How to Create a Killer Last-Minute Barbecue with Work-Shop and The Farmed Table
Surprise guests? Nail the ultimate barbecue with these handy tips to make the most of your time.
In partnership with 
Don't let the sporadic showers fool you — summer is most definitely on it's way. It's time to pull your beachwear out from the depths of your cupboard, dust off your tatty straw hat and prepare for three months of good food, good music and stunning sunshine.
We love summer afternoons, and we've partnered with Heineken 3 so you can get the most out of them. We've spoken to a few of our favourite chefs, musicians and artists, to get their insights on creating the perfect balmy afternoon. For this particular adventure, we've teamed up with Brendan Cato of The Farmed Table fame and Matt Branagan and Chester Garcia of Work-Shop to bring you a masterclass on how to bust out a bonza barbecue in just under an hour.
Brendan created The Farmed Table, those secret dinners that started off in a tiny café and now pack out warehouses. He's all about fresh, organic, sustainable eating. Matt and Chester founded Work-Shop, a place where you can learn to do absolutely anything. They're a good team. Use these tips and tricks for a speedy but delicious barbecue spread that isn't just the same old steak, snags and salad combo. They'll help you stand proudly as queen or king of the grill this summer.
BULK UP YOUR DRY STORE
It would be perfectly acceptable to assume that the tricky bits for grilling up a storm are those that require actual cooking, but Brendan assures us that this is not the case. This part is actually extremely easy — just begin with the very best produce that you can get, and stock up your pantry with good quality dry store ingredients. A few herbs, a curry powder, salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice are the key to making everything taste on-point, according to our chef for the day. Giving yourself the best base of flavour is key to a delicious barbecue no matter how much time you have.
DON'T MUCK AROUND, START WITH HIGH QUALITY FRESH PRODUCE
As is part of Brendan's Farmed Table ethos, buying good, fresh, organic produce gives you the perfect building blocks for your summer shindig. There's definitely no shortage of vendors around your house, from market stalls to tiny independent grocers around the corner, so it should be pretty cruisy to track down solid ingredients. We started off with leeks, cauliflower and eggplants all just tossed on the grill and taken off shortly after because, as Brendan tells us, "you don't have to do as much if you start with something good". Rather than mucking about trying to add flavour to a sad carrot, get yourself some good organic veg to begin with.
LOW MAINTENANCE MEAT MEANS LESS NEED FOR FANCY MARINADES
Rather than some pretty generic cuts of meat you'd normally find at a barbecue (the regular porterhouse steaks and snags, for example), Brendan decided to cook up a huge chunk of flank steak. Seasoned with the staples of salt, pepper and olive oil, that bad boy just went straight on top of the grill. It's less maintenance than paying attention to individual steaks, and more impressive when it's sliced and served. Having a good quality cut means you won't have to muck around with fancy marinades — the flavour will speak for itself. Cooking your meat, according to Brendan, all depends on each individual cut. With cuts like flank, eating it rare isn't going to be as tasty as it is with other cuts because it's naturally more chewy. If you're doing chicken, cook it skin-side down first to render the fat, then let it rest once it's almost cooked through. Get to know your meats, and save yourself some time at the grill (but always let your meat rest — no shortcuts there).
FANCY FOOD IS SURPRISINGLY EASY TO PULL OFF
Matt tells me that one of the reasons he started Work-Shop was because "people need to get more creative", and the same is definitely true at the barbecue. Just like with the flank steak, try a new cut of meat and pair it with a Heineken 3. Grill your veggies, instead of boiling them. For a sneaky dessert that's not a pavlova, how about halved peaches, grilled, served with amaretti, mint and mascarpone? It's literally a matter of cutting a peach in half, grilling it, and enjoying the resulting deliciousness. Even if you don't have Brendan plating skills, it's hard to go wrong throwing nicely hued things on a plate. Always be unique, guys.
Enjoy your summer afternoons with the new low-carb Heineken 3 — we're helping you make the most of them.
Images: Michael Wickham.
