By Christine Salins.
“There’s a visceral appeal to cooking over wood – think hissing steaks on a bed of smouldering, glowing red coals – that a gas stove and even a gas grill can’t match,” says Linda Ly, author of The Backyard Fire Cookbook (Murdoch Books, $35).
“It’s a rugged thrill that’s been embedded in our culinary DNA since our human forebears discovered how to put food to flame.”
Ly’s guide to cooking over an open fire removes any notion that barbecuing is strictly a summer activity. Open fire pits make it practical (and cosy) when the weather is chilly and Ly shows you how to build a fire pit, which she assures readers is easier than it sounds. There’s also lots of advice for those wanting to use an open or covered grill.
Ly is a U.S. author so the book is skewed to an American audience with woods such as mesquite and maple listed rather than those we are more likely to see down under. The recipes have an American flavour too, both in terminology and in the dishes featured.
Still, there’s much to appeal to anyone who wants to explore a world of outdoor cooking beyond the gas grill. Ly has a popular blog called Garden Betty and previously produced The New Camp Cookbook.
This one brings outdoor cooking closer to home and right into your own backyard — “or front yard, or courtyard, or wherever you can carve out a little space for a fire”, she says.
The book has more than 70 recipes for ember roasting, wood-fired cooking, charcoal grilling, and foil pack meals, along with next-level techniques like dutch oven cooking and plank grilling.
You won’t find overnight marinades or complicated recipes, just easy, accessible grilling that, Ly says, you’ll “look forward to doing on a weeknight because, quite simply, food just tastes better outside”.
Korean Grilled Chicken
Though it may sound like a special-occasion meal, Korean grilled chicken is a weeknight staple. Just freeze the chicken in its marinade and thaw in the morning before you leave for work.
Serves 4
½ cup (120 ml) soy sauce
½ cup (135 g) gochujang (Korean red pepper paste; see recipe note)
¼ cup (60 ml) toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons (30 ml) rice vinegar
2 tablespoons (40 g) honey
2 tablespoons (30 g) packed light brown sugar
4 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, minced
900g bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
900g chicken drumsticks
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnishing
In a small bowl, whisk the soy sauce, gochujang, sesame oil, vinegar, honey, brown sugar, scallions, and garlic until combined.
As an optional step, cut a couple of shallow slits in each chicken thigh and drumstick to help the marinade penetrate more deeply. Place the chicken in a large resealable plastic bag and pour in the marinade. Seal the bag, shake to coat the chicken, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. (I like to flip the bag at least once to redistribute the marinade.)
Prepare a medium-hot two-zone fire in a charcoal grill (see page 26) with a grill grate over the coals.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and arrange it, skin-side down, on the grate over direct heat. Discard the marinade. Grill the drumsticks for 5 to 8 minutes, turning occasionally, until deep brown all over. Grill the thighs, undisturbed, for 3 to 5 minutes, until the skin is brown and crispy. Move all the chicken pieces to indirect heat and close the grill lid. Grill the chicken, turning every 3 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reads 180°F to 185°F (82°C to 85°C). Transfer the chicken to a sheet pan.
Sprinkle a handful of sesame seeds over the chicken before serving.
Note: Gochujang is a fermented red pepper paste often sold in red plastic tubs; it’s an essential ingredient in Korean recipes. It can be found in Korean markets, many specialty markets, and better supermarkets with an Asian food aisle, or online.
Recipe and images from The Backyard Fire Cookbook by Linda Ly. Harvard Common Press RRP $35.00.
