BBQ Cool 'n' Smoky

Having recently visited the South Devon Chilli Farm, I took a couple of bottles of sauce away with me to try out. The one said cool on the label so I thought that was a good place to start as a trial run before I got into the hot stuff.

I made a marinade of about 50/50 the BBQ Cool 'n' Smoky and Tomato Ketchup. If you were being pedantic you would now say that 50 + 50 is 100 therefore there is no room for anything else. But I am saying 50/50 as a generalisation for the mix of the two sauces. With that base I went through my cupboard to see what might work with that mix as additions.

I ended up adding a dollop of honey, you will have to use your own judgement about quantities, did I say this was a recipe? No, it's more a suggestion or an idea. So, honey, then a splash of Worcestershire Sauce, a splash of Toasted Sesame Oil, and a pinch of cinnamon, a generous teaspoon of Ground Cumin, and the same of Garam Masala. The aim was to make a thick paste, so don't add too many liquids. I could also have added Soy Sauce and paprika but I was being cautious. If you are feeling adventurous, see what's in the cupboard and have a go.

I have lately taken to grilling boned chicken thighs, because they are cheap and easy to cook.

Chicken Thighs? No it's just the way I walk. (The old ones are the best)

They come in a sort of roll that you unroll. When marinating make sure you unroll them to get full BBQ contact. You should give them a minimum of an hour but you could marinate them several hours ahead, which is great news if you have guests as the messy bit is done well before they arrive. That means you get Prosecco too and are not in the kitchen gently perspiring.

Although I like chicken breast meat, it is far more expensive and much easier to overcook and make dry. You would also have to butterfly chicken breast if you prefer it, the thighs are ready to go. Normally they have a couple of pieces of fat attached which if casseroling I would trim off, but in this case fat is the friend of the barbecue and most will drip away.

Get your device up to temperature and place them on the bars. Being very thick, the marinade pretty much stays on the meat and caramelises. If there is marinade left in your bowl, spoon that onto the tops before you turn them. They cook very quickly, just press the thickest part gently and they should be firm but with some give. Mine were probably ten to twelve minutes tops, on a gas grill with a cover. You will know your device better than me, I would probably suggest medium heat for a little longer than doing a quick hot burn, where you may end up charred outside with raw bits in the middle.

If you are familiar with the finger to thumb test of firmness I would say your middle finger is just about right.

My sanity was questioned, cooking on a grill on the hottest day of the year when we are all supposed to be off work, off school, in darkened rooms, with icepacks on our heads and pets in the fridge, but my response is, where better to cook with heat during a heatwave, than outside the house. I don't want salad every day.

What was the verdict? My partner reckoned it was the best BBQ ever tasted, and doesn't want steak anymore. I can't promise this idea will make you give up steak, but I will certainly be doing this again and tinkering with the "suggestion" not "recipe" as I go. I am fairly sure I am now ready for the hot stuff.