While warm summer weather might be the perfect excuse to spend a few days in the great outdoors, it’s not necessarily the best time to strike up a campfire. So why not trade a fire for a good old fashioned barbecue instead? Enjoy your next camping trip with these barbecue-friendly recipes — all recipes serve four hungry campers.
Kangaroo, capsicum and haloumi skewers
Kangaroo meat and barbecues are a match that should come together far more often than they do. A good marinade does wonders for it too, although I like to keep it simple, so not to overpower the flavour of the meat itself. Medium is about as far as you want to push kangaroo before it becomes a tough, chewy mess, so it it works best just to give it a light char on each side.
Ingredients
- 1kg kangaroo fillet
- 2 red capsicums
- 250g haloumi
- 100g button mushrooms
- 1 punnet cherry tomatoes
- 1 red onion
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp paprika
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Method
1. Dice the kangaroo into cubes, and marinate for half an hour in a mix of parsley, garlic, oregano, paprika, salt, pepper and oil.
2. Cut the remaining ingredients into appropriate sized chunks, and thread everything evenly onto soaked skewers. (Soaking stops them from burning.)
3. Give em a good couple of minutes on each side, being careful not to overcook the kangaroo.
Mediterranean lamb burgers
I’m often disappointed by how basic a lot of burgers in cafes and restaurants are, when there’s just about an endless stream of variations and influences you can throw into one. Here, juicy lamb goes really well with charred Mediterranean vegetables and hummus. You can always make your own hummus too, as it’s super easy to make.
Ingredients
- 1kg lamb mince
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 eggs
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 2 zucchinis
- 2 red capsicums
- 1 red onion
- 1 small tub feta
- 1 tub hummus
- burger buns or turkish rolls
- butter
Method
1. Mix the lamb mince, garlic, eggs, spices and oil and combine well, then form into patties.
2. Cut the vegetables into strips, then toss in a little olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Get the patties, vegetables and buns on a hot grill, and cook the patties until the juice runs clear from them.
4. Spread the base of the buns with a good smear of Hummus, and then crumble over the Feta, and add the Lamb and the vegetables.
Grilled prawn salad
Prawns are about an iconic a barbecue dish as you can get, and there’s few better ways to cook them. Toss em in a good marinade, char em up and then get them into a salad, and you’ve got a pretty good combination for a hot day outdoors. This one’s got a little bit of a Mexican influence.
Ingredients
- 1kg green tiger prawns, peeled
- 1 lime, juice and zest
- 1 red chilli
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 corn cob
- 1 avocado
- 1 punnet cherry tomatoes
- 1 red onion
- 1 tin black beans, drained
- mixed lettuce leaves
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 bunch coriander
- pepper
Method
1. For the marinade, mix the garlic, ginger, finely chopped chili, zest and half the lime juice. Toss through the prawns.
2. Char the corn on the barbecue first, then toss on the prawns. They do cook pretty quickly, so make sure not to wander off anywhere.
3. Cut the kernels off the corn, then mix everything together, or pile on top of the salad leaves, and finish off with the prawns.
4. For the dressing, chop the coriander, and mix with the mayonnaise, pepper and remaining lime juice.
Blackened chicken with pineapple salsa
There’s a bit of a stigma about burning barbecued meats, but there’s a fine line between burnt and charred. Sometimes, a little black crust is just what you need, especially with a fruity, zesty salsa.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, butterflied and bones removed
- 1/2 bunch mint
- 1/2 bunch coriander
- 2 limes, zest and juice
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 small pineapple, or use tinned if you prefer pineapple
- 1 red onion
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 bunch shallots
Method
1. Finely chop the mint and coriander, and mix with half the lime juice and zest, garlic, brown sugar, salt and pepper, and a little oil. Slather over the chicken, and marinate for 20 minutes, or as long as you can spare.
2. Get the chicken on a toasty grill, skin side down first. Depending on the size of the Chicken, it will generally need about half an hour. I like to turn it every 5 minutes or so to ensure one side doesn’t burn faster than the other. Pierce with a thin knife and make sure the juices aren’t pink to ensure it’s cooked.
3. For the salsa, cut the pineapple into rings, and grill on each side until lightly charred. Dice, and transfer to a bowl. Dice the red onion, tomatoes, discarding the seeds and flesh, and chop the shallots, and mix with the remaining lime juice and zest, and a little pepper.
Mussels in quick marinara sauce
Mussels can be cooked a couple of ways over a barbecue. Fresh mussels actually cook great right over hot coals, while you can also wrap them in foil and cook them directly on a grill. If you’ve got a camp stove, though, you can make a quick marinara sauce to dunk some crusty bread in. I like to cook everything together, so not to lose any of the delicious mussel flavour.
Ingredients
- 1kg mussels, fresh or frozen
- 1 brown onion, sliced thinly
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- splash of wine
- 1 tin crushed tomato
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
- sourdough loaf
- butter
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Method
1. If not already, clean the mussels by scrubbing them and removing the beard.
2. Get a large pot smoking hot, add a good splash of oil, then toss in the mussells and onion. Stir vigorously so the onion doesn’t burn. Cook for a minute, then add a good splash of wine.
3. Add the garlic, then the crushed tomatoes and mixed herbs. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the vinegar and sugar and cook for a few more. You can cook the sauce for longer to enhance the flavours, but you don’t want to overcook the mussels.
4. Warm the bread either over a grill, or by wrapping in foil if using a barbecue, and butter it well.
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