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I’m from New York. Back home my family

cook hot dogs till they’re “black and dirty”,

and serve them with raw onions and

ketchup on white bread buns.My wife,

Naomi, finds everything about this offensive,

so our kids are only allowed to eat them

when we’re staying with my parents.

In Australia, I keep it a little cleaner, but

still fun. I’m quite partial to beef rib-eye, tri-tip

and whole-split chickens on the barbecue.

A whole chook is easy and, when cooked

well, pairs with just about everything. Done

doesn’t have to mean dry. For lush, juicy

meat and roasted skin, get it hot. Wicked hot.

Cook the chicken hot and hard to start, then

turn it down and do it slow and low.

Lots of people add too much to the

meat. Keep it simple. I often rub the whole

bird with yoghurt and maybe harissa,

sambal, or even vadouvan – but you have

to read the temperature of the barbecue

so you don’t burn the spices. If you’ve got

I learnt to barbecue from my mother,

who was Korean.She was a great cook

and we used to do Korean barbecue at

home all the time. Kisumé is a Japanese

restaurant, but we use a number of

similar techniques to Korean barbecue.

We have atraditional old-school charcoal

barbecue. The coals smell great and help

to create good depth of flavour.

Lots of people think they need

binchotan, but it’s very expensive and

lets off a lot of heat, so is often too strong

for home cooking. Normal charcoal is

more than enough – you’ve just got to

get the temperature right. Usually we

create a big fire, let it burn down to half

the amount, and then start cooking.

I love to chuck everything we’re going

to eat straight onto the barbecue: skewers

of beef, prawns, oysters, scallops, bream

and pork belly, pork tsukune and

vegetables, and even noodles. It’s part

of Asian culture to finish with noodles

or rice – we use a pot of water over the

charcoal grill to soften the noodles.

I tend to cook beef most often

because Australia truly has the best beef

in the world. With my Korean heritage,

I enjoy my beef cooked medium; the worst

thing you can do is overcook it. I’ve also

got my abalone licence so will be grilling

lots of abalone this summer. I take my kids

with me to the beach to get the abalone,

then we go home and cook it together.

Good seasoning is crucial. I use plenty

of salt and tend to put rosemary on most

things I barbecue. My favourite thing to

put on yakitori is yuzukosho, a very spicy

Japanese pepper paste.

Another important rule is that if

you’ve organised the barbecue, you cook

the barbecue – fair and simple. You can’t

be invited to someone’s house and then

try and cook yourself. You’ll never be

invited back.

GREGORYLLEWELLYN

Hartsyard, Sydney

KYUNGSOO MOON

Kisumé, Melbourne

the time to brine your meat you’re steps

ahead. Resting it goes a long way, too.

An extra grill plate is a great diffuser

for slow-roasting and resting meat. Keep an

eye out – some of my favourite grill plates

have come from other people’s barbecues

left on the side of the road during council

clean-up.

As for sides? Zucchini served at room

temperature are always beautiful. Grill

them with not too much olive oil (to avoid

flare-ups) and don’t take them off until

they’ve got a great roasted colour. I always

do a salted and fermented cucumber salad

with dill and olive oil, or, even better, throw

some beet tops or silverbeet flavoured with

walnut or hazelnut oil on the grill, and serve

them with lots of lemon juice squeezed over

and a crumbly cheese to finish. Plenty of

rosé and vermouth won’t go astray at a

barbecue. And Aperol Spritz and cold

tinnies will always go down well, too.

78 GOURMET TRAVELLER