Discovering the sauce

DUNEDIN chef Greg Piner’s (Vault 21, Prohibition Smoke House) tops tips for keeping a good old Kiwi barbecue lowmaintenance, no stress and easy.

Always start with a clean, oiled grill or hot plate to keep food from sticking.

Keep raw and nearly cooked meats separate and be sure not to overcrowd the grill.

Preheat the grill, give it a scrub with a wire brush and then brush it with vegetable oil.

Plan based on cooking times.

Make sure to put slower cooking meats on first, i.e., chicken, sausages or meat patties.

Barbecue marinade

Consider using a marinade for a boost of flavour.

One of my goto easy recipes that can be prepared a day ahead.

Serves 4

4 skirt steaks

3 gloves of garlic, chopped

2 chillies (long or short) deseeded

2 tsp coriander, bashed seeds

1 tsp lemon zest

1⁄4 cup oil

Sea salt

Black pepper

In a mortar and pestle bash the chilli, garlic, salt and lemon zest until a paste is formed. Add oil. Put the steak in a bowl and pour over the marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Once the meat is cooked to your liking, always let it rest for a few minutes on a warm plate covered in tin foil. This gives the meat time to ‘‘rest’’.

Quick salsa verde

For a quick and easy sauce try making your own salsa verde: it is extremely versatile and can go with most meats and fish. Here’s a recipe that’s good to have in your back pocket and ideal for barbecues.

2 cloves garlic pinch sea salt juice of 1⁄2 a lemon Coriander roughly chopped 4

Tbsp oil

Once again with the trusty mortar and pestle, bash together garlic and salt to form a thick paste, add lemon juice and chopped coriander and lightly mix together. Slowly add 4 Tbsp of oil, one tablespoon at a time to combine.