Once the chunks are marinaded, you just need to put them on sticks, wood or metal. Make Marinade – Mix all the ingredients, except the chicken together in a mixing bowl. If you’ve got access to a good fishmonger, then cooked prawns served cold with some lemon wedges or seafood sauce is an easy but delicious starter. But a splash of red wine vinegar (if you have it) and fresh oregano will bring lamb to life. It might help if you cook the chunks in a moderate oven for 20 minutes and finish them off on the barbecue – that way you’ll get a crisp outer layer while retaining moisture in the middle. You can turn any barbecue from bland to beautiful with the addition of prawns. Steps to Prepare. Bring to the boil and bubble for 3-4 mins until the sugar and salt have dissolved and the sauce is glossy. The chicken is then ready to be marinated. But don’t overcook them – they only need a minute or two on the hot plate. Then leave it in the fridge to absorb all the lovely flavours, the longer the better: overnight is ideal but at least an hour will do for souvlaki-sized chunks of meat. Rachel Ray has a great recipe for this. You don’t have to be a chef to branch out beyond sausages on the barbie and the secret is simple: a really great marinade. Combine the ingredients in a saucepan, then season. Add to a baking tray, with any excess marinade, cover with foil and place in the oven, Leave to cook for approximately 30 minutes; during this time get the barbecue ready. Halloumi is a barbecue beauty and doesn’t need much help to taste delicious, other than a squeeze of lemon juice straight off the barbie. Take this paste and add to a bowl, mix in all the other ingredients for the sauce. But if you really want to impress, drizzle the hot halloumi with honey and sprinkle with za’atar before serving. We made a punchy barbecue marinade, which we massaged thoroughly into the thighs. If you can’t be bothered to do this, cook a whole leg or shoulder on the barbie, but be prepared for it to take time. Making the most of this time Selina decided to host a barbecue at her home and used it as a great opportunity to experiment with recipes and marinades for succulent chicken thighs. Be sure to use thighs to ensure the kebabs don’t dry out on the barbecue. Selina Periampillai is a British-born Mauritian food pioneer, self-taught chef and author of The Island Kitchen. Pork is an alternative to lamb if you want to make souvlaki. But if you’ve bought raw prawns, a marinade of finely chopped garlic, small red chillies and parsley with a drizzle of olive oil will make your barbecued prawns a hit. In his book, The Real Greek at Home: Dishes from the heart of the Greek Kitchen, Theodore Kyriakou recalls how souvlaki was a seasonal dish – made with pork between late autumn and early spring, then made with lamb the rest of the year. Will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. You can also add some rosemary, bay leaves or any herbs to the barbecue to add some extra flavour to the meat, Remove the chicken from the oven and place the individual marinated thighs on the barbecue, using tongs to turn them over. Whether you make souvlaki or cook the joint whole, serving your lamb with tzatziki is a very good idea. But if you’ve bought raw prawns, a marinade of finely chopped garlic, small red chillies and parsley with a drizzle of olive oil will make your barbecued prawns a hit. This was thrown together because I didn’t quite have enough BBQ sauce to cover 4 chicken breasts and the subsequent basting while barbecuing. Remove from the heat, transfer to a jar, and leave to cool. Lamb loves oregano. A little bit of fresh chopped mint can be a lovely addition. It’s astonishingly easy if you follow some basic rules, which consist of chopping your meat (or prawns or halloumi or fish) into appropriately sized chunks and then slathering the lumps in delicious liquid and letting them soak before cooking.