Top Chefs Pair Their Favourite Summer Recipes with the Ideal Craft Beer

Your summer barbecues just went up a big, fancy notch.

Eddie Hart
January 15, 2015

in partnership with

Summer is a mere few weeks away and there's no better seasonal combo than a weekend barbecue and icy cold craft beer. We’re on mission to inspire and enhance your barbecue experience this silly season by bringing to you recipes that go beyond the simple sausage sizzle.

We've searched Sydney's most talked-about restaurants from the buzzing inner west to the slick CBD, the stylish eastern suburbs and all the way to the chilled-out northern beaches for recipes that will earn you a pat on the back and cheers from your soon-to-be-impressed guests.

Ten top-notch chefs from across town with a talent for wielding a set of barbecue tongs have matched one of their favourite grill-friendly recipes with a brew from James Squire's solid craft beer range. Crisp pilsners with zesty Hartsyard octopus for the sun lovers. Strong Porters to wash down Neil Perry ribeyes. Golden ales with Pinbone's barbecued duck hearts for the adventurous. Thank us later; your summer barbecues will be talked about for many moons.

BARBECUED DUCK HEARTS WITH CUMQUAT AND MUSTARD — PINBONE

INGREDIENTS:

Duck hearts
Handful of cumquats (or oranges and mandarin)
Creme fraiche
Hot English mustard
Bitter leaves

METHOD:

Brine duck hearts in a 5 percent salt/water solution for 30 minutes. Remove and dry with paper towel. Grill on the barbecue for 2 minutes on each side and rest. Cut cumquats in half and grill on barbecue until nicely charred (orange and mandarin also work nicely if you can’t find cumquats). Mix equal parts creme fraiche and hot English mustard together and lay the mustard base on one half of the plate.

To serve: Season generously and garnish with bitter leaves.

Pair with James Squire Stow Away IPA.

BBQ FREMANTLE OCTOPUS — GREGORY LLEWELLYN FROM HARTSYARD

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

1kg Fremantle Octopus separate into individual tentacles only
4L Water
300g salt
100g paprika smoked
peel of one lemon
4 cloves of crushed garlic
tbsp peppercorn
tbsp fennel seed
tbsp coriander seed

METHOD:

Heat half the water with the salt until dissolved. When dissolved pour warm solution into remaining cold water. Toast all spices (minus the paprika) together over a medium/high heat until fragrant. Add to liquid mixture. Add garlic, paprika and lemon peel. When mixture is cool add octopus tentacles and brine for 12 hours. Remove from brine, rinse and dry. Place into a heavy bottomed saucepot and cover with extra virgin olive oil. Cook on stove top at about 75-80°C ensuring the oil does not boil for 2-2.5 hours. Remove the octopus from pot. It should be fork tender with a tiny bit of chew. Refrigerate until cold (this should probably be done the day before).

Prepare BBQ to about 200°C. BBQ octopus until suction pads are crispy and the tentacles are evenly cooked but not black. When cooked toss into a bowl with the following dressing:

DRESSING:

100ml olive oil
2 tbsp sliced garlic
1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves picked
1 tbsp fresh parsley leaves picked
1 tsp crushed red chilli flakes

Cook olive oil and garlic until slightly brown. Add the rest of the ingredients until crispy. Remove from heat. Let cool. Season with the juice of two lemons.

Pair with James Squire Four 'Wives' Pilsener.

STICKY LAMB RIBS WITH POMEGRANATE AND SOY GLAZE — DANIEL SAN

INGREDIENTS:

30gm peeled eschallots
0.1gm pomegranate
60gm cos lettuce
5gm flat leaf parsley
5gm mint
2gm extra virgin olive oil
300gm Junee lamb American ribs

GLAZE:

50gm peeled garlic
4gm lemons
80gm frozen wasabi tube
150gm castor sugar
15gm sea salt flakes
60gm sesame oil
400gm pomegranate molasses

BRAISING STOCK:

2L water
10ml Kikkoman soy
10ml mirin
10ml sake
5gm radish daikon
20gm young ginger

METHOD:

Place ribs in braising stock and place in oven on 160°C for two hours. Take ribs out and leave to cool in the stock for one hour. Cook ribs on the bbq and glaze with the above. Serve on cos lettuce with pomegranate drizzled on top.

Pair with James Squire's The Constable Copper Ale.

SMOKED BARBECUE WINGS w/ BULLEIT BOURBON BARBECUE SAUCE — HENRIETTA SUPPER CLUB

INGREDIENTS:

2.5L pork (or beef stock in a pinch) stock

FOR BARBECUE SAUCE:

250ml Bulleit bourbon
2 cinnamon sticks
3 star anise
2 cloves
1 lime (juice and zest)
2 lemon (juice and zest)
100ml good sherry vinegar
1 x can of coca cola
1 x can ginger ale
25g whole black pepper corn
100ml real Canadian maple syrup
500ml of store bought barbecue sauce

METHOD:

Place in a large pot on a medium heat-high heat. Reduce until sticky. pass through a chinois or large sieve. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate once cooled.

