Licence to grill: Meat the men who love cooking over hot coals. . .

GLYNN PURNELL: Celebrity chef and Michelin-starred chef-patron of Purnell’s, in Birmingham

Everyone always associates barbecues with summer, but to be honest, I’m just a big fan of cooking in the open-air over fire all year round. We go camping quite a lot as a family, and we dig a hole and make our own fire pit and then cook meat underneath the stars. There’s nothing better than some nice steak on the barbecue, washed down with a good bottle of red wine.

Last year I did an event with Krug Champagne where I cooked a barbecue out in the middle of the woods in the Lickey Hills, using steak and some mushrooms that we’d foraged from the woods . . . and that was in November.

“When I barbecue at home with the family, I think it’s nice to mix it up, rather than just using heavy protein-based foods such as burgers and sausages – although we all love a banger – I like to cook vegetables on the barbecue such as courgettes, aubergines, peppers, mushrooms and lettuce. Just cover the vegetables in spiced or flavoured oils, and roll them over the flames.

LEO KATTOU: Senior sous chef at Simpsons, Birmingham, and MasterChef finallist

Michelin-starred chef Leo Kattou describes himself as ‘the biggest barbecue freak you’ll ever meet’.

Leo thrilled millions when he made a daring run to the semi-finals of BBC’s MasterChef The Professionals while he’s also a senior chef at Simpsons, which has a Michelin star.

Leo has Greek heritage and loves cooking over an open flame. He says that gives food greater flavour than cooking over gas.

“I love barbecue,” he says. “My Greek heritage is probably the biggest influence on that. I love spit rotisserie and clay ovens. I’ve been doing that since I was a kid.”

He says cooking low and slow helps to relax meat and fish while letting the full flavours come through.

“It’s not just low and slow though. It’s also the flavour off the charcoal. Gas doesn’t do it for me. You don’t get that aroma. We do a lot on a rotisserie at home and it’s always beautiful.

“Barbecue eating is more social than anything else. You don’t really need to marinade anything because if you’re cooking on a spit rotisserie the meat bastes itself. It doesn’t drip. As it gradually turns, it drips on to the surface of the meat. That gives it an amazing flavour and beautiful texture.

“You don’t just have to look at meat. I also do roast potatoes in the clay oven and they are amazing. I scatter a few fresh tomatoes over the top so the tomato flavours get into the potatoes, while the potatoes themselves go all crisp. In terms of garnish, I just recommend a really good salad and a bit of couscous.”

BRAD CARTER: Chef proprietor at Carters of Moseley

Brummie chef Brad Carter has become a household name after featuring regularly on BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen.

The Michelin-starred cook, who made his name at Carters of Moseley, is famed for his love of British produce.

And that means he not only cooks with the best meat and vegetables from the land and fish from the sea – he also uses indigenous wood so that he can barbecue better than anyone else.

Brad uses oak, maple, damson, cherry, alder and other types of wood so that he can pair the right type of smoke with the right type of ingredients.

And he even smokes his own salt – so that people can use that to flavour their food if they don’t want to fire up the barbie.

Brad says: “We love adding in flavour. I’ve even got my own range of flavoured salts now, which are on sale at Webbs of Wychbold.”

Brad likes to use barbecue techniques when his customers are eating Michelin-starred food. And that means people can experience a uniquely refined barbecue experience when they’re sitting down to dinner. It also means there’s no one better qualified to talk to us about the finer points of barbecuing.

Brad says: “I use a lot of different ways of grilling and barbecuing when I’m in the kitchen. I have a dedicated charcoal oven which can double-up as a smoker or a barbecue oven. We do a lot of pre-smoking, so we add in the flavour before we cook.

“I also use a Konro grill, which is a small Japanese grill that’s now available in the UK. You can move it about because it’s really mobile.”

Most people simply buy a packet of supermarket charcoal when they’re ready to light their barbecue. But Brad says it’s best to spend a little bit more to buy good quality charcoal because it’s the smoke that gives food its unique, summery flavour.

“Wood is a major thing. The charcoal and wood that you use is the biggest flavour involved in the whole thing. When you put the meat onto the grill and the fat drops onto the coals, the flare splashes back up and gives it flavour. So don’t use cheap or chemical-infused charcoal. You have to use good charcoal. We use charcoal from two young guys in the Forest of Dean. They have a place where it’s all sustainably done. We use oak, maple, damson, cherry, alder – a few different woods.

“To get it right, you have to experiment and use the right type of wood with the right type of food.

“Some wood gives off a light smoke, others give off a heavy smoke. Oak smoke is great with beef, because beef is really heavy and can take it. Maple is really good as well because it’s so rich and robust.

“Lamb needs a damson or cherry wood, which is lighter, and you need less smoke. You don’t want a smoke that’s as in-your-face as oak or maple.”

Brad doesn’t limit his barbecuing to meat. He also likes to cook vegetables, fish and even desserts over an open flame.

“We’ve got a strawberry dessert that we grill. We take really big strawberries from a farm in Lichfield. They are all overgrown and jammy. Then we grill them intensely on little needles across the grill so that they are slightly burned and bittersweet.”

But back to savoury dishes and Brad says: “The salts that I’ve done for Webbs are good fun. We’ve done a charcoal salt, which is completely black. We spread that over a piece of steak and leave it for an hour and let the moisture rise to the top and that gives it a real nice flavour and texture.”

