Home Features Features Summer BBQ frenzy: Our top beer recipes

Summer BBQ frenzy: Our top beer recipes

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youngs-bottlesSummer is here and it’s time to get the BBQ from its winter store and fire it up. Of course, it’s not all throwing meat on the grill and necking beer. Our good friends at Young’s Brewery company have given us their top recipes you can try out this summer on or off your BBQ.

Footballer’s Fondue

youngs2Perfect for eating while watching the football. Made with tangy English Cheeses and served with raw vegetables, chunks of bread, and pickles.

Serves 4-6

1 clove garlic, halved
250ml Young’s Special London Ale
300g Red Leicester cheese, grated
300g mature cheddar cheese, grated
1 tsp dry mustard powder
4 tsp cornflour
3 tbsp single cream

To serve : Cubes granary bread or chunks French stick or home-made Beer and Cheese Bread. Pickles or if feeling healthy, raw celery, radishes, button mushrooms, carrot sticks, cauliflower florets

Rub the inside of the fondue pot, or casserole pot with cut clove of garlic. Add Young’s London Ale and heat until bubbling.

Toss the grated cheese with the mustard powder. Over a medium heat, add the cheeses to the beer and heat gently, stirring all the time until the cheese has melted.

Blend the cornflour with the cream then add to the fondue and continue to heat until the mixture is smooth and thickened. Season if needed and serve with cubes of bread, pickles and/or raw vegetables.

Tip : no mustard powder, add a teaspoon of English or Dijon mustard to the melted mixture and stir well.

For speed you can buy ready grated cheese.

Sip the remaining beer while stirring the fondue.


Golden Special Bird

youngs4Pot Roasting a whole chicken creates the most succulent tasting chicken possible and flavoured with Young’s Special London Ale, rosemary, bacon and garlic will make it special for a family meal or Father’s day.

Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
125g diced pancetta or bacon lardons
1 x 1.5kg chicken, free range if possible
150g shallots, peeled and chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
Bottle Young’s Special London Ale
300ml chicken stock
2 springs rosemary
12-16 baby carrots, scrubbed
2 tsp plain flour
2 tsp unsalted butter

Using a deep casserole or cast iron pot with lid, heat the olive oil. Add the pancetta or bacon lardons, the shallots and three of the garlic cloves, cook over a medium heat until golden, lift onto a plate. Season the chicken and place the remaining garlic inside, then place in the pot and gently brown all over in the fat, carefully turning the bird over. This will take about 15 minutes.

Heat the oven to 170C/150Cfan/gas 3.

Carefully pour in the Special London Ale and bring to simmer, stir in the chicken stock then return the pancetta, shallots and garlic to the pot. Bring to simmering, add the rosemary then cover and place in the oven. Cook for 1 hour. Add the carrots and return to the oven and cook, uncovered for another 30 minutes

Lift the chicken onto a warm serving dish with the shallots and carrots, cover to keep warm. Strain the cooking liquid into a jug then pour back into the pan. Boil until reduced by about one-third. Mash the flour and butter with a fork to make a paste, then add, a little at a time whisking so the sauce thickens slightly. Season if needed.

Carve the chicken and serve with the beer sauce and accompany with seasonal vegetables, and new potatoes boiled or mashed potatoes.

Tip : To make it easier to peel the shallots, cover with boiling water, leave to stand for 5 minutes then drain.


Spatchcocked Poussin with Beer and Ginger Marinade

youngs1There are so many marinades you can use for barbecued chicken, this recipe makes the most succulent poussin. The acid in the beer marinade helps to tenderise the meat and add flavour.

Serves 4

4 poussin (buy ready spathcocked if prefered)

Marinade:
1 bottle Young’s Bitter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp clear honey
1 tsp paprika
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
2 star anise, crushed
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Sauce:
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp soft brown sugar
1 tsp cornflour

To prepare the poussin, place a poussin breast side down, on a board for raw meat use. Using poultry shears or strong kitchen scissors, cut along each side of the backbone and remove it. Either snip the wishbone with the shears, or push down on the wishbone to snap it. Snip of any excess bits of skin, the wing tips and any other ragged bits.

To keep them in shape insert wooden or short metal skewers through the bird, diagonally in a criss-cross shape. Place in a large glass or china dish.

For the marinade, pour the Young’s beer into a large jug, once it has settled, add the rest of the ingredients and whisk together. Pour half of the marinade over the poussin reserving the rest for the sauce. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Bring the poussin out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking. Pour the marinade into a pan, boil rapidly until reduced to about 100ml, this will be used to baste the poussin while cooking.

To finish the sauce, strain the reserved marinade into a clean pan, add the tomato ketchup and sugar, bring to the boil. Blend the cornflour with a little water, stir into the sauce and simmer to thicken.

Prepare the barbecue, lightly oil the rack and place the poussin bone side down first. Grill for 5 minutes, turning every 3-4 minutes and brushing with the baste. Time to cook through will depend on size of the birds and intensity of the heat from the barbecue, should be approximately 15-20 minutes. Test by inserting the point of a small knife. Transfer to a serving platter.

Reheat the sauce before serving.


Mussels in Beer

youngs3Fresh Mussels cooked in beer with garlic and shallots are very simple and quick to cook – World Cup Half time and everything can be prepped before match starts.

Serves 2

1 kg fresh mussels
1 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ bottle Young’s London Gold
pinch sugar
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

To prepare the mussels, put into a sinkful of cold water, throw away any that are broke or any than stay open when you tap them on a hard surface. Pull away the beards (the hairy bits between the shells). Scrub the shells and put into a colander, rinse with fresh cold water then drain well.

Heat the oil in a pan large enough to hold the mussels. Add the shallots and garlic and fry gently for 4-5 minutes until softened but not browned.

Add the beer and pinch sugar to the pan, turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Boil for 3 minutes.

Add the mussels, cover with a lid and cook, stirring frequently to make sure they are evenly cooked. This will only take a few minutes until the mussels have opened and are cooked. Remove any mussels that have not opened.

Spoon into warm serving bowls with the juices, sprinkle with parsley and serve with rustic bread.