Farm to Feast TV cook’s BBQ dos and don’ts… and favourite recipes

Alex Huston appeared on the BBC’s Farm to Feast earlier this year, and while he did not make it to the final, he found it a “fantastic experience”.

But he would not have got there without a thermometer.

“The TV show was a great platform to promote locally grown food,” he tells Sunday Life.

“My approach was to create the type of food I would at home.”

The 29-year-old, who lives near Stormont with his partner Rachel, was brought up in a food-loving family.

He still dishes up his granddad Jim’s vegetable risotto when he entertains guests at home.

Alex now works as a general manager at Olivers on the Newtownards Road and is also an ambassador for Safefood.

He realised he did not see colours like other people when he was a child.

“Being colour-blind has always been part of my life,” Alex says.

“When I was colouring a picture at school, the sky would be purple and the sea orange.

“I don’t see colour the same way as anyone else.

“I wear really colourful shirts. I go into TK Maxx and buy the most colourful ones I can find, despite the fact I don’t know what colours they are.”

Alex grew up with a vegetarian mum, Felicity, and a meat-eating dad, Adrian, which meant hours of creative cooking.

He also cooked with his grandad before embarking on his career in hospitality.

While he was a vegetarian when he was growing up, he became a meat eater after a school trip to Kenya when he was 16.

Alex explains: “We were doing charity work in townships. I felt it would be wrong, as someone from the Western world, to refuse to eat some of the food while families there couldn’t afford to feed themselves.

“I learned when I was there that Kenyan food is mostly vegetables. Since I started eating meat, I’ve not gone back.”

Being unable to differentiate between colours presented a problem for the chef, who learned that a thermometer was the best way of making sure meat was thoroughly cooked.

“Using a thermometer, for me, is not a luxury, it’s essential. When someone else looks at chicken, they can see if it’s pink and not cooked, but I can’t.”

Alex put his cooking talents to use in the kitchen at Olivers during Covid after illness depleted staff numbers, giving him vital experience.

According to Safefood, 45 per cent of people in Northern Ireland have been served risky undercooked meat at barbecues.

Alex is keen to help bring this to an end.

“A thermometer is cheap and easy to use,” he explains.

“It’s not about some expensive ‘chefy’ piece of kit or even a secret. It means you’re not playing a guessing game of whether meat has been cooked.”

For most of us, the classic barbecue experience is food that is burnt black on the outside but is pink inside.

“The biggest mistake people make is that they think burnt food is safe, but that’s not the case,” Alex stresses. “Meat such as chicken, sausages and burgers should be cooked at 75 degrees. Not only will it be safe to eat, but it will taste better too.

“Cooking food for ages and ages is not the solution either because the food doesn’t taste as good.”

An advocate of Northern Irish produce, Alex believes local food is among the best in the world because it’s not mass-produced to the same extent as in Europe and elsewhere.

“Even the biggest meat-producing farms here are minute compared to anywhere else in the world,” he adds.

“Our veg is the best too because it rains all the time, which is a great environment to grow vegetables in.

“Our fish and shellfish are also the best — that’s why they’re exported all over the world.”

At home, his experience of being a vegetarian cooking whiz comes in handy because girlfriend Rachel does not eat meat.

“We have a barbecue and pizza oven in the back garden. It means we’ve got an almost entirely outdoors kitchen,” he reveals.

“I have always loved cooking and entertaining for friends and family.

“I particularly enjoy Middle Eastern cooking and all its flavours, which work well with vegetarian dishes.”

His favourite barbecue recipe is a homemade smash burger, which is simply mince, salt and pepper.

Alex advises using a thermometer to achieve an ideal cooking temperature of 75 degrees, which guarantees juicy, tasty results every time and minimises the danger of food poisoning.

He also believes that since Covid, people are more interested in eating outdoors, even during the winter.

Alex adds: “We have outdoor heaters in the courtyard at the restaurant, and people were happy to eat Christmas dinner there last year.

“It’s set to be the same this year. That wouldn’t have happened before Covid.”

Recipes

Alex’s Soy & Honey Beef Kebabs, Rice Noodle Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

280g x steak stir fry strips

10g x honey

10g x rice wine vinegar

30g x low salt soy sauce

2 x dessertspoons sriracha sauce

2 x nests vermicelli rice noodles

2 x scallions

1 x dessertspoon sriracha

2 x dessertspoons low salt soy sauce

1 x tablespoon vegetable oil

3 x teaspoons sesame seeds plus more to garnish

Metal or wooden BBQ skewers

Juice of half a lime

Method

Marinate beef

1) Mix the soy, honey, rice wine vinegar and sriracha together in a bowl.

2) Add the beef and toss well. Wash your hands immediately after handling it.

3) Cover and set aside for at least an hour.

*Please remember not to use a marinade that had raw meat in it as a sauce to coat vegetables or salads. It will contain raw meat bacteria.

Noodle salad

1) Cook the noodles as per the packet instructions.

2) Drain, allow to cook.

3) Meanwhile, mix the soy, sriracha, vegetable oil and lime juice together.

4) Finely chop the scallions and add them to the sauce.

5) Add the noodles and mix well.

6) Set aside, this will improve in flavour the longer you leave it.

