That big round shiny thing has made a couple of appearances in the sky lately. Otherwise known as the sun, it has got us thinking of all the alfresco dining that’s to come over the warmer months.
While trends come and go, the ultimate in outdoor dining remains steadfast and continues to grow in popularity year upon year. It’s got to unquestionably be barbecue.
With succulent meat juices providing a mouth-watering, wood smoked taste sensation, there’s nothing better to bring your friends and family together in the lighter nights.
Pitboss, Scott Fraser, from hot sauce producers and barbecue trailblazers Angus & Oink, has put together some irresistible barbecue recipes for you to try. There’s no reason not to!
Smoked Pitboss meatballs
Makes approx. 16 meatballs
1kg good quality steak mince
16 cubes Brie (or other meltable cheese)
Angus & Oink Pitboss BBQ Sauce
Angus & Oink ‘The General’ Rub
Sharp Cheddar (for grating on top)
To serve
Rice
Sour Cream
These ‘great balls of fire’ are spicy and smoky with a gooey, cheesy inside. Smoked on the BBQ and smothered with Pitboss BBQ sauce, they are a tantalising treat!
Split the mince into 16 large, golf ball sized chunks and push a small cube of Brie (or cheese of your choice) into the centre of each. Add a teaspoon-sized amount of Pitboss BBQ Sauce in next to the cheese, and then mould the mince around the cheese to form a sealed mince ball. Repeat for each meatball.
Sprinkle the meatballs generously and evenly with ‘The General’ dry rub and place in the fridge for at least an hour.
Place the meatballs on the barbecue away from direct flames for around 30 minutes. If you can, use a nice smoke, such as cherry, apple or pecan. Leave the meatballs until they are starting to brown on the outside. If you have a thermometer, check that they are hitting 65C on the inside.
Pop the meatballs onto a medium roasting dish, smother them with the remainder of the bottle of Pitboss BBQ Sauce. For best results, warm the sauce slightly on the hob first. Grate some sharp cheddar over the top of the meatballs and place back on the barbecue until the cheese has melted. You can do all of the above in the oven too but you wont get the same wood smoked flavour.
Serve with rice and sour cream
The Gerneral Memphis ribs
Rack of Ribs (one per person)
Angus & Oink ‘The General’ Rub
Apple Juice
To serve
Angus & Oink Pitboss BBQ Sauce
“The General” is the boss of general purpose rubs and works so well on ribs and is delicious on Memphis-style dry rub only ribs, dipped into Pitboss BBQ Sauce.
A rack of ribs will feed one person, but make sure you ask your butcher for some meaty spare ribs or baby back ribs.
Sprinkle the ribs generously and evenly with ‘The General’ around an hour before they go on the barbecue. You need to set your barbecue up so your dish is placed in indirect smoke at around 110C.
Smoke the ribs for three hours with the dry rub only, then wrap in foil, making sure to spritz with apple juice for a couple of hours until the ribs are softening up. Once they are looking soft, uncover and place back on the barbecue so that the crusty bark hardens round the outside. This should take around 20 minutes. These steps can also be done in the oven, but you won’t get the smoky flavour.
Serve with lashings of Angus & Oink Pitboss BBQ Sauce for dipping.
“Mr Rubba Rubba” BBQ’ WINGS
Chicken Wings (5 or 6 per person)
100g of plain flour
4tbsp Angus & Oink ‘Mr Rubba Rubba’ Rub
1 large egg
Sunflower oil
To serve
Angus & Oink Red Dawg Apache Pepper Sauce
Mix 100g of plain white flour in a bowl with 4tbsp of ‘Mr Rubba Rubba’ Rub. In another bowl, whisk a large egg. Dip each wing alternately into the egg wash then into the flour mix.
Cook the wings in a deep fat fryer in hot sunflower oil for 10-12 minutes at 180C until crisp. Cook in batches of 6 to 8 wings at a time, ensuring the oil comes back up to temperature between batches.
Serve hot out the fryer in the sunshine, smothered in Red Dawg Apache Pepper Sauce, hot wing style.
Angus & Oink sauces are available from selected butchers and delis around Aberdeen or online at www.angusandoink.com