Barbecue season, we have been waiting for you. Now that you’re here, we plan to make the most of those sunny days and outdoor eating. For chef Kevin Dundon, of Dunbrody House, barbecue season kicked off a little early this year as he visited the Austin Food and Wine Festival in America at the end of April. He says the festival brought barbecuing to a whole new level for him.

Fire up the flames

“A large pig on the spit is becoming a popular option for parties here, but in Austin they are cooking big, and I mean really big. They actually had a fire truck and on one end there was a pig on a spit turning, while on the other end they were pouring beers and margaritas. Then on top of the truck there was a 6ft pole with a wheel rotating and whole chickens hanging off ropes. A fire was blazing underneath and it was cooking beautifully. Now that is barbecuing on a big scale.”

While Kevin can’t see us doing anything quite as big, he said it was inspiring stuff.

“We’re well used to throwing a few burgers on the barbecue, but this could be the summer to get a bit more experimental in the garden with slow cooking. If you have an egg shaped barbecue, you could take a brisket of beef, wrap it in parchment paper and leave it to cook on a slow heat overnight. The only seasoning it needs is salt and pepper and you’ll have a fantastic crust on the outside, with beautifully tender meat on the inside. If you have guests coming over, you’ve the work done beforehand.”

Smells and spices

While slow cooking sounds delicious, our unpredictable Irish weather does mean that often our decision to barbecue is more last minute. That doesn’t mean that every barbecue has to taste the same. Think about some of your favourite dishes and how you can incorporate them into the barbecue. Kevin says that was the inspiration behind the range he developed for SuperValu.

“I love a really good Thai chicken curry so I created a chicken kebab with chilli, ginger and lime. These flavours taste great on the barbecue, chilli and ginger are a fantastic combination when cooking outside. I’m all about natural ingredients so it’s all just good spices and oils that are in the marinades.”

When it comes to quality beef, the flavour stands up on its own.

“Some salt, pepper, rapeseed oil and a good high heat and you really can’t beat it.”

Summer desserts

A barbecue just isn’t complete without a little dessert and this is where Kevin really has been inspired.

“Summertime is full of childhood memories, such as eating Jaffa cakes on the beach. So I came up with a desert called Jaffa Cake Kiss. I created an orange chocolate sponge with a dome in the middle and I filled it with an orange chocolate mousse and then covered it with even more chocolate. It’s the fanciest, most delicious Jaffa cake you’ll have and always goes down a hit.

“I’m also developing an Irish cheddar ice-cream, which is just like a HB Iceberg made with brownie and vanilla ice-cream. Then you put cheddar cheese and brown sugar on top and quickly place it under the grill and it gets extra crunchy and quite divine. However, it doesn’t have to be complicated. We just opened a new pub in Dunbrody called The Local and on the menu is ha’penny ice-cream. Quite simply, it’s the HB logs with wafers and they are just flying out the door. People go mad for it.

“So think about summer memories when creating your dessert but, most importantly, whatever your menu is don’t make it too complex for yourself. Barbecues are the most chilled of meals and are all about spending time with family and friends in a relaxed setting.”

Blackened salmon and couscous with a lime dressing

Serves four

Blackened salmon does not mean that the fish is burned. It actually refers to the slight charring of the spices, not the fish, which gives the fish a smokey, spicy flavour. Don’t overload the salmon with too many spices as you still want it’s flavour to shine through.

Salmon:

4 x 150g salmon darnes

2 tsp of cajun spice

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Pinch of ground cumin

Lime dressing:

200ml/7fl oz of natural yoghurt

Juice and zest of one lime

1 tbsp of olive oil

Salt and pepper

Freshly chopped mint

Savoury couscous:

250g/9oz of couscous

600ml/1pt (approx.) of boiling water

Freshly chopped mint

Juice and zest of one lemon

1 tbsp of olive oil

½ diced cucumber

2 plum tomatoes, diced

Salt and pepper

  • To make the couscous, add boiling water to the couscous in a large bowl. Cover and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Add in the rest of the ingredients, season well.

  • Mix together the spices to make the coating for the salmon. Coat it all over with the spice mix and then transfer to the barbecue. Cook for 15 minutes, until cooked through, turning once or twice.

  • To make the lime dressing, mix all the ingredients together and chill until required. Spoon some couscous onto a plate and sprinkle with some fresh mint. Place the blackened salmon on top of the warm couscous and drizzle with the yoghurt and lime dressing.