Ready for a visit from… the Easter Barby?

Easter’s almost here – that means family time, time away, time with the kids or time to yourself (that last one’s always tough).

Chances are you’ve already got something planned for the break, even if the plan is simply ‘anything but work’. But, do you know what would make it even better? That’s right: a killer barbeque spread – because barbeques make almost everything better.

We’ve put together three recipes with a little help from Weber to give any tradie the grill-spiration for a delicious long weekend.

Serves 4 | Prep time: 10 mins | BBQ time: 40 mins

Tender, sweet and insanely moreish with its spicy harissa yoghurt, these cauliflower bites make a perfect starter or side.

Let’s cook

One       

Prepare the barbeque for indirect cooking over medium heat (190○C – 230○C).

Two       

Add the cauliflower florets to a bowl. Lightly coat with olive oil and season with Weber’s All-Purpose Rub.

Three    

Roast the cauliflower over indirect medium heat with the lid closed for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender and lightly golden.

Four      

While the cauliflower roasts, make the harissa yoghurt. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, yoghurt, 3 tsps of harissa paste, lemon juice and sea salt. Stir to combine. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining 1 tsp of harissa paste and 3 tsps of olive oil. Pour the yoghurt into a small serving bowl, drizzle the harissa oil over the top and swirl with a spoon if desired. Garnish the cauliflower with chopped parsley and the harissa yoghurt dipping sauce.

Serves 4 | Prep time: 30 mins | BBQ time: 6 hours | Resting time: 30 mins

It might take some time, but it’s a classic for a reason. Layered with flavour, these tender, juicy ribs will make your whole day.

Ingredients

• 4 x 1kg racks of pork ribs
• 20 tsp Weber Pork Low and Slow Rub
• 500mL apple cider vinegar (in a spray bottle)
• 8 tbsp maple syrup

Let’s cook

One       

Prepare the barbeque for indirect cooking over very low heat (110○C – 130○C).

Two       

Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs – you can find guides for how to do this online. Coat the pork ribs all over with the Weber Pork Low and Slow Rub.

Three    

Brush the cooking grills clean. Once the barbeque has preheated, add the pork ribs and cook over indirect, very low heat with the lid closed for 4 hours, or until the rub has set, the ribs have a red hue, and a crust has formed. Spritz with the apple cider vinegar (in a spray bottle) every 30 minutes or so.

Four      

Remove the ribs from the barbeque and place on 3 layers of aluminium foil, bone side up. Pour approximately 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar (from spray bottle) and 2 tbsp of maple syrup over each rack of ribs and tightly wrap with foil. Return to the barbecue (bone side up) and continue to cook for 1 to 1 ½ hours, or until the meat is tender when pierced with a toothpick.

Five       

Gently unwrap from the foil and collect the drippings from the foil packets. Brush the ribs with the drippings and continue to cook for a final 30 mins, or until the deep red hue returns.

Six         

Remove the ribs from the barbeque, tightly wrap again in foil and leave to rest for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Serves 10 | Prep time: 10 mins | Cooling time: 2 hours | BBQ time: 30 mins – 1 hour

‘Basque’ translates to burnt – this is a cheesecake to bake at a high temperature for a crunchy outside and soft, creamy inside. Yes please.

Ingredients

• 200g Lotus Biscoff biscuits
• 1 small lemon, zested
• 80g butter, melted
• 500g cream cheese, room temperature
• 150g (¾ cup) caster sugar
• 250g Lotus Biscoff Spread
• 3 eggs, lightly whisked, room temperature
• 250ml cream, room temperature
• ½ tsp fine sea salt

Let’s cook

One       

Prepare the barbeque for indirect cooking over medium heat (roast setting, 200○C – 230○C).

Two       

Spray a 25cm diameter springform cake tin with a little cooking oil spray or melted butter. Line the tin with baking paper, ensuring the height of the paper isn’t more than 1cm over the top. Use a food processor or place the biscuits in a large zip lock bag and crush them into crumbs. Pour the biscuit crumbs into a bowl, then add the zest from a lemon and the melted butter. Mix until well combined. Pour into the lined cake tin and press to compact the base.

Three    

In the bowl of a stand mixer or using electric beaters, beat the cream cheese and caster sugar for 4 mins on medium speed, or until light and fluffy. Gradually add the Biscoff spread and keep mixing to combine. Slowly pour the lightly beaten eggs into the cream cheese mix, ensuring it’s well incorporated before adding more egg. Once just combined, avoid beating the mixture much more. Slowly add the cream, and finally the salt. Once the ingredients are smooth and combined, stop beating and pour the mix into the cake pan.

Four      

Once the barbeque has preheated, bake the cheesecake over indirect medium heat with the lid closed for 30 to 45 mins, or until the mix is just set and the top has coloured. Once finished cooking (if possible) turn the barbecue off and leave the cheesecake to cool in the barbecue for 30 minutes (to prevent cracking from temperature shock).

Five       

Leave the cheesecake to cool completely before serving. Once cooled, refrigerate to store the cheesecake. Best to bring to room temperature when you are ready to serve.

Extra tips

• Have your cream cheese, eggs and thickened cream at room temperature for a silky mix with no lumps.
• Once the egg has been added to the mix, avoid beating much further. If you overbeat the eggs, it can cause the cheesecake to split.
• If you’re making the cheesecake for the following day, add 1 tbsp of sifted plain flour to the mix to avoid weeping in the fridge.

As our added bonus recipe, why not throw a few hot cross buns on the grill for a minute too? After all, nobody’s going to turn that down.