Getting things right when it comes to good accompaniments is also important and Brad favours sauces and relishes that have a high acidity, to counterbalance the bitterness from scorched fat.

He’s presently cooking a lamb dish that uses English peas, from Lichfield, as a garnish. They are mixed with vinegar, so that they are almost like a pickle.

Of course, it’s not all restaurant-standard food and Brad also likes to head for the great outdoors to cook relaxed dishes with friends. “Barbecuing is about how you feel and what you want to eat. You don’t have to be focused on high-end stuff. You can literally smash out the sweetcorn at the end of the summer, just grill it as a dinner, it’s beautiful. Have a nice big plate of that.”

PETER SIDWELL: TV chef, author and owner of cookery school

Celebrity chef Peter Sidwell, the presenter of Channel 4’s Lakes On A Plate, says barbecuing should be fun.

Peter, who runs a cookery school in Cumbria and is the author of Simply Good Taste, Simply Good Bread, Simply Good Pasta and Simply Good Family Food, says there’s a golden rule to getting it right: less is more.

He says: “It really is all about less is more. Don’t over complicate things and don’t overfill the grill. If you put too much on that grill you lose your heat and you lose control and cooking is all about control.

“I find cooking things such as chicken a big worry because it has to have a particular internal temperature. So the best thing to do is cook your chicken inside at 150C for an hour and a bit then glaze it up with a lovely barbecue sauce and finish it on the grill.”

Peter says people can make a simple barbecue sauce using storecupboard ingredients.

“Just mix equal parts ketchup and brown sauce with a dash of soy sauce and vinegar. Mix it up then use a brush to cover it as you cook. You want it to caramelise and stick to the grill.”

Simple sides are also easy to perfect if you keep things simple.

“Jacket potatoes are lovely. Cut them in half, then brush the cut side with olive oil then place cut-side-down for 2-3 minutes on the grill for a lovely flavour. Don’t put them in the fire in foil, you’ll forget, you’ll have had a beer, they’ll be incinerated – there’s no point.

“Or if you don’t fancy jackets, use Jersey Royals. Poach them first then finish them off with a bit of oil and salt on the barbecue. The same with asparagus. Cook it first then use the grill to finish things.”

Peter says more advanced cooks will know that barbecues are about adding flavour, rather than doing all of the cooking.

“Control things with your oven or hobs then finish on the barbecue for flavour. I love fish on the barbecue but it’s not easy to cook it well because it’s delicate and it sticks. So pick a load of fresh rosemary to sit between the fish and the grill so the fish doesn’t burn. The rosemary protects it. It’s about understanding the grill and what it can do.”

Peter advises against the burgers-and-bangers route because there are more interesting things to cook. However, those who insist on burgers and bangers should jazz them up with a good garnish.

“I live in Cumbria and Cumberland sausage hot dogs are great with raw fennel and Pink Lady apple, sliced up. Add a little olive oil and it’s almost like a fragrant fruity slaw. It works well with the fatty richness of the sausage. It’s a game changer.”

CHRIS BURT: Executive chef at Mytton and Mermaid

Chef Chris Burt is one of the best known cooks in the West Midlands. A regular at big events like Shrewsbury Flower Show, where he demos to thousands of people, he also curates the chef demonstration stages at Shrewsbury Food Festival, mixing with the likes of DIY SOS star Nick Knowles and a cluster of Michelin-starred cooks.

He is the executive chef at The Mytton and Mermaid, one of the region’s most exclusive country hotels, and published his own book, Momo No Ki, which was a success in the UK and USA.

He’s a big fan of barbecue and uses a Japanese Krono grill to get the best flavour for his food. “Barbecue is brilliant when it comes to summer and I’m delighted to provide these recipes for readers of the Star – they are unique, we’ve devised them specifically for you.

“I’d encourage everyone to follow the tips from the guys who feature in this special – believe me, there are seriously good.

“Look, we’re enjoying the longest, hottest summer since 1976 and who doesn’t like to get out in the garden and eat al fresco.

“Barbecue is the only way to cook in this beautiful, long summer – so read what the chefs have to say and fire up the barbie.”

SAM BARKER: Farmer of Long Horn Beef

Celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal says the best British beef breed is Long Horn.

And Shropshire farmer Sam Barker, from Great Berwick Organics, near Shrewsbury, agrees.

He says Long Horn provides exceptional flavour and taste for people looking to get the best from their barbecue.

The meat has a high fat content and plenty of marbling, which means small streaks of fat run through the meat and help it to self-baste during cooking, keeping it perfectly tender and full of flavour.

The meat is also aged, which means it has a more intense flavour because the flavours are given time to develop.

Mr Barker, who farms on the banks of the River Severn, says barbecuing is a great way to cook.

“We do that at shows ourselves and I’ve developed a huge pulley system so that I can cook a whole leg of beef over a fire pit. It gives it incredible flavours and people queue out into the distance to try it.

“Our beef is grass fed, with no unpleasant chemicals or preservatives, so people know they’re getting the best, organic beef that money can buy.

“Aged meat with plenty of fat content is great for barbecues because the flavours come through.”

Mr Barker added that farming beef was good for the environment because his 235-strong herd helped maintain the land.

“The Longhorns play a harmonious role in our organic cereal production. The cows eat the clover rich grass and at the same time the clover is working wonders under the surface by locking in the naturally occurring nitrogen. This in turn helps to produce better crop yields.”