Getting All Fired Up! by Chef Brian Henry

by Chef Brian Henry www.thespiceco.ca www.chefbrianhenry.com

Chef Brian Henry has been a Chef for 35 years. He is the owner of Angle Iron Kitchens and The Spice Co.

Kickin’ Recipes

GETTING ALL

FIRED UP!

Ever since the discovery of fire we have been cooking meat over it. The English word “Barbecue” comes from the Spanish “Barbacoa” which arrived in Central America when Cortés showed up and wiped out the Aztec’s. Spanish conquistadors witnessed the fierce Island Carib people dine on their captives, primarily the peaceful Arawak, which were cooked a la barbacoa. Barbecue traveled north of the Caribbean and Central America to Texas where it evolved into what we know as barbecue today.

Canadian barbecue influences come from the Pacific Northwest where Indigenous peoples would split open a freshly caught salmon and bind it to a piece of cedar driftwood before cooking it over a fire. They also used fire to heat stone slabs of granite for cooking fish and seafood on.

Summer entertaining sees us entertaining outdoors with food prepared on the barbecue, which often sees a protein laden menu prepared over one form of fire or another with a smattering of grilled vegetables to complement them.

Vegetarians are probably reeling reading this, which is why if you want step up your barbecue game fruits need to start making it onto

the grill. Grilling lemons or oranges that have been sliced in half give them a more complex flavour and will yield twice as much juice when squeezed. Flame grilled pineapple sees the sugars caramelize on the surface giving it a depth of flavour that compliments all varieties of meat. The secret to grilling fruits is to give then a light brushing of oil before exposing them to the fire, as it protects them and doesn’t allow them to dry out. As summer progresses, you must try grilling peaches and apricots which can be served with salads or warm over ice cream. Better yet, they can be used to make grilling sauces or marinades.

Barbecuing cherries would be a bit of a challenge, but they are perfect to use for making barbecue sauce. The following recipe for Cherry Barbecue sauce will see you level up on your barbecue game. It is mildly smoky, with the perfect balance between acidity and sweetness making it a go to sauce for ribs and chicken. But it is delicate enough to brush on your barbecued peaches before spooning them over ice cream fresh from the grill.

CHERRY BARBEQUE SAUCE

INGREDIENTS:

1 LB

fresh Bing or Rainier cherries

2 TBSP

cooking oil

3 CLOVES garlic, peeled

¼ CUP

yellow onion, diced

1 CUP

brown sugar

½ CUP

chili sauce

½ CUP

tamari soy sauce

¼ CUP

tomato paste

½ CUP

apple cider vinegar

2 TBSP

Worcestershire sauce

1 TBSP

chili powder

1 TBSP

smoked paprika powder

½ TSP

cayenne

1 TSP

chipotle chili powder

METHOD:

Pit the cherries, cut them in half and set aside. In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, sweat the onion and garlic in the cooking oil until they begin to brown. Stir in all of the remaining ingredients and simmer over medium-low heat for 35-45 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, puree the sauce until smooth. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper, if desired you may choose to spice it up with a few drops of your favorite hot sauce.