Barbeque Beauties: 12 Recipes Fit for a King

With the weather being so utterly unpredictable here in the UK, we have to grab every possible opportunity to set the patio furniture up and take dinner outside. Here, with Flogas Gaslight, we understand the complexities in catering for everyone come barbeque time, and realistically repetitive burgers and sausages doesn’t quite cut it sometimes. Therefore, we’re here to help, with 12 recipes you might never have thought off.

BBQ turkey burgers

Did you know turkey is one of the healthiest meats? It also tastes delicious cooked on the barbeque!

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil (divided)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon dry bread crumbs
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 12 ounces ground turkey
• 4 hamburger buns, split
• 4 lettuce leaves
• 1 large tomato, sliced

Recipe

Grab a medium sized bowl and mix together both the mayonnaise and the basil. Cover and place into a fridge until serving. Apply non-stick cooking spray to your grate and preheat the grill. In another bowl, mix milk, onion, salt, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and the rest of the basil. Add the turkey and mix well, then mold the mixture into patties, placing onto the grill over an indirect medium heat. Grill for 5 to 6 minutes on each side, serving when the meat is no longer pink. Serve on buns with lettuce, tomato and basil mayo.

Sesame steaks

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 4 T-bone steaks (about 1-inch thick)

Recipe

Perhaps the easiest food to prepare in terms of method — simply mix the first seven ingredients together in a resealable food bag. Place the steaks into the bag and coat with the mixture, seal and allow to marinade for 4 hours. Drain and discard the left-over marinade. On a preheated grate, cook the steaks on a medium heat for 5-7 minutes each side, or longer depending on preference.

Lemon and lime chicken breast

Chicken doesn’t always have to be spicy just to be full of flavor — this dish screams summer time. Get a hit of citrus with a delicious barbequed chicken breast. Why not cook up a batch of sweet potato fries to enjoy this one with — the perfect al-fresco dinner!

• 6 boneless chicken breasts
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons each lemon juice and lime juice
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Recipe

Take a resealable sandwich bag and fire in the entire ingredients list. Allow the mixture to marinade overnight. Drain the remaining sauce (or keep it and use as a salad dressing!). On a preheated BBQ, grill the chicken at a medium – hot heat for 15-18 minutes, turning once and ensuring that the juices run clear before serving.

Portobello mushroom burgers

A vegetarian alternative that more than competes with the traditional beef burger.

• ¼ cup of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of olive oil divided
• 6 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar divided
• 4 sliced red onions (cut ¼ inch thick)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• 4 portobello mushroom caps
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 4 brioche buns
• 4 lettuce leaves
• 3 salad tomatoes
• 4 ounces fresh vegetarian-friendly mozzarella cheese cut into rough slices

Recipe

Take the balsamic vinegar, the ¼ cup of oil, and the red onion, and pop them in a resealable plastic bag. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, basil and remaining oil, and brush the mixture over the mushrooms. Set these aside and add the remaining vinegar and honey into a small saucepan, allowing it to cook until thickened.

In the meantime, drain the marinade from the onions and coat a grill rack with a non-stick cooking spray, meanwhile heating up the BBQ. Grill the mushrooms and onions for 10-12 minutes or until tender, turning frequently. Serve in brioche buns with lettuce, tomato and mozzarella, drizzling the left-over honey and balsamic sauce.

Oriental grilled baby back ribs

If a taste sensation is what you’re after, then look no further than these Chinese style ribs!

• 4 racks of baby back ribs
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1 piece of fresh ginger peeled and chopped coarsely
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce

For the sauce:

• 4 teaspoons sea salt
• 2 teaspoons white pepper
• 4 limes halved

Recipe

Start by removing the paper membrane from the ribs. If you are using a large rack of ribs, cut in half and place flat in a Pyrex baking dish. Use a pestle and mortar, or food processor, to ground down the garlic, ginger, sugar, salt and black pepper. Slowly add the honey, soy, and fish sauce to the mixture, then spread on both sides of the ribs. Cover and place in the fridge, allowing them to marinate for 1-4 hours.

Prepare the dipping sauce by mixing 4 teaspoons of salt, and 4 teaspoons of white pepper with the juice of the limes. Ensure the grill gate is clean and heat up the BBQ Then, place the ribs bone side down for 8-12 minutes per side — cook until golden brown (this may require a little longer if you are using large ribs). When cooked through, the meat will have shrunk back from the ends of the bones by around ¼ inch.

Halloumi gyros and tzatziki

Thanks to its sturdy texture, halloumi can more than withstand being cooked on top of the coals, without melting in similar fashion to cheddar!

Gyros-

• 200g halloumi cheese
• 2 pieces pitta bread
• 1 tomato
• 2 cups rocket
• 1 baby brown onion

Tzatziki-

• 1 cup Greek yoghurt
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• Lemon juice
• Lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Pinch of salt/ black pepper
• 1 cucumber, seedless, peeled and shredded.

