We Brits love a barbecue, but it’s fair to say that for all our bravery when grilling in the rain, we can be a little shy when it comes to what we cook.
While in some countries a barbecue will likely include something like a slow-cooked brisket, a large piece of beef or a whole fish, in Britain you’ll often turn up to find sausages and burgers – drumsticks, skewers or halloumi in a jiffy.
But it doesn’t have to be. Almost anything can be cooked on hot coals, and it’s time to get on our collective barbecue games. These recipes are a good start.
Fillet with dill-bearnaise, charred asparagus
In general, fillet steak is quite an expensive case of style over substance. Sure, it’s very, very tender, but for that you sacrifice flavor. A truly glorious day, beef master Olly Woolnough of meats gave me a fillet from an ex-dairy cow that he had dried for 14 days. Game. exchanger. Full of rich ribbons of grease marbling, both tender and ridiculously tasty. If I couldn’t get a fillet like that, I’d probably use hanger/onglet instead. Fraction of the cost, much more flavor.
I make the bearnaise over the barbecue, moving the pan on and off the fire to keep the temperature nice and stable. I like to encourage people to think of a charcoal fire as your heat source, just like you would a stovetop, but you can make this indoors if you prefer.
