Last 16 – Final Day and England are Up
The final day of the last 16 of the 2018 World Cup sees the World Cup of BBQ move back to Europe and over to England for the first time, to cook Smokey Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy.
It was quite a difficult decision about what to cook from England. Time was against me a little bit but also the obvious choice would have been a Roast Dinner but that did not appeal in 26 degree heat.
The Cook
I constantly find myself saying “…this was a fairly simple cook” but I would like to think that most of the cooks I do are pretty straight-forward. It is a case of being organised, knowing the steps and timings and not panicking if things don’t go 100% as expected.
For this cook, I started by boiling some water, with salt whilst I was lighting the BBQ. When the BBQ was ready to cook on I added the peeled potatoes to the water and cooked until a fork easily slid into the potatoes (about 15 minutes).
The BBQ was set up for indirect cooking. This may have seemed odd as I was using the griddle but it gave me variable heat on two sides of the griddle. I didn’t want the onions to burn so this helped. I also like cooking sausages indirectly and just finishing them up directly over the coals. As I started to cook I added 2 wood chunks (Alder).
The potatoes took 15-20 minutes to cook as did the onions. I drained the potatoes and then placed on a baking tray (with holes in). I removed the onions and started to make the gravy on the hob, replacing the potatoes on the bbq. At this stage, I added a couple more wood chunks, and also move the sausages to the direct zone.
I kept an eye on the sausages to make sure they did not burn and then moved them onto the baking tray once I had the colour I was looking for. The potatoes got cooked for 5-7 minutes, before being removed and then mashed.
The Verdict
It’s been a while since I have cooked Sausages and Mash, but I would say this really works on the BBQ. As we all know sausages are great on the BBQ, but the onions took on some smoke, which gave a lovely taste to the gravy. Although the potatoes only got around 5 minutes they also took on some of the smoke. I think the thing here is to go heavy with the wood chunks. I also think using smoked sea salt or smoked butter could also help further smokiness into this dish.
Smokey Bangers & Mash with Onion Gravy
- Prep Time15 min
- Cook Time20 min
- Total Time35 min
- Serving Size2
Ingredients
For the Bangers and Mash
- 3 Pork Sausages Per Person
- 500g Maris Piper Potatoes
- 1 Tsp Salt
- Knob of Butter
- Splash of Milk
For the Onion Gravy
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 large Onion, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 Tsp Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Plain Flour
- 400ml Hot Beef Stock
- 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Method
Light your BBQ and whilst it is coming up to the desired heat also start heating a pan of salted water on the hob. Peel your potatoes, and once you are ready to start cooking on the BBQ add your potatoes to the pan.
Set your BBQ up to cook indirectly and your griddle (or the pan you are cooking the onions in) and a couple of wood chunks. Let the griddle heat up for a couple of minutes and then add the butter and onions. Cook for a couple of minutes and then stir in the sugar. Move the onions to the indirect area of the pan. Put the lid on your BBQ and allow the smoke to penetrate your onions. Check back every 4-5 minutes to make sure your onions are not burning. Cook for around 15 minutes.
At the same time you put the onions on, add your sausages to the indirect area of the BBQ. Turn them after 10 minutes.
When your potatoes are ready (you can slide a fork easily into them) – usually around 15 minutes, drain the potatoes and then add to one side of a baking tray. I have one with holes in but you don’t need one like this. Remove the onions and place the baking tray on the BBQ. Add them to the indirect area, with the potatoes as far away from the heat as you can get them. You are not trying to cook them here, just get some smoke infused. At this stage add 2 more wood chunks.
Transfer the onions to a pan on the hob, on a medium to high temperature, and stir in the flour. Next gradually add the stock, continually stirring until the mixture starts to thicken. At this stage add the balsamic vinegar and mix in well. Turn the heat down to a medium heat.
On the BBQ move the sausages to the direct zone and replace the lid. Cook for a couple of minutes each side. This will generate some additional smoke, which will help with the smokiness of the potatoes. Once the sausages have a nice colour on the outside move onto the baking tray.
After around 7 minutes, remove the potatoes from the BBQ. Add back to the pan you cooked them in and add a knob of butter and splash of milk and mash well. Once you have a smooth mash, spoon onto a plate and add the sausages then pour the onion gravy over both the sausage and potatoes. You could choose to serve with peas or other veg on the side.
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