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DIRTY RIBEYE ROAST
Cooking‘dirty’doesnothavetobe
limitedtosmallbitsofsteakorother
quicklycookedpiecesoffood.Aswith
allthetechniquesinthisbook,you
canmixandmatchthemethods.For
example,if youwanttoslow-smokea
bigchunkofbeef,suchasthisbeautiful
ribeyeroastjoint,andthenfinishoff
witha dirtysear(thatis,a reversedirty),
orseardirtyonthecoalsfirstbefore
smokinguptomediumrare,justgofor
it.Thislargeribeyeroastjointwasdry-
agedfor 40 daysandpurchasedfrom a
butcher in Aberdeen, Scotland.RECOMMENDED HEAT
Red-hot lump charcoalSERVES 8
4kgribeyeroastjoint
Forthedirtybaste:
Generoussprigeachoffresh thyme, rosemary
andflat-leafparsley
2 garliccloves
2 tbspcoarseseasalt
Goodfewglugsofolive oil
1 tsplemonjuice
1 canned anchovy filletTOSERVE
Salad
Bold red wine (optional)I’vebeenfly-fishingfortroutsinceI was
13 yearsoldandhaveenjoyedmany
wonderfulmealscaughtbymyown
hand.NowthatI havekidsofmyown,
I loveteachingthemhowtocatchand
cooktheirownfood;theyreallyenjoy
eatingthefishwecatch,too.We’dbeen
outfora lovelyfamilydaywithmydad
andhadcaughttwobeautiful,shiny
specimens.Whenwegothome,welit
thewood-firedovenusinga pileofsilver
birchandroastedour catch (see image,
opening page).
RECOMMENDED HEAT
Heata wood-firedovento
200°C/400°F(ora barbecuewith
a lidto180-200°C/350-400°F).
If you’reusinga barbecue, set this up for
indirect cooking.
SERVES 4-6
2 wholerainbowtrout(orothersuitablefish,
suchasseabassorseabream),gutted
1 lemonorlime,slicedintosemi-circles
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
TO SERVE
Boilednewpotatoes
Green salad
Tostopthefishstickingtothepanor
grill,slashtheskinina coupleofplaces
alongthefillet,thenpusha sliceof
lemonorlimeinsideeachslash.Thislifts
theskinproudofthecookingsurface.
Placethefishona thickbakingtrayand
seasontotastewithseasaltandblack
pepper.Pleasenote:don’tusea thin
bakingtraybecauseit willwarp.
Cookthefishinthehotovenawayfrom
toomuchflame– thewood-firedoven
shouldbejusttickingover.If you’re
usinga barbecue,cookwithindirect
heatandensurethelidis on.
Cookthefishuntilthefleshturns
opaqueandtheinternaltemperature
reachesaround62°C/144°F– the skin
shouldbeniceandcrispy.
Servethefishwithboiled new potatoes
and a green salad.WOOD-FIRED
RAINBOW TROUT
Removethemeatfromtherefrigerator
a coupleofhourspriortocookingand
letit cometoroomtemperature.
Tomakemydirtybaste,blitzthefresh
herbs,garlic,seasalt,oliveoil,lemon
juiceandanchovyfilletina food
processororusinga handblender.
Popthewholejointstraightontosome
lumpwoodcharcoalandcookfora few
minutesoneachsideuntilit crusts up
perfectlyontheoutside.
Placethejointonthegrateindirectly,
awayfromthecoals,at150°C/300°F,
andbrush generously all over with the
baste.
Smokethejointindirectlywiththe
barbecueliddownuntiltheinternal
temperatureofthebeefreaches
46-49°C/115-120°Fforrareandaround
55-60°C/130-140°Fformediumrare.
Here,theroastwaspulledat
46°C/115°Fandallowedtorestuntilthe
temperature reached 47°C/116°F.GRILLTIPS
Therearesomanywaystocookona
barbecue,soI suggestseeingwhatworks
bestforyou.A lotofbarbecuingis trial
anderror,andmixingupwonderful,live
fire-cookingtechniques – inthiscase,
smokinganddirtysearing.Be bold, be
confident – and have fun.Foodandfire:createbolddisheswith
65 recipestocookoutdoorsbyMarcus
Bawdonispublished by Dog ’n’ Bone
Books, £14.99RECIPES FROMFOOD AND FIREbyMarcus Bawdon
You don’t need the best fillets, takea less exalted cut and make it great