IN THIS AWESOME COLLECTION, American DJ and barbecue cook DJ BBQ, the king of the coals, wood and fire, shares his 50 favourite dishes – from true barbecue classics right through to radical new twists.
Rad Rum Ribs
Serves 8
Total time: 3 hours plus marinating
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1.5kg baby back ribs, membrane removed
FOR THE PASTE:
- 5 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons chipotle chilli paste
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1½ teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
FOR THE RAD RUM BBQ SAUCE:
- 4cm piece of ginger, peeled
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 125ml tomato ketchup
- 60ml dark rum
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- 50g soft dark brown sugar
Combine the paste ingredients and 2 teaspoons of salt in a bowl. Pat the ribs dry with kitchen paper, then place in a tray and rub all over with the paste. Cover with clingfilm and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight.
When you want to cook, remove the ribs from the fridge, shake off any excess marinade and allow to come up to room temperature. Meanwhile, set up your barbecue for the half and half technique (so half the base is covered in charcoal and the other side is empty) – you want a medium indirect heat. Place a drip tray inside the barbecue on the indirect side. Cover with the lid and allow to heat up like an outdoor oven – you want a temperature of around 180°C/350°F.
Rip off just over an arm’s length of extra-strong tin foil, stack up the ribs in the centre and tightly wrap. Place the foil parcel over indirect heat on the barbecue, cover with the lid and cook for around 2 hours, or until the meat is tender and starts to fall away from the bone, remembering to replenish with hot coals every 45 minutes or so. Meanwhile, finely grate the ginger and garlic into a small pan on the hob. Add the rest of the BBQ sauce ingredients and 80ml of water. Simmer over a medium heat for around 20 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Season to taste and set aside.
Remove the ribs from the foil and brush all over with the BBQ sauce and any cooking juices. Return to the indirect heat for another 30 to 40 minutes with the lid on, or until tender and golden, basting well every 10 minutes or so. Remove to a board to rest for 5 minutes, then carve. Enjoy, ’cause these ribs rule!
Scallops with Chilli Garlic Butter
Serves 2
TOTAL TIME: 20 minutes
- 12 scallops, trimmed with the shells (see tip)
- 100 ml dry white wine
- ½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
FOR THE CHILLI GARLIC BUTTER:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 100g salted butter
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 1 fresh red chilli
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Spread hot coals over the base of your barbecue in a flat and even layer – the scallops are going to be cooked directly on the coals, so it doesn’t matter what barbecue technique you use here. Start by making the chilli garlic butter, which you can do on the barbecue or over a medium heat on the hob – basically the longer those flavours get to hang out together, the better. Place the oil and butter in a pan to melt. Meanwhile, finely chop the garlic and chilli (keep the seeds in if you like the heat), then add to the pan with the black pepper. Give it a good stir, let all the ingredients party, then set aside.
Place the shells with the scallops inside them on a platter, then add a dash of white wine to each one. Using tongs, place each shell directly on the grey coals, carefully positioning them so they can’t tip over. Cover with the lid like an outdoor oven and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, or until cooked through, turning the scallops halfway with tongs. Carefully remove the shells to a serving platter and drizzle about 1 tablespoon of the melted chilli garlic butter over each golden scallop. Roughly chop and scatter over the parsley leaves then serve right away.
TIP: Ask your fishmonger to prep and clean the scallops for you. You’ll be cooking them in their shells so make sure you ask for these too.
An extract taken with permission from The BBQ Book by DJ BBQ, RRP $15.99, published by Michael Joseph, Penguin Group in Jamie’s Food Tube Books series. © Jamie Oliver Enterprises (2014 The BBQ Book) Photographer: David Loftus