Recipe

Take all the ingredients, place them into a bowl and mix well until combined — this will create your tzatziki. Season to your taste preferences. Cut the tomato in half and slice finely, doing the same with the onion, then place both to one side. Cut the haloumi into centimeter thick slices, placing onto the BBQ at a medium heat. Cook for 2 minutes each side or until browned, then place the pittas onto the grate to warm gently for 30 seconds each side. Assemble the gyros with the haloumi and the tzatziki, adding the onion and tomato to garnish.

Superfood shrimp skewers

Regarded as one of the world’s healthiest foods, shrimp is packed with antioxidants!

• 1 ½ lbs. of jumbo shrimps (with heads removed)
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice and 1 large whole lime
• 3 teaspoons sea salt
• 3 teaspoons freshly ground white pepper
• Metal skewers

Recipe

First things first, take your shrimp, wash it using cold water, and gently pat it dry. Place the shrimp into a Pyrex dish and sprinkle with lime juice, adding a teaspoon each of salt and white pepper, mixing to coat. Marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes.

In a separate bowl, mix sea salt and white pepper with the juiced lime. Heat the BBQ and brush the grate with oil. Place the shrimp onto the grate and grill, turning until the meat is pink. This should take about 2 minutes on each side. Use tongs to remove from the grill and place onto the skewers. Drizzle the sauce over and enjoy!

Citrus salmon and zesty salsa

Salmon-

• 1/2 cup raspberry vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons ground fresh coriander
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 4 salmon fillets (6 ounces each)

Salsa-

• 3/4 cup pink grapefruit segments, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 cup orange segments, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon ground fresh coriander
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
• 1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Recipe

In a resealable sandwich bag, mix together the first seven ingredients, seal the bag and pop it into the fridge for approximately three hours. In a small bowl, combine all of the salsa ingredients and mix well, then cover and keep cool until serving. Drain the marinade and coat your BBQ grate with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat and place the salmon skin side down on to the grill, cooking while covered at a medium heat for 15-20 minutes until a flaky texture is achieved. Drizzle the salsa over and enjoy.

Chicken satay skewers

This South-East Asian recipe will be a massive hit with any peanut butter fan.

Chicken-

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup milk
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon eachground coriander, ground turmeric and ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon coconut extract

Satay-

• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 to 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon fresh coriander
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon coconut extract

This method takes slightly longer as you need to wait on the marinating process. Use a plastic bag to combine the milk, garlic, brown sugar, seasonings and extract. Prepare the chicken by flattening to a ¼ inch thickness and cutting it into 1-inch wide strips. Add the chicken, seal the bag, and refrigerate overnight.

Whisk all of the sauce ingredients together in a bowl until smooth, cover and refrigerate until serving. Take the chicken mixture out and drain the marinade, then place the strips onto the skewers. Grill on a medium-hot heat, uncovered for 2-3 minutes on both sides or until the juices are clear. Serve with the satay sauce.

Marshmallow & strawberry kebabs

Although a barbeque has traditionally been used for simply cooking meat, there exist a number of dessert options.

• 20 marshmallows
• 16 strawberries
• 1 tin of Nestlé carnation caramel
• Toasted hazelnuts or crumbled digestive biscuits to serve

Using a skewer, spike four marshmallows and four strawberries. Hold over the barbecue for 30 seconds on each side, or until the marshmallows are toasted. Stir the caramel in a bowl and add a pinch of salt, then drizzle over lightly adding the nuts of biscuit as a delicious extra.

Barbecued banana split

A traditional banana split but with a chocolatey twist.

• 4 bananas
• 20 giant milk chocolate buttons
• 8 pieces salted caramel fudge
• Vanilla ice cream, to serve
• Whipping cream, to serve
• 4 glacé cherries, to serve
• 2 tablespoon chopped mixed nuts, toasted

Without removing the skin, use a sharp knife to make a slit in the bananas from top to bottom. Place chocolate buttons and fudge in the gap, then wrap the bananas in foil. Ensure that the cut stays facing upwards, and place onto a preheated grate. Cook for 20-25 minutes, allowing the chocolate and fudge to melt. Allow to cool then remove from the foil, topping with a scoop of ice cream, whipped cream, cherry and toasted nuts.

Barbecued figs with honey and cinnamon

With only 112 calories per serving, this treat is effectively guilt free!

• 8 ripe figs, stems removed
• 3 tbsp clear honey
• 15g (½oz) salted butter, diced
• Ground cinnamon, to sprinkle
• Pistachio nuts, roughly chopped, to serve
• Ice cream or cream, to serve (optional)

Using a knife, make a deep cross in each of the figs, stopping just before the base. Squeeze the base to make the figs open up (similar to a flower-shape). Place into a heatproof dish or foil tray and drizzle with honey. Add drops of butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Place the dish or tray, away from direct heat, onto the barbecue and close the lid. Allow to cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the fruit has softened. After cooling, scatter the nuts and serve.

Long gone are the days when burgers and sausages were the only option for the barbeque.

Sources:

https://www.rd.com/food/recipes-cooking/31-delicious-recipes-for-the-grill/
https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/barbecued-banana-split.html
https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/barbecue-baked-figs-with-honey-and-cinnamon.html
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipe/marshmallow-strawberry-kebabs