Develop your grilling skills under the guidance of an experienced grill master. Michael Kratz, alias Mitch Barbecue, has created new recipes especially to help you put in a stellar performance during your next barbecue. The chef and head of the Weber Grill Academy in Rheinfelden shows you how to create four impressive dishes that you can wow your guests with. Watch the videos below to find out what’s behind a successful barbecue and learn new tips and tricks directly from the expert.
Smoked Spare ribs
Our shopping list for 2:
1.5 kg spare ribs
For the rub:
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp sweet paprika powder
1 tsp white pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
For the mop sauce:
200 ml apple juice
50 ml apple vinegar
For the glaze:
5 tbsp honey
2 tbsp apple juice
For the homemade BBQ sauce:
1 chili
1 onion
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp mustard
250 ml apple juice
50 ml apple vinegar
1 dash soy sauce
100 g ketchup
50 g tomato paste
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Additional accessories: smoker and apple-scented smoking chips
Preparation:
If not yet done by the butcher, trim the meat with a sharp knife and remove the fine silver membrane. Then rinse under cold water, dab and check carefully for any bone fragments.
Mix the ingredients for the rub thoroughly and rub generously into the meat 30 minutes before grilling. Mix the apple juice and cider vinegar for the mop sauce, stir the ingredients for the glaze together until smooth and set both aside; if possible, let stand for half an hour.
Water a handful of smoking chips a good half hour in advance and fill the smoking box with them. If you are using a gas grill, place the smoking box onto direct heat – the switched-on burner. If you are using a charcoal grill, place the wood chips directly onto the embers. Add the chips right at the beginning and let them smoke; they will go out after about 30 to 45 minutes. For smoking, put the lid on grill and let the smoky notes soak well into the meat. From about 60° C onwards, the meat fibers will be sealed and no additional smoke flavor will be absorbed.
Prepare the BBQ sauce while the meat is on the grill: remove the seeds from the chili and cut it into fine strips. Peel the onion and the garlic clove. Finely dice the onion, sauté the butter in a frying pan, add the onion and garlic clove. Add the brown sugar and caramelize it, then add the mustard and chili strips, simmer briefly and deglaze with apple juice, apple vinegar and soy sauce. Reduce the liquid to half, puree it, then add ketchup and tomato paste. Finally, season to taste with salt and pepper and briefly bring to a boil again.
Smoke the spare ribs for four to five hours in the indirect zone at about 110° C. Brush on the mop sauce every half hour, and the glaze 30 minutes before the ribs are done.
Before serving, carefully slice the meat between the ribs with a long precision knife, arrange the ribs on plates and serve with the BBQ sauce.
Find a printable version of our shopping list here:
For the lemongrass-coconut marinade, cut a thin slice off the bottom of the lemongrass stalks and remove the hard outer leaf. Cut the stalks in half and tap them to release the flavor, then cut them into pieces. Finely grind the spices in a mortar and roast in a pan without fat, add the lemongrass and deglaze with the coconut milk. Reduce the temperature and add the spices, steep for about 10 to 15 minutes and allow to cool completely.
For the fish skewers, carefully check the whitefish for fine bones, then rinse the fish again with water and pat dry with paper towel. Then place in the cold marinade for at least 4 hours, better still overnight. Dice larger pieces of fish before marinating, smaller ones afterwards.
If you use wood skewers, place them in water for a good half hour before grilling. Remove the fish from the marinade, rinse briefly and dab dry; slide the fish cubes onto the skewers.
Place the skewers over direct heat on a grill rack and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes with the lid closed. Arrange the fish skewers on plates with a fresh sprig of herbs, for example lemon thyme.
Mediterranean Vegetables with Argentinian Chimichurri
Our shopping list for 2:
1 small eggplant
1 small zucchini
½ yellow bell pepper
½ red bell pepper
1 red onion
1 chili pepper
For the garlic marinade
1 lemon
1-2 garlic cloves
50 ml olive oil
Rock salt
Freshly ground black pepper
For the Argentinian chimichurri
1 handful of fresh herbs, e.g. thyme, oregano and flat parsley
1 chili
50 ml olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Rock salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Additional accessories: cast iron grill pan
Preparation:
Wash the vegetables and pat them dry. Cut the eggplant in half and salt to remove the bitter substances. After half an hour, dab the eggplant with paper towel to remove excess moisture and salt. Dice the zucchini into pieces of about 2 cm. Remove the seeds from the chili, rinse again and cut into strips. Peel and finely chop the onion.
For the garlic marinade, peel the zest from the lemon and then squeeze the lemon. Peel the garlic and chop finely. Mix the lemon juice with the olive oil, add the garlic and zest and season with salt and pepper. Pour the marinade over the grilled vegetables about an hour before grilling and mix well.
For the Argentinian Chimichurri, wash the herbs, dab dry and, depending on your choice, pluck the fine leaves from the stalk or chop the herbs finely. Halve the chili pepper lengthwise, remove the seeds and cut into fine strips. Stir olive oil and red wine vinegar until smooth, add the chili strips, salt and pepper from the mill to taste and pour over the chopped herbs shortly before serving.
Place the grill pan on the grill over direct heat, add some oil, spread it out by tilting the pan and grill the vegetables at 200°C for about 5-7 minutes.
Arrange the vegetables on plates and serve with the chimichurri.
Mini Chocolate Cakes With Liquid Centers
Our shopping list for 2:
20 g sugar
2 eggs
50 g dark chocolate
35 g butter
15 g flour
Additional accessories: fireproof molds
Preparation:
For the batter, beat the sugar and eggs until frothy. Melt the chocolate and butter on the stove in a saucepan, let cool and carefully stir into the egg mixture until it becomes shiny and has a creamy, firm consistency. Sift the flour and stir gently into the batter.
Grease the molds well and fill with the batter.
Bake at 180° C over indirect heat for about 8 to 10 minutes. Turn out the chocolate cakes onto plates and serve plain, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and fresh fruit.
