TABASCO®  have collaborated with Southern BBQ Chef Brad McDonald of London’s Shotgun and Lockhart restaurants.  Brad has created a series of Southern style recipes as well as culinary mash-ups and YouTube style video tutorials to help the nation raise their BBQ Game.

Brad says “The recipes that I’ve created for TABASCO® Better BBQ include a few unexpected dishes like New Orleans Style Chargrilled Oysters and a few versatile standards that should be in everyone’s repertoire as the foundation of their own flavour style. 

For example, my barbecue sauce recipe uses TABASCO® Sauce for its kick. It can be used across dishes from brisket to burgers, but you can easily change its flavour by adding more heat with a few more dashes or switching it up by accenting with another sauce altogether, like TABASCO® Chipotle Sauce which gives it more of that moreish smokiness. 

It’s all about it making BBQ your own, which will always make it better.”

 – Chef Brad McDonald, Shotgun, London.

Spicy BBQ Sauce made with TABASCO® Original Red Sauce:

Grilled Korean Short Ribs with Salsa Verde made with TABASCO® Green Sauce:  

Baja Style Fish Tacos with TABASCO® Chipotle Sauce Mayonnaise:

Sides and starters:

• New Orleans Style Chargrilled Oysters with TABASCO® Sauce: 

• Brad McDonald’s Dirty Rice with TABASCO® Sauce:

• Esquites – Mexican Street Corn Salad with TABASCO® Chipotle Sauce: 

• Scallop Ceviche with TABASCO® Habanero Sauce: 

Spicy BBQ Sauce made with TABASCO® Sauce

“This is a great staple to add to anyone’s smoking, grilling or barbecuing repertoire. It gets its flavourful kick from TABASCO® Sauce, creating a great BBQ sauce with a punch!” 

Serves: 700ml

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 1.5 – 2 hours

Ingredients:

30ml TABASCO® Sauce

530g ketchup                                                                              

40g tomato purée                                                                                              

360ml apple cider vinegar                                                                             

60g yellow mustard                                                                                         

8g garlic powder                                                                                               

8g salt                                                                                                                     

240ml water                                                                                                        

454g light brown sugar                                                                                 

8g ground black pepper

10g cayenne pepper

Method:

• Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan.
• Bring to the boil quickly, stirring constantly, then lower the heat to a simmer.
• Cook slowly until the sauce becomes thick, glossy and a deep burgundy colour (it should reduce by a little more than a third).
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
• Serve alongside any barbecued meats – smoked Jacob’s Ladder ribs go really well with this sauce.

Grilled Korean Short Ribs with Salsa Verde made with TABASCO® Green Sauce

“A mouth watering Mexican / Korean fusion grilled to perfection, this dish gets a double dose of citrus zest from the TABASCO® Green Sauce in the marinade and the sauce.”

 – Chef Brad McDonald, Shotgun, London.

Serves: 4

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Ribs:

1 short rib joint cut across the bone to 80mm-100mm by your butcher

Rib Marinade:

50ml TABASCO® Green Sauce

100g palm sugar (or brown sugar as an alternative)

50ml fish sauce

50ml fresh lime juice

50ml vegetable oil

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 tbsp ginger, minced

1 handful of coriander

1 handful of mint

Salsa Verde:

25ml TABASCO® Green Sauce

4 heaped tbsp mint, chopped

6 heaped tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped

6 heaped tbsp coriander, chopped

1 large shallot, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 tsp ginger, finely grated

2 tsp palm sugar (or brown sugar as an alternative)

2 tsp fish sauce

2 tbsp lime juice

4 tbsp vegetable oil, (or neutral oil as an alternative)

pinch of salt

Method:

• For the marinade, dissolve the palm sugar in the fish sauce and lime juice.  Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well, lightly bruising the herbs with a spoon to draw out their oils and flavours.
• Lay the ribs in a dish and pour the marinade evenly over them.  Cover, then leave in the fridge to marinate for 3-4 hours, or overnight.
• For the salsa verde, add the sugar to the fish sauce and lime juice. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. Season with additional TABASCO® Green Sauce to taste. 

