This bank holiday weekend, the best way to celebrate at home is to get outside and fire up the barbecue. TV chef Jamie Oliver shares his delicious recipes and simple tips to think outside the BBQ box.
Year-Round Grilling
Jamie Oliver's latest Channel 4 series, Jamie's Ultimate BBQ with Weber, and his accompanying cookbook, Jamie's BBQ, make the case for grilling as a year-round, versatile way of cooking. He encourages cooks to treat fire as a kitchen, not a novelty, and to explore breakfasts, curries, vegetables, flatbreads, and more.
"Anyone who loves to barbecue will know what I mean when I say there's really nothing like it," Oliver says. "There's something wonderfully primal about cooking over fire; it really requires you to tune into your instincts."
Building Confidence
The biggest barrier to barbecuing, Oliver suggests, is confidence. "Certainly the thing I hear the most is that people are worried about undercooked food, but also about undercooked food that's totally obliterated on the outside," he says. The fix is learning to control heat and using a digital food thermometer to take away the worry.
Setting up the barbecue area well is also key. "Getting all that sorted before you start grilling will really mean the actual act of barbecuing is much more stress-free," Oliver adds.
Choosing the Grill
When it comes to the grill itself, Oliver is pragmatic. "For me, it's all about the fire, so a charcoal barbecue is my natural go-to," he says. But gas can be very convenient, and electric is a brilliant option if space is limited.
Beyond Meat
Oliver's approach to barbecuing mirrors his general cooking philosophy: "cook better quality meat less often." His recipes celebrate vegetables and fish as much as meat. For example, a head of cauliflower charred and served with romesco feels like the main event, and halloumi skewers with strawberries explore sweet-savoury possibilities.
"Grilling does wonderful things to veggies," Oliver says. "You can make so many incredible dishes."
Year-Round Joy
Oliver rejects the idea that barbecuing should be confined to summer weekends. "Whether it's a quick grill or a full-on feast, there's joy to be gained whatever the weather," he says. "Imagine the warmth of fire on a crisp, cold winter morning, or bringing a spark to a rainy summer's day."
Family and Connection
For Oliver, barbecuing is a family affair. "I enjoy it so much that I'll usually take the helm," he says, "but Jools and the kids, especially Buddy, will all get involved and help out." Cooking over fire changes the rhythm of a meal, drawing people in. "When you throw barbecuing into the mix, you gain connection around the whole process of cooking," he adds.
Oliver also sees value in firing up the grill for a beautiful dinner for two, positioning the barbecue as something quieter and more everyday, not just for epic feasts.
Recipes to Try
Romesco Cauliflower
Serves: 4 | Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 head of cauliflower (800g), ideally with leaves
- 300g ripe tomatoes
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 100g sourdough bread
- 1 x 460g jar of roasted red peppers
- 25g smoked almonds, plus extra to serve
- 1 pinch smoked paprika
- 4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
- 30g feta cheese
Method:
- Light the barbecue. Remove tatty outer leaves from the cauliflower, chop into eight wedges, spritz with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
- Place cauliflower wedges and tomatoes on the hot zone, unpeeled garlic on the medium zone, and sliced bread on the cool zone. Cook with lid on, vents open, for 10 minutes. Remove tomatoes, garlic, and toast. Turn cauliflower and cook for another 10 minutes until charred and cooked through.
- Remove tomato skins, place insides in a blender. Squeeze in garlic, tear in toast, add peppers with juice, almonds, paprika, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Blitz until smooth. Season and spread on plates.
- Top with cauliflower wedges, scatter parsley and almonds, crumble feta, and drizzle olive oil. Serve with extra toast.
Grilled Chilli and Lemon Chicken
Serves: 6 | Prep: 30 minutes | Cook: 1 hour plus resting
Ingredients:
- 9 mixed-colour chillies
- 1 long red pepper
- 1 bulb of garlic
- 4 bay leaves
- ½ tsp dried red chilli flakes
- 1 bunch thyme (20g)
- 1 lemon
- 1 x 1.5kg whole chicken
- Optional: sprigs of bay, thyme, rosemary
Method:
- Light the barbecue. Prick chillies and pepper, char over hot zone with lid on. Toast bay leaves for 30 seconds.
- Pound bay leaves, chilli flakes, salt, and thyme in a mortar. Add lemon peel and pound. Chop lemon flesh and muddle in with 2 tablespoons each red wine vinegar and olive oil.
- Remove charred skin from chillies and pepper, discard seeds and stalks, peel garlic, chop finely, mix into paste. Season.
- Spatchcock chicken, score legs. Reserve half the sauce, rub rest over chicken. Place on cool zone, skin side up, with herb sprigs. Cook lid on, vents open, for 1 hour until internal temp 65-70C. Rest 30 minutes (temp should reach 75C).
- Spoon over remaining sauce and serve.
Herby Leg of Lamb and Creamy Beans
Serves: 10 | Prep: 25 minutes | Cook: 1 hour plus resting
Ingredients:
- 4 leeks
- 1 bunch mixed soft herbs (30g), such as mint, tarragon, basil, parsley
- 2 cloves garlic
- 50g shelled unsalted pistachio nuts
- 2 lemons
- 100g breadcrumbs
- 2.2kg butterflied leg of lamb, bone out
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 bunch sage (20g)
- 200g ripe cherry tomatoes
- 2 x 570g jars of cannellini beans
Method:
- Soak wood chips in water. Light barbecue. Blacken leeks on coals for 10-15 minutes, turning halfway.
- Pick herb leaves, pound with salt in mortar, add garlic, pistachios, 2 tablespoons olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, and breadcrumbs. Mix.
- Season lamb, sear on hot zone for 5 minutes, turning. Move to board, massage with mustard, pat on herby crumbs.
- Peel leeks, cut into 2cm lengths, place in roasting tray with sage leaves, tomatoes, and water. Place tray in cool zone, sit lamb on grill over tray. Tuck lemon half under lamb. Add wood chips and sage to coals. Cook lid on, top vent half open, for 30 minutes.
- Pour beans into tray, cook 10-15 more minutes until lamb internal temp 55C. Rest lamb 30 minutes (temp should rise to 60C), reduce beans 15 minutes.
- Mix 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar into beans, season, slice lamb, and serve with crusty bread and green salad.
'BBQ' by Jamie Oliver (Penguin Michael Joseph, £30). 'Jamie's Ultimate BBQ with Weber' streams on channel4.com.
