By Christine Salins.
Not so long ago, we had Weber’s Greatest Hits. Now we have Weber’s Ultimate
Barbecue by the same prolific author, Jamie Purviance, a chef, teacher and James Beard award nominee who has helped millions of people to barbecue like professionals.
While Weber’s Greatest Hits is a collection of the most popular recipes selected from the 2,500 recipes that Weber has published since the ‘50s, this latest one contains all new recipes, along with 200 expert tips and techniques, many centred around the four ‘T’s’ of barbecuing: temperature, time, techniques and tools.
More than just a recipe collection, Weber’s Ultimate Barbecue (Murdoch Books, $39.99) is a wonderful visual reference, with more than 750 photos walking readers through every recipe and technique from start to finish, on and off the barbecue.
Amongst the recipes are juicy steaks, beer-braised sausages, burgers, ribs, pulled pork, savoury chicken, fish tacos, garlic prawns, even a banana split and summer berry crostata.
The most popular (and often most misunderstood) foods receive extra attention, with tips for succulent chicken breasts, crusty pizzas, smoky salmon fillets and crispy asparagus.
This salad is a healthy nod to the pub-grub favourite, Buffalo wings. The recipe calls for boneless chicken breasts pounded to an even thickness, grilled and then coated in a spicy, buttery Buffalo wing sauce. “You’ll taste a kick, but you won’t break a sweat,” says the author.
BBQ Buffalo Chicken Chopped Salad
Serves 4
BLUE CHEESE DRESSING
¼ cup buttermilk
¼ cup plain Greek yoghurt
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon ground
black pepper
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese (about 40 g)
BUFFALO SAUCE
1/3 cup cayenne chilli sauce
30 g unsalted butter
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon ground
black pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, each 175 to 225 g
Sea salt and ground black pepper
1 large corn cob, husk and silk removed
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 head cos lettuce or
2 cos hearts, cut crosswise into bite-size strips (about 8 cups)
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced crosswise
1 medium carrot, peeled and coarsely grated
½ cup baby roma tomatoes, halved (or quartered if large)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
In a small bowl whisk together all the dressing ingredients except the blue cheese until well mixed. Stir in the cheese. Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble the salad.
In a small saucepan, stir together all the Buffalo sauce ingredients over low heat on the stove until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and let cool for a few minutes. Prepare the barbecue for direct cooking over medium heat (180° to 230°C).
Place the breasts between two large sheets of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet or the bottom of a small, heavy frying pan, pound the breasts to an even 1 cm thickness. Divide the Buffalo sauce in two. Reserve half for the salad and use the other half to coat the breasts evenly. Season with salt and pepper.
Brush the cooking grills clean. Lightly brush the corn with oil. Grill the corn over direct medium heat, with the lid closed, until slightly charred and softened a bit, about 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Meanwhile, grill the chicken over direct medium heat until firm to the touch and opaque in the centre, 6 to 8 minutes, turning once.
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and cut into bite-size pieces. Lay the corn cob flat on the cutting board and, using a sharp knife, slice along the length to remove the kernels, rotating the corn after each cut until all the kernels are removed.
Combine the corn, lettuce, celery, carrot and tomatoes in a serving bowl. Add about ½ cup of the dressing and toss to combine. Mound the chicken in the centre of the salad and drizzle with some of the dressing and Buffalo sauce. Garnish with the chives and serve with the remaining dressing and sauce on the side.
From: Weber’s Ultimate Barbecue, by Jamie Purviance. Photography by Ray Kachatorian. Published by Murdoch Books, RRP $39.99.
