Putting on the perfect outdoor (Winter) dinner party
For many, when the winter months roll around the instinct is to shut the doors, cosy up on the sofa, and binge-watch your favourite Netflix shows, but with new Covid strains on the rise, a little fresh air goes a long way!
We’ve put together a guide for the perfect winter feast, taking inspiration from cultures around the world who know how to take the holiday festivities outside!
Preparation
First off we want to minimise the amount of faff on the day of your feast itself.
Taking a leaf out of the pro-chef’s handbook, pre-prep or “mise en place” is key. When your outdoor dinner party is in full swing, the last thing you want to be doing is rushing in and out of the house!
Pre-chop, measure out ingredients and get any utensils or equipment ready before your guests arrive. Also have a think about what side dishes you can prepare in advance to go with your main and some easy desserts which you can easily grab and just warm up for serving.
How to Grill Outdoors
Make sure you have good lighting around you when working the grill and for greater flexibility with your cooking you want to be creating different temperature zones.
Across the Rassa courses whether you’re learning Filipino, Israeli or Irish grilling, one thing our chefs emphasise is having these different temperature zones - the best way to do this is to place the charcoal on one side of the bbq leaving the other half of the bbq empty.
This allows for an area that isn’t just brute force! Cooking fish for instance, needs to be done delicately, so being able to keep cooking without using the fierce heat of the coals is a must.
For most, the go-to is the humble barbecue but you can take inspiration from other cultures with their earth or ground ovens such as the Hawaiian ‘Imu’ or the Icelandic geothermal underground oven.
If you’re feeling adventurous you can dig your own in-ground pit smoker in your back garden by following these tips (word of warning we take no responsibility for digging up that pristine lawn of yours!).
Home Smoking
When outdoor cooking, you can also have some fun smoking (not that kind!)
When Cold smoking fish, the process usually requires temperatures of around 25-30 degrees celsius (77-86F) whereas with hot smoking you’re talking 75-80 degrees celsius (167-176F).
To ensure that your fish is ‘cooked’, it is important to cure it first.
How do you cure fish? Well, by encasing it in a salt mixture you help draw moisture out of the meat so that bacteria doesn’t grow - this is especially important for the lower cooking temperatures which you have with cold smoking.
Picking your smoking fuels
Charcoal is a firm favourite for many but there is actually a lot of fun to be had with different smoking fuels.
But what wood can you use for smoking food?
When using wood for smoking, different varieties have different effects on the flavour. Hickory and oak are good all rounders that work well with a wide range of meats, maple adds a sweet flavour which works well with pork dishes. Or for a fruitier flavour, cherry or applewood are delicious for smoking chicken.
Look to your region and culture for inspiration. For example, on the Rassa Irish course the chefs experiment with whiskey oak chips and even Irish peat for adding a sweet, earthy flavour to your meat for hot smoking salmon.
For more delicate flavours for cold smoking you can try burning woody herbs from your local area - rosemary, thyme or lavender all work well, or different teas for a more floral flavour.
Picking your flavour palate
We’re all about going out of your comfort zone when it comes to your food and encouraging you at home to explore flavours from around the world. Below we’ve gathered some great flavour combinations from the world’s barbecue cultures to get you thinking about how to experiment with your seasoning:
- Mexican flavours of cumin and chipotle chilli and of course finishing off with a zesty squeeze of lime
- Take inspiration from the Irish natural larder and wild coasts with fresh herbs, sea or rock salt and seaweed (great for adding to a salt cure or brines)
- With levantine inspired dishes you can try date syrup, pomegranate molasses, tahini and warm, aromatic spice mixes like baharat or sumac
- Make your feast a Filipino grill with red chilli, calamansi (Filipino lime), coconut vinegar dipping sauces or you can learn to make your own fruity banana ‘ketchup’ marinade on the Rassa Filipino course from Chef Budgie Montoya
- Greek grills are filled with plenty of olive oil, fresh basil, mint, red wine, garlic and toppings of feta or greek yogurt
- Or you can go take inspiration from Russian shashlyk, creating marinades of onion, lemon, mayonnaise, sour cream, beer or even honey which is delicious once caramelised over coals
- Or look to the South African Braai, have a go at making your own dry rubs for that characteristic braai crust, playing around with smoked paprika, dried basil, coriander, cumin, garlic powder, black pepper and sea salt