BBQ Tips from Dariush at Cazador

Daylight Savings feels like a good time to realise your gas bottle is empty, discover a few cockroaches and generally get Barbecue ready. Nothing says summer more than a nicely charred piece of your favourite food so we recently spoke with Dariush Lolaiy of Cazador Restaurant for some tips on the ideal barbecue. Here is what he had to say;

BBQ Tips from Dariush at Cazador. 

Looking ahead to summer shirt sleeves... 

BBQ type

I'm a fan of a very simple coal or wood grill, my favourite is the Japanese Hibiki, and I'm currently setting up a new Traeger Ironwood XL for the coming summer.

Protein

For relaxed eating I like to keep the cooking simple and centred around one protein; a butterflied lamb leg, or whole spatchocked bird is always fun to build a menu of salads, breads and accompaniments around. During BBQ season I go large on olive oil to maintain brightness across the proteins and sides. The heavy lifting can be done the day before - apply a flavourful marinade with the likes of harissa or nduja and leave the meat overnight, make your salsas in advance - my favourite is fresh garden herbs of parsley, mint and chive with chopped anchovy and pistachio. Keep the salads textural like crunchy leaves and a vinaigrette, and white beans or chickpeas (El Navarrico are my preferred) straight from the jar dressed liberally with lemon juice, olive oil and pimenton. 

Vegetables 

To keep dishes light and the tone relaxed, cook additional vegetables on the BBQ alongside the meat, grilled aubergine, sweetcorn and zucchini is simple and delicious, a dressing of tahini and yogurt is very versatile. Finish with garlic buttered pita bread or flatbread with a final lick of the flames.

Drinks 

Play to the vibrant citrus dressings with a Copacabana Brut IPA, or the Alibi Pilsner from Waiheke. For wine look to textural whites - a Palomino table wine is fun (I'm still buzzing on the Mucharda-Léclapart you gave us) as for red, a Cabernet would be great with those charred flavours, I love the Amoise from Hawke's Bay. 

Stocking Up 

Our suggested Butcher is The Grey Lynn Butchers. Auckland’s best range and quality - we often source our meat from the same farms. 

For the ndjua - it's Cazador's house made, available at the Deli, as is the Navarrico range. The Navarrico beans and chickpeas are also available at Sabato. 

Preferred olive oil is Evergreen Olive Oil - organic extra virgin oil from Kerikeri, our house oil Evergreen Oil is also available at the deli.

Cazador Restaurant