To prepare the wings, poach desired quality of wings in a good-quality wings chicken stock for 25min. Coat with a seasoned  flour (we use 'Cajun flour' — corn flour, plain flour, Cajun spices and seasoning). Deep fry for five minutes on 180 degrees or brown on the barbecue hot plate in good quality cooking oil.

Place cooked wings in a steel bowl and coat generously with the barbecue sauce. Garnish with chives and serve with chipotle mayo (real mayonnaise with a slug of chipotle hot sauce like El Yucateco or Tabasco).

Pair with James Squire Nine Tales Amber Ale.

SMOKED PORK RIBS — PATRICK FRIESEN AND CHRISTOPHER HOGARTH FROM PAPI CHULO

INGREDIENTS:

4 USA-style cut pork ribs
BBQ rub
BBQ sauce
Apple wood and oak chips

METHOD:

Try to find pork ribs with the most amount of meat you can. Clean the silver skin off the back of the ribs using a fork to pry it off and a tea towel to hold onto the silver skin when you pull it off. Season both sides lightly with BBQ rub and smoke straight away.

Smoke at 120°C over oak and applewood for one hour. Wrap in foil and smoke at 120 degrees for another hour and a half. Brush with BBQ sauce and enjoy.

BBQ SAUCE:

50gm Heinz ketchup
16gm Frank's RedHot sauce
20gm Yamasa soy
10gm water
30gm brown sugar
6gm black pepper
3gm smoked paprika
3gm sweet paprika
2.5gm onion powder
2.5gm garlic powder
5gm Korean chilli powder

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and let sit for an hour.

BBQ RUB:

100gm salt
20gm cracked black pepper
4gm onion powder
2gm garlic powder
20gm paprika
5gm smoked paprika
5gm cayenne

Mix in a bowl right before you want to use.

Pair with James Squire Sundown Australian Lager.

RIB EYE ON THE BONE — NEIL PERRY FROM THE BURGER PROJECT

INGREDIENTS:

4 x 360g rib eye on the bone
Sea salt
Extra virgin olive oil for grilling
4 lemon wedges

METHOD:

Heat the barbecue or grill — whether using wood, charcoal or gas — until extremely hot. Salt and oil each side of the steaks and allow to come to room temperature. Place steaks on the grill, cook for approximately five minutes, rotate the steak 90 degrees to get the cross pattern on the meat halfway through the cooking. Turn the steak over and cook for another four minutes. Allow the meat to rest for a few minutes off the grill. Place on a cutting board and slice each of the steaks into five or six slices, form the meat back to its original shape and serve on a plate with a sprinkle of salt, drizzle of olive oil and a wedge of lemon.

Pair with James Squire Jack of Spades Porter.

LAMB BURGER WITH PICKLED EGGPLANT, WATERCRESS AND HARISSA — MICHAEL RANTISSI FROM KEPOS STREET KITCHEN

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

750gm good-quality coarse lamb mince
2 teaspoons coriander seeds, toasted and crushed
1 bunch coriander, leaves picked and finely chopped
3 - 4 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp harissa
1 tsp chilli flakes
Salt and pepper to season
4 brioche burger buns, toasted
½ cup makdous (pickled eggplant stuffed with walnuts available from Middle Eastern grocers)
1 bunch watercress
Harissa aioli

METHOD:

Combine the lamb mince, coriander seeds, fresh coriander, olive oil, harissa and chilli in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix to combine. Once combined, divide the mixture into four and then gently shape the burger patties with your hand. Don't overwork the patties too much as it makes them tough.

These burgers can be cooked in a frypan on the stove top or the grill on your barbeque. Cook to your taste, two to three minutes per side for medium rare or longer for your requirement.

To assemble toast the brioche burger buns (inside of bun only). Take the base of the burger bun and add a dollop of the harissa aioli, a spoonful of the pickled eggplant with walnuts, watercress, then the patty, add another handful of watercress and another dollop of aioli and then top with the bun.

Pair with James Squire One Fifty Lashes Pale Ale.

BARBECUE CHICKEN WINGS — CHUR BURGER

INGREDIENTS:

1kg mid cut chicken wings

BARBECUE SAUCE:

1 onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
100ml olive oil
150g brown sugar
150ml Worcestershire sauce
500g ketchup
Juice of 2 lemons
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme

Place chicken wings in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring water to the boil, stir chicken wings gently and then turn heat off. Let wings sit in water for 12 minutes and then pour wings into a colander. Place on trays in a single layer and refrigerate overnight to dry out.

Sweat off onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft but with no colour (about 2-3 minutes). Add everything else, bring to a simmer and cook out for about 10 minutes. Cool down and store in refrigerator.

Toss in the barbecue sauce mix and then place on hot grill until smokey and charred. Remove from grill and place into a clean bowl and toss with some further barbecue sauce and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Serve.

CHIPOTLE MAYO:

1L plain mayonnaise
150ml Melbourne Hot Sauce Chipotle & Cayenne
10g rosemary, chopped
10g fresh oregano, chopped
10g parsley, chopped

Mix all together.

Pair with James Squire Hop Thief American Pale Ale.

squire-drinkwise

Published on January 15, 2015 by Eddie Hart
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