Magazine

Grill seekers

’Tis the season to cook and eat al fresco, folks. Take it up a notch with the ultimate barbecue and do it Southern style.

In association with Fisher & Paykel.

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Southwest pulled chicken burgers with sriracha slaw
Serves 6

This recipe is designed to be cooked on a barbecue with a rotisserie motor. For
a regular barbecue, butterfly the chicken, then cook it on the grill for 45 minutes.

2 tsp salt
½ tsp each smoked paprika, onion flakes and dried thyme
¼ tsp each white pepper, black pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper, plus an extra pinch of cayenne for the slaw
1 whole free-range chicken
¼ onion
1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbsp sriracha (hot sauce)
Juice of 1 lemon
½ head each purple and green cabbage, finely sliced
6 brioche buns
6 thick slices cheddar cheese

Make a dry rub by mixing together the salt, paprika, onion flakes, thyme, white, black and cayenne peppers, and garlic powder.

Rinse the chicken under cold running water, pat it dry with paper towels, then rub it inside and out with the dry rub mixture. If you have time, for extra flavour, refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Turn on the barbecue’s rotisserie motor. Place the onion inside the chicken, thread the chicken onto the spit and cook with the lid closed. It should take 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken – the meat is cooked when the juices run clear. When cooked, shred the chicken with a fork, including the skin.

Meanwhile, to make the slaw, mix the mayonnaise, oil, sriracha and lemon juice with a pinch of salt and cayenne. Combine with the cabbage and toss gently to coat.

To serve, slice the buns in half and lay a slice of cheese on each bottom half. Place on the barbecue grill to toast the buns and melt the cheese, then fill with the chicken, top with the slaw and season to taste.

The ins and outs

  • We used a Fisher & Paykel DCS 36″ built-in outdoor grill to make these dishes, which we love because it looks as good as it makes food taste – important as your barbecue can set the style tone for your entire outdoor area. The DCS’s industrial-grade stainless-steel burners combine with ceramic radiant technology to provide intense heat up to 450°C. Lights illuminate the grill for night-time cooking and the patented grease-management system reduces flare-ups by channelling oil away. Super versatile, use it for all the usual barbecue suspects, as well as full-surface heat searing, rotisserie roasting and as an oven for indirect cooking – think pizza, people.
  • When smoking with woodchips (see overleaf), you’re aiming for a thin blue smoke, not a thick dark one, so give the fire as much air as your barbecue’s vents will allow.
grillseekers-homestyle-4
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Fennel, apple & onion slaw with buttermilk dressing
Serves 6-10

½ white cabbage, shredded
1 baby fennel bulb, thinly shaved on a mandoline, fronds reserved
2 apples, julienned, with the juice of
1 lemon squeezed over the top (to prevent browning)
1 celery heart, shaved on a mandoline
½ red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup buttermilk
6 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
½ tsp freshly cracked black peppercorns
2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 small garlic clove, crushed
Salt

Place the cabbage, fennel, apple, celery and red onion in a large bowl and toss together gently.

Place the buttermilk, sour cream, vinegar and peppercorns in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk in the chives and garlic, add salt to taste, then drizzle over the vegetables and toss to combine.

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Slow BBQ brisket with smoky bourbon sauce
Serves 8-10

Turning a regular hooded barbecue into a smoker is easy. Just soak 2 cups of woodchips in water for 20 minutes, drain, then wrap in tinfoil. Poke holes in the foil, then place it on the grill over a flame. Replace the woodchips every 3-4 hours.

2 tbsp each chilli powder and mustard powder
1 tbsp each smoked paprika, ground cumin, garlic powder, ground black pepper and caster sugar
1 bay leaf, crushed
3-4kg piece beef brisket
⅓ cup smoked paprika
3 tsp mustard powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 cups honey
½ cup brown sugar
2 tsp bourbon

Make a dry rub by mixing together the chilli and mustard powders, the first measure of paprika, the cumin, garlic powder, black pepper, caster sugar and bay leaf. Rub the brisket with the spice mixture, place it on a tray, loosely cover with tinfoil and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 6.

If you’re using a Fisher & Paykel DCS outdoor grill, ensure tender meat by using this indirect cooking method: Soak the woodchips in water for 20 minutes, then prepare the barbecue smoker by removing half of the metal grills. Drain the woodchips and place them in a tinfoil tray. Sit the tray on the exposed ceramic rods and ignite to generate smoke.

Place the brisket fat side down on the unlit side of the grill, close the lid and leave to absorb the smoky flavour and heat to 65°C (test the internal temperature with a meat thermometer); replace the woodchips when you notice the smoke production tapering off. Wrap the meat
in tinfoil, and continue to slowly cook on the unlit side of the barbecue for 5-6 hours or until extremely tender and 95°C.

To make the smoky bourbon sauce, place the second measures of smoked paprika and mustard powder in a small saucepan with the cayenne pepper, vinegar, tomato paste, honey and brown sugar and stir to combine over a medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat, add the bourbon and stir to combine. Pour over the beef to serve.

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Grilled snapper with chilli, lime & coriander
Serves 4-6

2 green chillies, roughly chopped
60g ginger, roughly chopped
2 stalks lemongrass (white part only), thinly sliced, plus extra to serve
6 large cloves garlic
¼ cup kaffir lime leaves, very thinly sliced, plus extra to serve
1 bunch coriander, roots washed, dried and chopped, plus leaves washed to serve
2 spring onions, roughly chopped
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp sea salt
¼ cup sunflower oil
2 whole snapper (750g each), gutted and scaled
Juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime

Place the chilli, ginger, lemongrass, garlic, lime leaves, coriander roots, spring onions, brown sugar and sea salt in a food processor and blend to a paste. Add the oil and mix to combine.

Slash both sides of each fish 4-5 times with a sharp knife, then rub the marinade all over the outside and inside the cavity. Cover loosely with tinfoil and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Heat the barbecue grill to medium-high and lightly oil. Barbecue the fish for 5-6 minutes until charred and just cooked through on one side, then turn and cook on the other side. Remove from the heat, season to taste, drizzle with lemon and lime juice, and scatter with the extra lemongrass, lime leaves and coriander.

The ins and outs

  • Cooking fish with the skin on helps to keep the delicate flakes together when you flip the fish on the grill. Plus, it goes all crispy and tasty.
  • If you’re using a Fisher & Paykel DCS outdoor grill, flip the grill grate over so the flatter, curved side is facing up. It’s designed for fish so will give you the best result.
  • Keep an eye on your fish – it cooks in no time and will continue to do so when you remove it from the heat. Aim to take it off the barbecue when the flesh is just opaque, but still moist.
  • A white-hot grill is perfect for fast-cooking fish fillets and shellfish; sear shellfish for just a minute on each side. For whole fish, slower cooking on a lower heat is ideal.
    dcsgrills.co.nz

Recipes Gretchen Lowe  
Photography
Duncan Innes

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