Rich Harris - Fire and Smoke: Get Grilling with 120 Delicious Barbecue Recipes

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At the faintest glimmer of sunshine, people dust off their barbecues and declare the season officially open. But why do we have this obsession with cooking outdoors? Perhaps its the whole caveman thing, the last vestiges of the hunter-gatherer instinct that have remained with us over thousands of years of evolution. Or maybe its simply that we love crowding around the barbecue, cracking open a few beers and delighting in the excuse to consume vast quantities of grilled meat. Whatever the reason, barbecuing has us hooked and there are now international competitions with huge sums of prize money up for grabs. Its pretty serious stuff.

Whether youre a seasoned pitmaster or have just bought your first barbecue, there should be something new and exciting for you in this book. My recipes are inspired by my travels, by my experience of working with some of the best chefs in the world on numerous TV shows and, most importantly, by my love of firing up the barbecue and getting everyone round the table for a good feed. For me, the greatest joy of outdoor cooking is the social aspect; people gather together, drinks flow and many are sat chatting around the slowly dying embers hours later. Ive tried to avoid anything too cheffy, as I think barbecuing should be enjoyable rather than laborious; barbecues are often spur-of-the-moment affairs, so there are plenty of speedy recipes to suit. All the recipes have been specially designed for cooking on the barbecue because grilling over wood or charcoal is essential to the flavour of the dish; Id never cook something on the barbecue just for the sake of it there has to be a good reason.

Im very aware that most people will already own a barbecue, so Im not going to start telling you which brand to buy or that certain grills are better than others. On a very basic level, all you need is somewhere to light a fire, something to contain it and enough airflow to keep the embers glowing. Whether thats an old grill set over a couple of bricks or a top-of-the-range gas-fired beast with all the bells and whistles, it really doesnt matter; as long as youre outside, enjoying yourself and feeding your friends and family. Some of the recipes are cooked low and slow, which does require that you have some control over the cooking temperature, so a lid and vents really help. And there are a few recipes that are cooked dirty, which means that the food is cooked directly on the coals, so you dont even need a grill.

Our barbecue lunches or dinners always turn into a bit of a party, and a good party needs good drinks. I love craft beers and cocktails, as their big flavours stand up well to anything chargrilled, so Ive included a selection of my favourite concoctions to get the occasion off to a racing start or to round off the night in style. And, in case you enjoy them a little too much, there are several brunch dishes to help clear any fuzzy heads the next morning.

Naturally, there are a lot of recipes that involve meat, and among them there are a few specialist cuts. With that in mind, I have one key piece of advice: get to know your butcher. A good butcher is more than happy to discuss the meat youre after, let you know where its come from and prepare it the way youd like it. If you plan on cooking one of the larger cuts such as , give your butcher a bit of notice so that they can order in what you need. You pay the price for the weight of the meat, not for the preparation, so asking for a jointed chicken, for instance, isnt going to cost you more and will save you time and cut fingers. The same goes for fish.

There will be some familiar recipes and some twists on classics, but the main focus is getting you to make the most from outdoor cooking, trying some exciting flavour combinations and ultimately taking your whole barbecue experience to the next level.

If youve bought this book, its likely that you already own a barbecue, and in any case there are so many different sorts on offer, but here are a few words of guidance on the main types and what you can achieve with them.

Perhaps the most common type of barbecue, these are relatively inexpensive, come in various sizes depending on how many youre feeding (or how popular you are) and are easy to set up and maintain. They are perfect for traditional grilling, and if they have top and bottom vents they can be used for low and slow cooking. They also make great vessels for .

This heavy-duty, ceramic-lined grill is the ultimate all-rounder. Depending on how you set it up, the kamado can be used for low and slow cooking as well as traditional grilling, and even turns into a pizza oven. These are well-sealed units with great insulation, so the fuel burns longer and slower therefore enabling you to cook for hours on just a few handfuls of charcoal and wood. Top and bottom vents allow for really accurate temperature control. Theyre at the higher end of the price range as far as anything coal-fired goes, but definitely a worthwhile investment if youre serious about grilling.

These rely solely on indirect heat, so are perfect for cooking anything low and slow. The design means that the fuel is housed in a separate compartment, allowing the heat and smoke to flow through the cooking chamber, circulate around the food and then drift out through the chimney. Again, vents allow you to regulate the temperature. The main benefit is that its easy to top up the fuel for longer cooking without disturbing the meat. They can also be used for traditional by building the fire directly below the cooking grates in the smoking compartment.

This upright smoker has multiple compartments, allowing you to smoke several different items at once. Many come as modular units so that they can be expanded or reduced in size depending on how many people youre feeding. They can also be set up for traditional and the shape means that theyre handy if youre short on space.

Great for their convenience factor, many gas grills now come with cool features like electric rotisseries and under-counter fridges. Temperature control is easy, and as long as you have a full bottle, you can cook for ages with little fuss. There is the argument that gas barbecues dont produce the same flavour as cooking over charcoal and wood, which Id agree with, but you can buy smoking boxes so that you can add flavour with .