Spatchcock gochujang chicken

Whether you need ideas for seafood, red meat, chicken or veg, BBC chef Tom Kerridge has all barbecue bases covered

A whole Sunday chicken, but not as you know it!

‘We’ve become a nation of barbecuers and outdoor cooking is the scent of summer. This year, forget burnt burgers and scorched sausages – if you’re going to the trouble of lighting a barbecue, do it some justice and make the most of the incredible flavour you can get by cooking over coals or embers. Here, I’ve come up with four options for the barbecue. They require a little extra effort than just throwing something on the grill, but they’re the recipes I cook at home over the summer in place of our usual Sunday roast. They also make a special Saturday night supper with friends. And, though I’m happy to barbecue in any weather, I’ve also given indoor options for each so you can enjoy them come rain or shine.’

Tom

Spatchcock gochujang chicken

This is best cooked on a kettle or other lidded barbecue over indirect heat, as the marinade can burn when cooked directly over hot coals. If you don’t have a kettle barbecue, you can always start the chicken in the oven and finish it over the coals for a bit of smoke. If you want to keep the bird whole, this also works using the ‘beer can’ chicken method, but I like to do it with a can of ginger beer or fizzy lemon & lime drink instead.

SERVES 4 PREP 30 mins plus at least 1 hr marinating COOK 50 mins MORE EFFORT

1.8kg whole chicken

200ml ginger beer (optional) 1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed

and sliced on the diagonal small bunch of coriander,

leaves picked sesame oil, for drizzling

For the marinade

3 tbsp gochujang paste

3 garlic cloves, finely grated 2cm piece of ginger, peeled

and grated

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp rice or white wine vinegar 1 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp golden caster sugar 1 Put the chicken on a board breast-side down with the legs facing you. Using kitchen scissors or poultry shears, cut along either side of the backbone and remove it (freeze it to use for stock). Open the chicken out, turn it over and push down the breastbone to flatten. Cut a few slashes in the legs and thighs. 2 Whisk the marinade ingredients together. Reserve 2 tbsp and rub the rest all over the chicken, working it under the skin. Cover and chill for at least 1 hr or overnight.

3 Light the barbecue, stacking the coals on one side. When the flames have died down and the coals are ashen, lay a flameproof foil tray or old roasting tin over the empty side and pour in the ginger beer or 100ml water. Set the grill on top. Place the chicken skin-side up on the grill, cover with the lid and cook for 45 mins. Baste with the reserved marinade, then re-cover and cook for 5 mins more. Move the chicken to the hotter side of the barbecue for 5 mins to char the skin a little, being careful not to burn it. The chicken is ready when the legs pull away easily and a digital probe thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh and breast reads 70C. Lift onto a board, rest for 10 mins then scatter over the spring onions and coriander. Drizzle with sesame oil.

PER SERVING 511 kcals • fat 27g • saturates 8g •

carbs 8g • sugars 4g • fibre 1g • protein 58g • salt 1.7g

Tom Kerridge is a BBC presenter and chef-owner of The Hand and Flowers, The Coach and The Butcher’s Tap in Marlow, Kerridge’s Bar & Grill at The Corinthia Hotel, London, as well as The Bull & Bear in Manchester. His latest cookbook, Tom Kerridge’s Outdoor Cooking (£22, Bloomsbury Absolute), is out now. For details of our exciting all-new Tom Kerridge podcast with Marverine Cole keep an eye on our social media chnnels this summer. Listen at bbcgoodfood.com/podcast or download at Acast, Spotify, itunes or other podcast streaming services. @Cheftomkerridge