Independence Day Barbecue

Celebrating the Fourth of July with barbecue is a tradition that goes back generations. With a little help from 92U’s new Culinary Arts program, we’re thrilled to heap some deliciousness onto your summer grill with these two marvelous recipes from the chefs and experts leading 92U remote courses, created with the help of our friends at the destination bookstore Kitchen Arts & Letters.

The first comes from James Beard Book Award winner Adrian Miller, author of the new book Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue. His July 26 lecture shines a light on America’s forgotten barbecue heroes: the generations of pitmasters who laid the groundwork for this all-American tradition, and the new generation of chefs who are reinventing this cooking style. Here’s Sylvie Curry’s Grilled Rack of Lamb Marinated in Rosemary-Garlic Infused Olive Oil with Mint-Parsley Chimichurri Sauce.

And the award-winning Ottolenghi-alum chefs behind London’s Honey & Co, Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich, share a heavenly recipe — Chicken Shish in Sweet Confit Garlic Marinade — from their new book, Chasing Smoke: Cooking Over Fire Around the Levant. They’re joining us for a remote cooking class at 92U on July 21.

Happy Fourth!

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Sylvie Curry’s Grilled Rack of Lamb Marinated in Rosemary-Garlic Infused Olive Oil with Mint-Parsley Chimichurri Sauce

A Recipe from James Beard Book Award Winner Adrian Miller, author of Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue

When I meet someone who loves to cook, I often ask them what their “show-off dish” is. Something they would make for someone special. This is what Sylvie Curry told me. A rack of lamb may not be what you expected from the champion barbecue pitmaster, but the results here are marvelous.

For the Mint-Parsley Chimichurri Sauce:
2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon rosemary
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup fresh mint
1 cup fresh parsley

For the Garlic-Rosemary Infused Olive Oil:
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced
rosemary sprig
¼ cup olive oil

Racks of Lamb (7-8 bones each)
Sprig of Rosemary
Pecan Wood

To make the chimichurri:

1. Using a food processor or an immersion blender, mince 2-3 cloves of garlic.
2. Add the red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano, chopped rosemary and olive oil.
3. Blend.
4. Add 1 cup mint and one cup parsley.
5. Blend until desired consistency.

To make the Garlic-Rosemary Infused Olive Oil:

1. Whisk ingredients together and use immediately.

To cook the lamb:

1. Set grill for indirect cook with reverse sear. The lamb will be cooked by a hot and fast technique.
2. French trim each rack. Remove silver skin and excess fat.
3. Sprinkle a moderate amount of salt and pepper to front and back of rack.
4. Coat with the garlic-rosemary infused olive oil.
5. Set aside at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.
6. Place lamb on top of cooling rack in a pan.
7. A temperature probe may be inserted in meaty section of rack of lamb. Set it for 118°F.
8. Add Pecan wood chunk and rosemary sprig to charcoal.
9. Place lamb on indirect grate.
10. Once it reaches 118 degrees (15-20 minutes), remove from indirect grate to sear over direct heat for 2-3 minutes each side or until internal temperature of 125°F for rare or 135°F for medium rare.
11. Let rest before slicing between bones.

Adrian Miller’s lecture on Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue takes place online on Monday, July 26 at 7 pm ET. You can sign up here.

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Chicken Shish in Sweet Confit Garlic Marinade

A recipe from Chasing Smoke: Cooking Over Fire Around the Levant by Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich

Makes 6 skewers

The amount of garlic in the marinade may seem a little excessive at first, but please do try it, as the sweet, delicate flavour is simply fantastic. You don’t want to lose this by burning it, so it is really important to grill these skewers over a gentle heat. This is a great recipe to make ahead, as you can confit the garlic cloves a day or two in advance of making the marinade, and marinate the chicken for up to 48 hours before cooking.

800 g / 1 ¾ lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into large pieces (or left whole if oven-roasting)

For the confit garlic:
1–2 heads of garlic, broken into cloves but unpeeled (about 150 g / 5 ¼ oz)
100 ml / 3 ½ fl oz vegetable oil

For the marinade:
1 batch of confit garlic cloves
3–4 tbsp garlicky confit oil
1 small bunch of parsley, chopped
1 heaped tsp flaky sea salt
a few twists of freshly ground black pepper
zest of half a lemon (use the juice on the cooked chicken shish)

Place the unpeeled garlic cloves in a small pan or metal tray and cover with the oil. You may need a touch more, depending on the size of the pan – it should be enough to just cover the cloves. Set on the side of the grill where there is the lowest heat (or set it over a very low heat on the stove) and slowly bring to a boil. Once bubbles start to appear, cook for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside in the pan to soften and cool entirely. You can store the cooled garlic and oil in the fridge for up to 48 hours before using.

To make the marinade, lift the cooled cloves out of the oil (retaining it for later) and squeeze to pop the flesh out of the skins and into a small bowl. Discard the skins. Use the back of a spoon to smash the confit garlic into a pulp, then stir in the chopped parsley, salt, pepper, lemon zest and 3–4 tablespoons of the garlicky oil. Pour over the chicken pieces, mix well to coat, then thread the meat onto skewers. Place in the fridge and leave to marinate for anything from 1 hour to 48 hours.

When you are ready to cook, get the BBQ nice and mellow. Grill the skewers for 5 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for 5 minutes on the other side. Dab any remaining marinade or, if there’s none left, some garlicky confit oil on the chicken, then flip once more and cook for a final 5 minutes. Remove from the grill and squeeze the lemon juice all over them before serving.

Sarit and Itamar’s live online cooking class takes place on Wednesday, July 21 at 12 pm ET. You can sign up here.