Summer Barbecues in France
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When I asked Beth about summer barbecue parties in her corner of the Occitanie region, I wasn’t expecting tales of roasted boars on a spit! Everyone’s idea of a barbecue is unique, but the essential ingredients always remain the same: good company, delicious food and drinks, and great music, preferably live! