Donal Skehan��s sizzling barbecue winners – Korean flanken-style short ribs, jerk chicken and Turkish lamb flatbreads

Borrowing ideas from Korea, Turkey and Jamaica, there are plenty of diverse flavours and ingredients to choose from, which will hopefully help you elevate your grill game this summer. ​

Korean flanken-style short ribs are worth tracking down or asking your butcher for. When we lived in Los Angeles, I explored its sprawling Koreatown as often as I could. Cuts like these short ribs, cut flanken-style across the ribs, are commonplace at restaurants there. Marinated in spicy umami, cooked at the table and devoured with banchan (many small side dishes) and cooked rice, it’s a memorable meat feast.

Ring ahead to your butcher to ask for the steaks cut in this style or use rib eye or T-bone with the same marinade. If you can’t get your hands on gochujang, a Korean spice paste, you can replace it with a tablespoon of tomato puree and a teaspoon of chilli flakes or hot sauce.

To Jamaica next for a barbecue jerk chicken recipe with mango salsa. Forgive me if you have seen me write about this before but it’s such a winner. This is a recipe which comes into its own cooked over hot coals, ensuring not only a hit of heat from the deeply spiced marinade but also the smoky element that really good jerk chicken is all about. If you’re feeling fancy, place the mango over the hot coals of a barbecue until you have deep char marks all over, before prepping the salsa.

Lastly, my most recent trip to Istanbul saw me introducing our two boys to the magic that is lahmacun — turkish meat pizza with a thin crust and eaten rolled with parsley, red onion and lemon juice. My speedy take on this is the recipe here for Turkish lamb flatbreads, parsley, shaved fennel and red onion salad, using a store-bought flat bread smushed with a meat mixture and grilled directly over a hot grate until the meat turns charred and smoky. The flat breads make a wonderful little starter before the main event of any barbecue.

Korean Flanken-Style Short Ribs

Serves: 4 Time: 30 mins + marinating time

For the ribs:

• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 50ml rice wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp gochujang
• 6 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 1 thumb-sized piece ginger, finely grated
• 1 small onion, finely grated
• 1 small firm pear, finely grated
• 1.5kg short ribs cut flanken style

To serve:

• 4 spring onions, finely sliced
• Sesame seeds, toasted
• Basmati rice
• 2 Baby Gem lettuce, leaves separated
• Ssamjang sauce (or hoisin)

Method

1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the ribs before adding the meat and thoroughly coating. Cover and leave to marinate for 2 hours or overnight in the fridge.

2. Once marinated, shake off any excess sauce, discarding the marinade, and place the ribs on a barbecue or griddle pan over a high heat to cook for 2 minutes either side or until you have deep char marks and the meat is medium rare.

3. Rest the meat, while keeping warm under a tea towel for 5 minutes before slicing into bite-size pieces.

4. Serve the meat on a platter, scattered with spring onions and sesame seeds and bring to the table with bowls of rice, lettuce leaves and ssamjang sauce.

BBQ Jerk Chicken with Mango Salsa

Serves: 4-6 Time: 45 mins + marinating time

Ingredients

• 5 spring onions, trimmed
• 2 scotch bonnet chillies, roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves
• 3cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 6 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves stripped
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 free-range chicken thighs, (bone in and skin on)

For the coconut rice:

• 350g long-grain rice, rinsed
• 400ml tin coconut milk
• 225ml water

For the salsa:

• 1 large ripe mango, peeled, stoned and finely chopped
• ½ cucumber, peeled, deseeded and finely chopped
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Good handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Method

1. In a small food processor, whizz the spring onions, chillies, garlic, ginger, spices and herbs to form a paste. Add the lime juice, ketchup, soy sauce, plenty of seasoning and mix.

2. Put the chicken into a large ziplock bag and pour in the marinade. Seal the bag and give it a good shake until everything is completely combined and the chicken is evenly coated. Leave in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight if you have the time. Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before you are ready to cook.

3. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/400F/Gas Mark 6.

4. Put the rice into a pan with the coconut milk and water. Add a good pinch of salt and cover. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Leave it to stand with the lid on until you’re ready to serve.

5. Combine all the ingredients for the salsa and season well.

6. Heat a large ovenproof frying pan over a medium-high heat (crack a window open or you will end up coughing from the chilli!) and fry the chicken pieces for 3-4 minutes each side until charred and golden. Transfer to the oven for 10 minutes until they are cooked through. Serve with the coconut rice and salsa.

Turkish Lamb Flatbreads, Parsley, Shaved Fennel & Red Onion Salad

Serves: 6 Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 400g lamb mince
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 large tomato, grated
• 1 brown onion, grated
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 6 flatbreads, shop bought

For the salad:

• 100g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1 bulb fennel, sliced thinly on a mandoline
• 1 red onion, sliced thinly on a mandoline
• 2 vine tomatoes, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 tsp sumac
• 1 tbsp olive oil

To serve:

• Lemon wedges
• Long green pickled chillies
• Seeds of 1 pomegranate

Method

1. Place the lamb mince, garlic, grated tomato, onion and spices into a large bowl. Season with salt and add a good glug of olive oil, then mix well with your hands until well combined.

2. Set aside and make the salad by mixing together the parsley, fennel, red onion, tomatoes, sumac and some seasoning together in a bowl. Add another good glug of olive oil and the lemon juice, then stir again to combine and set aside until needed.

3. Preheat a griddle pan or your barbecue to a medium heat, not hot.

4. Divide the lamb mixture into 6 and begin to spread the lamb mixture onto the flatbreads, as if you were making a pizza, and spread the meat out to the edges, ensuring a thin layer.

5. Drizzle the meat with a little more olive oil, then griddle, on the pan or barbecue, meat side down, for 4 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side for 1 minute, then remove from the pan or barbecue and place onto a serving board. Load the salad onto each flatbread, serve with lemon wedges and finish with the pickled chillies, a sprinkling of the pomegranate seeds and a final drizzle of olive oil before rolling up or cutting into triangles to enjoy.