NEXT LEVEL BBQ chicken

SERVES 4 PREP 30 mins plus 1 hr marinating COOK 1 hr EASY

- BARNEY DESMAZERY

WHAT

Barbecue chicken is arguably the most popular food to cook outdoors, but it can be tricky to cook well if you don’t have the know-how. The meat should be falling off the bone, and have a good balance of sweet, salty and spicy flavours.

HOW

We’ve made a marinade that doubles up as a brine to keep the chicken succulent. It also forms the base of a sticky barbecue sauce for basting and dipping. We’ve chosen a slow cooking method to ensure the meat cooks through, then used herbs and chilli ends to give it an aromatic, smoky finish.

WHAT TO BUY

2 red chillies, tops removed and reserved for the smoke mix (see below)

8 spring onions, roughly chopped thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped

8 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp paprika

3 tbsp dark brown soft sugar

4 tbsp soy sauce

4 limes, 2 juiced, plus 2 halved to serve

1.5kg mix of chicken drumsticks and wings, lightly scored

200ml ketchup

For the smoke mix (optional)

handful of thyme sprigs

handful of bay leaves

1 tsp ground allspice reserved chilli tops (see above)