Tom Kerridge's Outdoor Cooking: The ultimate modern barbecue bible

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verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ What will I love? I’m not sure that Outdoor Cooking is the sort of book you fall in love with, but it’s colourful, easy to read and to use. With a little bit of thought and adaptation of the cooking methods (you can figure out how to cook a meatball without resorting to a Kamado Joe can’t you?) you could prepare many of the recipes without going within 10 foot of a barbecue, which may appeal to BBQ-refusing readers (like me.)

Tear four pieces of foil, each large enough to wrap a sweet potato. Using a fork, pierce each sweet potato all over then place one in the middle of each piece of foil. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Rub the sweet potatoes well so they are evenly coated, then wrap in the foil. Let the charred veg steam in the bowl for 5–10 minutes, then peel away the onion, pepper, tomato and chilli skins. Halve and deseed the peppers and chilli. Squeeze the flesh from 4 roasted garlic cloves. Chop the veg and garlic finely and place in a bowl. Mix in the sherry vinegar, olive oil and a little seasoning. What’s the faff factor? Let’s set aside the hassle of setting up the barbecue in the first place; if you’ve bought a barbecue book, you must have factored that in already. There are a few recipes like a seafood platter that’s served with three different flavoured butters that are a bit of work, or a Fennel and ‘Nduja Spiced Porchetta that requires some advanced planning and a bit of skill to execute, but one thing’s for sure, this is Kerridge in approachable mainstream media chef mode rather than a delve into his two Michelin-starred repertoire, you’ll need The Hand and Flowers cookbook for that. For the most part, you’ll find thankfully short ingredient lists and encouragingly straightforward methods. The next day, preheat the barbecue; when the coals are silvery in colour, it’s ready. Drain the chipotle chilli and chop. Put the onion into a medium-sized, heavy-based flameproof pan, then add the garlic, ketchup, honey, molasses, maple sugar, mustard powder, lime zest and juice and the tequila.

Should I buy it? If you are a casual barbecue cook who is looking to go beyond their usual repertoire of bangers and burgers, this book will provide plenty of globetrotting inspiration. I don’t know whether it’s a sign of getting old, but going to a bar to drink tequila is quite possibly last on my list of things to do. I am much happier cooking with it. This dish was cooked on a barbecue, all the way through on one side, with the salmon skin protecting the flesh. Make the marinade. Peel and grate the garlic and ginger into a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients for the marinadeand mix well.

Spoon the remaining sauce over a large platter and top with the peppers and avocado. Lift the salmon on to a board and use a knife and fork to flake the salmon into large chunks. Place on top of the peppers and avocado and sprinkle over a little extra lime zest, if you like. Scatter with the coriander and serve.When you are ready to cook the koftas, take them from the fridge. Place on the edges of your hot barbecue to achieve a medium heat – as these koftas tend to release some fat, it’s best not to have them over a direct flame. Cook for around 8 minutes, turning regularly. Use a coffee grinder to grind the dried mushrooms. Keep any extra powder in a sealed jar and use it to add flavour to pasta sauces, soups and stews. Meanwhile, if you’re happy with a non-veggie version, barbecue the bacon until browned and crispy on both sides; remove and chop roughly. If the cheese still hasn’t melted, pop the lid on the barbecue for a few minutes. What’s the USP? They say it’s the ‘ultimate modern barbecue bible’. We say, steady on there old chap, it’s a nice book of barbecue recipes including marinades, sauces, ribs, steaks, joints, fish, skewers, wraps, burgers, subs and salads from a well known chef. That’s enough isn’t it? For the sauce, put the garlic bulb on a piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil and wrap to seal. Place on the hot barbecue with the onion and peppers. Cook, turning the veg carefully for 10 minutes, then add the tomatoes and chillies and cook all the veg until charred all over. As each item is cooked, transfer to a bowl; keep tightly covered with cling film.

Brush about a third of the oil over the skin side of the salmon and season. Place skin-side down on to the barbecue and cook for 15 minutes, basting with some of the sauce. Sprinkle over half the chopped chilli and stir the rest into the sauce. Drizzle the orange and red peppers (bell peppers) and the jalapeños with the remaining oil, season and put on the barbecue alongside the salmon and cook for five to 10 minutes until the skins have blistered and softened, turning halfway.

Remove the potatoes from the barbecue and place on a serving tray. Spoon on the soured cream, add the bacon pieces if using and sprinkle with the snipped chives. Serve straight away. Tom Kerridge’s umami mushroom and halloumi burgers Photograph: Cristian Barnett Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions and roll each into a sausage-shaped kofta. Lay them on a lined tray and chill in the fridge for 1 hour, to firm up.