: Season the salmon, flesh side only, and place on a rectangular piece of oiled tin foil, the tin foil to be the same size as the salmon side or salmon fillets.
Step 3: Place the salmon tin foil side down on the middle of the grill and close the lid. Smoke for approx 15/20 minutes, 30 minutes to be well done.
Light the coals and when they are glowing, move them to the edges of the barbecue. Sprinkle the woodchips around the edges.
Season the salmon, flesh side only, and place on a rectangular piece of oiled tin foil, the tin foil to be the same size as the salmon side or salmon fillets.
Place the salmon on the tin foil and then in the centre of the barbeque. Cover the lid and smoke for 15 minutes.
8 bananas
2 Crunchie bars, chopped
Cut into the skin of the bananas lengthways.
With a teaspoon mash the banana all the way along the skin.
Sprinkle the crunchie inside the banana and close the skin.
Place on the barbecue for 3/5 minutes until the crunchie has melted.
Serve with whipped cream or with ice cream.
1 spatchcock chicken (the chicken is butterflied by cutting through the backbone and flattening out the chicken)
2 cloves of crushed garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground chilli flakes
1 tsp ground fennel seeds
1 tsp ground sweet paprika
1 tsp chopped rosemary
1 tsp chopped thyme
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp brown sugar
Ground sea salt & black pepper
In a bowl, mix all marinating ingredients together (all ingredients except the chicken).
Toss the chicken into the marinade. Cover the mix with cling-film and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Bring the chicken to room temperature before cooking.
Have the barbecue turned to high if gas or high stack of charcoals.
Make sure grill bars are clean and lightly oiled.
Place chicken in centre of barbecue, bone-side down.
Cover with the lid or with tin foil and grill for 15 minutes.
Turn down gas barbecue to low or if charcoal, move the coals to the sides with long metal bar.
Every 5 minutes, with a paintbrush or something similar, brush the marinade over the chicken.
Turn over chicken. Grill for 10 minutes remembering to keep painting on the marinade and turn again.
Cook for a further 20/30 minutes. Remove. Skewer the chicken.
The juices should run clear.
Before serving leave to rest for 10 minutes.
1 small cucumber (eeds removed, quartered and chopped)
200 ml of natural yoghurt
1 large bunch of chopped fresh mint
Fresh ground sea salt and pepper to taste
Mix all of the ingredients together, place in a bowl and serve with the chicken
* Have all equipment ready beforehand: tongs, fork, flat spatula, wire brush, water spray and of course, an ice cold can of beer!
* Make sure your barbecue is clean; try to always clean your barbecue after each use.
* Set the barbecue, whether it is gas or coal, to three different temperatures — hot, medium and low.
* To check the temperature: Hot — you can hold your hand over the grill for 2 seconds; Medium — you can hold your hand over for 5 seconds. Low — you can hold it over for 10 seconds
* If you get flare-ups, move the meat to the cooler part of the grill or use a water spray.
* Woodchips give a brilliant flavour; toss a few into the charcoals or for a gas barbecue, put some into a piece of tinfoil, pierce holes with a fork and place around edges of the barbecue
* Make sure your food is always moist during cooking. Keep brushing with a marinade or oil.
Direct Method: Flame under the food, this is for fast cooking, for example, steak, chicken breast, vegetables, etc)
Indirect Method: Flame each end or around edge of barbecue. Cook food in centre.
* Make sure your barbecue is lit half an hour before use for coals. They should be grey in daylight and glowing in darkness. A gas barbecue usually takes 15 minutes to heat.
* Be patient, seal your meat fast, then cook very slowly.
* Do not leave your meats or fish out of the fridge for too long, have a cooler beside the barbecue.
* Make sure your food is cooked.
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