Recipes: Sweet and sour beef marinade | BBQ pork belly
Sweet and sour marinade
Ingredients:
4 garlic cloves
20g fresh ginger peeled
1 fresh chilli seeded
20g fresh coriander
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1tsp ground cumin
150mls honey
100mls white wine vinegar
2tbl spoon soy sauce
1tbl spoon tomato puree
Method:
Blend the above ingredients together until smooth. Baste steak cuts of your choice with the marinade. There is no need to let the marinade soak in.
Place directly onto the Barbeque and continue to baste the steaks with the marinade whilst on the grill in order to lock in the flavour.
Grill both sides to your desired cooking preference.
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Hide AdOnce ready, remove the steaks from the grill and serve with springs of fresh thyme, a fresh salad and some chunky cut chips.
This simple and versatile marinade can also be used to flavour chicken, pork and is particularly good with tuna steaks. Unused marinade can be kept covered in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Spring leaf salad (insalata di primavera)
large handfuls of salad leaves, such as Little Gem and young cos
handful of fresh pea shoots
small handful of wild rocket
20 leaves of flatleaf parsley
20 leaves of coriander
small handful of asparagus tips
small handful of fresh peas
For the dressing:
sea salt
6–8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon
juice
Place all the salad ingredients in a large salad bowl. Whisk together the dressing ingredients, pour over the salad and toss well.
Barbeque pork belly with grilled pear
Pork belly is cheap and tasty. We use free-range pork from Hill Foot Farm in the Scottish Borders.
1 kg thick end of free-range belly pork
leaves from 2–3 sprigs fresh
thyme
leaves from 2 sprigs fresh
rosemary
2 carrots
2 sticks celery
1 onion, quartered
splash of dry white wine
4 pears
2 tbsp caster sugar
sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
Method:
Using a very sharp knife, score the skin of the belly pork, but not right through to the fat (or get the butcher to do it foryou). Rub with salt, pepper and the herbs, pushing the seasonings right into the slits. Leave overnight, or at least for a few hours, to absorb the flavours.
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Hide AdRoughly chop the carrots, celery and onion and place on a large piece of kitchen foil, doubles over. Add a splash of and water to make a moist environment. Place the pork on top of the bed of vegetables wrap in the foil and place on the barbeque for about an hour or until the juices run clear when a skewer is inserted in themeat. (Like chicken, pork must be cooked right through so that no red blood remains, but avoid overcooking or it can become dry.)
To finish, remove the pork from the foil and place directly on the barbeque to crisp the skin. Transfer the juices and vegetables from the foil to a platter to serve with the meat.
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Hide AdCut the pears into quarters, dip in the caster sugar and place on BBQ until coloured and slightly softened.
Remove the pork from BBQ and cover it with foil and allow to rest for 10–15 minutes or so. If you need to crisp the skin further, or the meat is already done when you remove from the foil you can cut it off by sliding a sharp knife under it and pop it on the BBQ on its own for a few minutes. Carve the pork into thick slices and serve with the grilled pear and chargrilled vegetables such as aubergine, courgette and fennel.