Over the last few weeks, the UK has seen a return of sunshine and warm weather encouraging more of us to get out the barbeque not just on the weekends, but also during the evenings. It’s also likely (I’m talking from experience) that when using the barbeque on a regular basis, you’ve added fresh coal and firelighters onto the existing ash.

Piling fresh coal / firelighters onto existing ash will only be acceptable for a period of time though, and when the time comes to clean your barbeque, you don’t need to worry about spending hours using elbow grease scrubbing the barbeque shelves and container, in an attempt to remove burnt on food, fat and grease.

Instead, the eSpares Barbeque Cleaner will take away all the hassle, and enable you to clean the barbeque in a matter of minutes, with little more than a warm bucket of water, a cloth and potentially a wire brush.

With the ash removed from your barbeque (we would recommend adding this to your compost bin, rather than throwing it away), spray the barbeque cleaner onto the barbeque shelves and container, before leaving it to work its magic for a couple of minutes – probably enough time to select which cider / beer / wine to open.

Magic worked, take your bucket of warm water and a cloth, and wipe the barbeque clean of dirt, grease and baked on food. For those tougher areas, a quick once over with the wire brush followed by a wipe of the cloth, and abracadabra your barbeque will be left sparkling like new and ready for use once again. Now all that’s left is to decide what to cook on it.

Traditionally, a barbeque should consist of burgers, sausages, chicken and at a push spare-ribs; which are generally burnt to a crisp on the outside. But after your second or third barbeque of the week, these may not appeal; which is why I’ve taken the liberty to include a few recipes (tried and tested) which are set to go down a treat at your next barbeque!

Sticky Tomato Chicken:

Ingredients:

• Chicken Breasts – also works with wings, drumsticks and thighs
• Tomato Sauce
• Honey
• Worcester Sauce
• Cherry Tomatoes (optional)

Method:

In a large bowl, or jug, free pour the Worcester sauce – ideally you’re looking for 5 or 6 tablespoons worth; next add roughly the same amount of tomato sauce, followed by 3 or 4 tablespoons of honey. Mix the three ingredients together, before pouring over the chicken and leaving it in the fridge to marinate until required for cooking (ideally it should be left to marinate for at least an hour).

Once ready to cook (and brought to room temperature), place your chicken onto a hot barbeque and cook. If you’ve got any of the mixture left, baste the chicken whilst it’s on the barbeque – making sure to check that the chicken is clear of juices and white before serving.

As an optional extra, I would highly recommend place cherry tomatoes onto the barbeque for a minute or two, just to give them a bit of heat.

NB. This dish can also be cooked in the oven, with the chicken left in the sauce and cherry tomatoes added.

Spicy Belly Slices:

Ingredients:

• Belly Slices
• 2 Cloves of Garlic
• Ginger (ideally fresh)
• Chilli Flakes
• Fresh Chilli
• Olive Oil
• Chinese Five Spice

Method:

Finely chop the garlic and ginger, before placing in a pestle and mortar, and giving a quick bash. Next, add a level teaspoon of Chinese five spice, a level teaspoon of chilli flakes and a finely sliced fresh chilli (seeds optional), before mixing all ingredients together.

Rub a glug of olive oil across all the belly slices (both sides) before adding a rubbing a fine amount of your seasoning over both sides – depending on how spicy you like your food, you can always tweak the amount of chilli and Chinese five spice you add.

Homemade Potato Salad:

Ingredients:

• New potatoes
• Fresh Chives
• Lemon Juice
• Mayonnaise

Method:

Quarter your new potatoes, leaving the peel on, before boiling in a pan (with a sprinkle of rock salt) until the potatoes are just soft – drain the water and leave to cool.

Whilst the new potatoes are cooling, pop out to your herb take a generous handful of chives, which should then be finely chopped and left to one side. Once the new potatoes have cooled, add the lemon juice (juice from half a fresh lemon will be plenty) and the finely chopped chives, before stirring.

Next add 2 to 3 (depending on preference, I tend to opt for two) tablespoon of mayonnaise to the potatoes, lemon juice and chives, and stir again ensuring all the potatoes have a light coating of mayonnaise – transfer the potatoes into a clean bowl, place onto the table and let your guests help themselves!

And the good thing about all these recipes is, not only will they look good, but any mess left on the barbeque from the sticky tomato chicken, or fat from the belly slices will be cleaned away quickly and easily by the eSpares Barbeque Cleaner; so why not try the recipes yourself and let us know how you get on.

Tags: Barbeque, BBQ Recipes, Cleaning