• Remove the ribs from their marinade.  Cook the ribs over very hot coals on the grill for 3 minutes on each side, so they caramelise.  Transfer to a serving platter and cover.  Allow to rest for 3-4 minutes.  Spoon over the salsa verde and serve warm.

Baja Style Fish Tacos with Chipotle Mayo made with TABASCO® Chipotle Sauce

“This Mexican inspired crowd pleaser brings together the casual fresh flavours of Southern Californian cooking with the smoky rich flavour of the grill from the TABASCO® Chipotle Sauce. A great recipe to prepare for your guests whilst your BBQ is heating up.”

 – Chef Brad McDonald, Shotgun, London.

Serves: 2 portions (3 tacos each)

Prep: 25 mins

Cook: 15 mins

Ingredients:

400g snapper (or fish that is in season), filleted, and cut into 15cm by 2cm strips

1 litre neutral cooking oil, such as corn oil or rapeseed oil

6 corn tortillas, 12cm in diameter

Chipotle Mayo:

35ml TABASCO® Chipotle Sauce

150g mayonnaise

Juice of 1 lime

Batter:

140g plain flour

140g rice flour

4g baking powder

5g oregano, finely chopped

60ml beer

60ml mezcal (or tequila as an alternative)

Garnish:

¼ white cabbage, shredded

1 ripe avocado, halved, destoned, and sliced lengthwise into 6 wedges

50g Cotija or queso fresco cheese (or feta as an alternative)

3 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

4-5 radishes, halved

2 limes, cut into wedges

Method:

• For the batter, mix the dry ingredients together, then whisk in the beer and the Mezcal until it turns into a smooth batter.
• Preheat the fryer to 170°C (or use a saucepan of oil).
  • Dust the fish in a little extra flour, then dip in the batter to coat.  Gently deep fry until golden brown, or for around 3-4 minutes.  Drain on kitchen paper.
  • Meanwhile, warm each of the corn tortillas in the oven so they are soft and pliable.

• Mix the chipotle mayo ingredients together and season to taste. 
• On a serving dish, lay down the tortillas and place a piece of avocado and fish

   in the centre of each.

• Sprinkle the top of each with the cabbage, cheese and coriander. Drizzle chipotle mayo over the top. Garnish with the lime wedges (for squeezing) and radishes.

New Orleans Style Chargrilled Oysters with TABASCO® Sauce

“This one is a staple of Southern entertaining and will go pretty much from grill to fork.  Use TABASCO® Sauce as liberally as you like for the ultimate kick.  This dish will also feature on the menu at Shotgun throughout summer.” 

 – Chef Brad McDonald, Shotgun, London.

Serves: 4

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 10 mins

Ingredients:

TABASCO® Sauce to taste

2 dozen oysters

10g fresh parsley, chopped

200g Parmesan cheese, grated

Garlic Butter:

2 cloves of garlic, minced

125g butter

Method:

• Make the garlic butter by melting the butter over a medium-low heat and then adding the garlic. Cook for 3-4 minutes but do not allow the butter to brown.  It should bubble and give off a pleasant aroma of roasted garlic. 
• Prepare the grill.
• Shuck your oysters, saving the topside of the shells for presentation later. 
• Place the oysters evenly onto the hot grill, making sure the outer shell is facing down. This will preserve their juices. As they warm, brush them with the garlic butter and top with an even amount of Parmesan. Continue to grill until the cheese has melted and begins to caramelise around the edges. Top with chopped parsley.
• Serve immediately and finish using TABASCO® Sauce liberally as a condiment (if using a large platter, you can counterbalance your finished oysters over the shell tops to keep them level and ensure you retain all the cooking juices).

Brad McDonald’s Dirty Rice with TABASCO® Sauce

“This is truly a one-pot wonder that promises to clean itself, with guests scraping every last morsel from the pan. It gets its heat and depth of flavour from TABASCO® Sauce paired with the incredibly rich flavours of the meats and prawns.”

 – Chef Brad McDonald, Shotgun, London.