Beef kebabs

1) Heat the barbecue grill to a high heat.

2) Remove the beef from the marinade and thread onto skewers (either metal or wooden barbecue skewers). As a rough guide you should get four skewers from 280gs of beef.

3) Place the skewers onto the barbecue. Wash your hands immediately after.

4) The beef skewers will cook very quickly and the sugar in the honey will cause them to caramelise very quickly. Keep turning them.

5) The beef is cooked when it reaches 75C. The easiest way to check that is using a meat thermometer. When you think the beef is cooked, take it off the grill (using clean tongs), and insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. When it reaches 75 degrees celsius or above, it’s safe to eat.

6) Once the beef skewers are ready, place some noodle salad on a plate, then a beef kebab on top. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top to finish.

7) Enjoy!

Alex’s Buffalo Corn

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 x corn on cobs (precooked, if possible)

4 x tablespoons buffalo hot sauce

50g x butter

Crispy onions to garnish

Method

Corn on the cob

1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2) Add the corn to the boiling water and cook, uncovered, until tender and golden — typically go for 3-5 minutes.

3) Remove the corn from the pot and allow to cool.

Buffalo sauce

1) Gently heat the butter in a saucepan.

2) Add the buffalo sauce and mix.

3) Set aside.

Grill corn on the cob

1) Turn the barbecue grill to a high heat.

2) Cut the corn in half so you have bite-sized corn on the cob.

3) Add the corn to the grill.

4) Turn every 30 seconds or so to get a nice colour on them, don’t worry if they char a bit.

5) Turn the corn onto their ends on the grill, so they sit up. Pour a tablespoon of sauce over each corn on the cob. Be careful doing this as it may spit.

6) Turn the corn back onto their sides and turn onto each side briefly.

7) Remove from the heat, sprinkle over some crispy onions, and serve with the remaining sauce on the side.

8) Enjoy!

Alex’s Piri Piri Chicken with Garden Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

240g x diced chicken breast

150ml x piri piri sauce

A handful of fresh rocket

10 x cherry tomatoes

Half a cucumber

50ml x red wine vinegar

3 x teaspoons icing sugar

1 x teaspoon wholegrain mustard

Method

Marinade

1) Add 100ml of piri piri sauce to a bowl.

2) Add the diced chicken and toss well. Wash your hands immediately after.

3) Cover with cling film and leave to marinade for at least 30 minutes.

*Please remember not to use a marinade that had raw meat in it as a sauce to coat vegetables or salads. It will contain raw meat bacteria.

Salad dressing

1) Add 50ml red wine vinegar, 3 teaspoons of icing sugar & 1 teaspoon of mustard to a bowl.

2) Whisk together, taste and adjust as necessary.

Salad

1) Chop the cherry tomatoes in half. Add a small amount of salt and pepper over them and set aside at room temperature for half an hour.

2) Cut the cucumber length-wise then dice finely.

3) Wash and dry the rocket.

4) Set all ingredients aside until serving.

Finishing dish

1) Heat the barbecue to a high heat.

2) Take the marinated chicken out and thread it onto skewers (either metal or wooden barbecue skewers). Depending on the size of the chunks put 3 or 4 per skewer.

3) Add the chicken skewers onto the grill, wash your hands immediately after handling the chicken.

4) The chicken will take around 10 minutes to cook, turning several times until each side browns.

5) The chicken is cooked when it reaches 75C. The easiest way to check that is using a meat thermometer. When you think the chicken is cooked take it off the grill (using clean tongs) and put the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, usually the middle. When it reaches 75C or above it’s safe to eat.

6) Once the chicken is ready finalise the salad. Add a few tablespoons of dressing and toss gently.

7) Place the salad on the bottom of the plate, then the chicken skewers.

8) Enjoy!

Alex’s Chicken Tikka Burger and Spicy Mayo

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 x chicken breasts

6 x dessertspoons of tikka paste

4 x teaspoons cumin powder

100g x mayonnaise

4 x brioche buns

Rocket to dress the burgers

Method

Marinate chicken

1) ‘Butterfly’ the chicken breasts by cutting down the middle of each breast to produce two smaller breasts.

2) Add the tikka paste to a bowl, then add the butterflied chicken and toss well. Wash your hands immediately.

3) Cover and leave in the fridge to marinate for an hour, or overnight if possible.

*Please remember not to use a marinade that had raw meat in it as a sauce to coat vegetables or salads. It will contain raw meat bacteria.

Spicy mayonnaise

1) Add 100g of mayonnaise to a bowl.

2) Add the cumin powder and whisk together. Taste and add more if you think it needs it.

Burgers

1) Turn the barbecue grill to a high heat.

2) Toast the baps and set aside.

3) Add the marinaded chicken to the grill.

4) Turn each breast during cooking to get colour on all sides.

5) The breasts should take about 10 minutes to cook, depending on the barbecue. The chicken is cooked when it reaches 75C. The easiest way to check that is using a meat thermometer. When you think the chicken is cooked, take it off the grill (using clean tongs), and insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. When it reaches 75 degrees Celsius or above it’s safe to eat.

6) Once the chicken is cooked build the burger. Add mayo on the top and bottom of the buns, then add rocket and place the chicken on top of the rocket.

7) Enjoy!