Check out our recipes ideas for a easy barbecue party including pulled pork, a legendary Memphis barbecue sauce, tenderloin of beef, salads and more. 

 

Watermelon, Feta and Mint on sticks

 

Kick off with a canapé inspired by a salad from the Brickhouse restaurant, of watermelon, feta and mint. Cube the feta and watermelon pieces (possibly with more care than I did...) and spear them with cocktail sticks, followed by a grind of black pepper, and a lime juice and olive oil dressing. To avoid drenching them, fill up your kids' medicine syringues and just anoint each one with a drop. 

 

Boose-sicles!

 

My kids love Lola's ice pops, the hand-made lollies free from colouring, preservatives and chemicals. Now, the adults can have just even more fun with their alcoholic range, including strawberry margueritas and pineapple & basils soju. 

 

Pulled Pork using Meathead's Memphis Dust Rub

 

Begin by rubbing the pork the night before using a recipe from the "barbecue whisperer" Meathead Goldwyn, in whose blog Amazing Ribs he recounts his childhood and how he "gave up marijuana and started smoking pork". Worth a read for that alone. Once suitably rubbed, start smoking your butts (you know you want to) on an indirect heat for 8-12 hours around. 225C. The "porknography" section of Meathead's blog can guide you further. This is a tricky one to time, as the cooking enters what is known as a "stalling time" meaning it could be ready in 3 minutes or 3 hours. This won't please any pregnant guest, I can assure you.  Pull it apart with man claws, an essential in any self respecting man's culinary wardrobe. Then serve it in granary sourdough buns from City 'Super and a classic 'slaw combining white cabbage, carrot, green apple, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, salt & pepper. US pork butts are sold at Leo's Fine Foods for $62 per kg with an average butt weighing 1.5-2kg and serving 6 people. Or you can buy free range Aussie pork butts from Meatmarket for $372/kg. Delivery is free for orders over $1000 else pay the $150 delivery fee or pick up from their warehouse in Aberdeen.

 

Barbecue Sauce "23"

 

I have renamed Big Bob Gibson's Memphis Style Championship Red Sauce given its lengthy list of ingredients, during the hunt for which you may start to lose the will to live, but do plod on as it will be worth it. One of these 23 is "liquid smoke", my first encounter with such a substance that you can pick up in City 'Super. On unscrewing the lid, you suddenly feel shrouded by a cloud of barbecue smoke and my immediate fear was just how many artificial ingredients must have been used to create such a phenomenon. In fact, they have literally "bottled the smell" in that it contains water and "natural hickory smoke concentrate". Serious Eats have written an article on liquid smoke if you are interested or concerned about how it is made.

 

Tenderloin of Beef in a Rosemary, Garlic, Black Pepper and Olive Oil Marinade

 

Once your pork is ready, raise the temperature and put on your tenderloin, having first soaked it in a rosemary,  garlic, olive and black pepper marinade. Sear it then cook on a lower hear for 45 minutes for a rosy finish.  Click here for tenderloin marinade and cooking instructions. Buy half tenderloins from MM Fresh. 

 

Patricia Cornwell's Wild Rice & Cashew Salad

 

As odd as it is to take culinary suggestions from a coroner (and best selling crime writer) this salad can be prepared hours in advance and great the next day too. 

 

We also made a mango, cucumber and coriander salad as well as a blackbean and sweetcorn salad. 

 

Apricot Tart

 

Everyone loves a tart, so why not finish on something fruity. Apricots are so rarely available in Hong Kong, but these Turkish ones are available from time to time. I used the same recipe as my previously posted plum tart, substituting plums for apricots, and using apricot jam to glaze. Serve with creme fraiche, ice-cream or cream.