Serves: 2 as a main course or 4 as a side dish

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 10 mins

Ingredients:

25ml TABASCO® Sauce 

200g long grain rice

200g chicken livers, minced

150g smoked Toulouse sausage (or any spicy smoked sausage), sliced into 1cm thick discs

120g Cornish brown crabmeat (or any available crabmeat)

12 large shell-on prawns

2 cloves of garlic, minced

50g spring onions, sliced

4 tbsp rapeseed oil (or vegetable oil as an alternative)

juice of 1 lemon

salt to taste

Method:

• Prepare the rice by boiling it in seasoned water until tender. Strain and rinse under cool water. Add a tablespoon of oil and coat evenly to keep the grains from sticking together.
• In a large sauté pan, heat the remaining oil until very hot, then add the sausage. When coloured evenly on each side, push the sausage to a corner of the pan.
• Add the chicken livers and then garlic to the clear area of the pan. Season with salt and cook until the livers are nicely browned.  Now push the livers into another corner of the pan, next to the sausage.
• Add the prawns to the remaining clear section of the pan and cook until they turn pink all over.   
• Stir in the cooked rice and combine all of the ingredients.  Season with TABASCO® Sauce and lemon juice.
• Turn off the heat and gently fold in the crabmeat and spring onions.  Season to taste.  Serve hot.

Esquites Mexican Street Corn Salad with Chipotle Mayo made with TABASCO® Chipotle Sauce

“Inspired by the flavourful street foods of Mexico, Esquites are a great BBQ side dish and go really well with all grilled meats and Baja Style Fish Tacos. The smoky TABASCO® Chipotle Sauce really brings out all of the flavours and textures in this tasty Mexican salad.”

 – Chef Brad McDonald, Shotgun, London.

Serves: 4

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 40 mins

Ingredients:

4 cobs of corn

1 small white onion, chopped

75g butter

6g salt

5g epazote (or fresh coriander as an alternative)

2 limes, cut into wedges

60g Pecorino or Parmesan cheese, grated

Chipotle Mayo:

35ml TABASCO® Chipotle Sauce

150g mayonnaise

juice of 1 lime

Method:

• Using a knife, strip the corn kernels from the cobs.  Place the cobs in a pot and cover with just enough water to submerge them. Add a pinch of salt and bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes until you have a nice corn-flavoured stock.  Strain and reserve the stock, getting rid of the spent cobs.
• Add the kernels to another pot with the onion, epazote (or fresh coriander), salt and butter.  Add just enough corn stock to cover by an inch. Bring to a simmer and cook until the onion is tender, or for around 15-20 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and spoon into your serving dish. Top generously with chipotle mayo, cheese, and an additional pinch of epazote (or fresh coriander). Garnish with lime wedges for squeezing.

Scallop Ceviche with TABASCO® Habanero Sauce

“Ceviche is the perfect start to a meal.  The Peruvian / Caribbean mash-up is a great alternative to a salad, or a bountiful offering for any non-meat eaters.  The fiery yet fruity flavours of TABASCO® Habanero Sauce really come to life and add a flavoursome depth to this dish.”

– Chef Brad McDonald, Shotgun, London.

Serves: 4

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 45 mins

Ingredients:

5ml TABASCO® Habanero Sauce

12 large scallops, roe removed

250ml lime juice

Pinch of salt

1 large ripe mango, peeled and diced

1 ripe avocado, diced

½ red onion, finely sliced

4 tsp fresh coriander, chopped

Coconut Oil:

50g desiccated coconut

100ml vegetable oil

Method:

• Soften the red onion in 50ml of lime juice.  Rest aside.
• Dice your scallops into cubes approximately 1/2cm large. In a large bowl, season them with a generous pinch of salt, TABASCO® Habanero Sauce, and the remaining lime juice. Allow to rest at room temperature.
• Prepare the coconut oil by placing the coconut in a saucepan and over a medium heat toast until slightly brown, stirring all the time. Once starting to brown, cover with the vegetable oil and heat until warm but avoid frying. Continue to infuse over low heat, stirring occasionally, for around 10-12 minutes.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool down to room temperature.  Strain through a fine sieve to remove the coconut.
• When the scallops are cooked in the lime juice, add the mango, avocado, coriander, and 50ml of the coconut oil.
• Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the softened onions and additional drops of TABASCO® Habanero Sauce.See also : Moo Ping Pork Skewers recipe and James Martin’s Beer Can Chicken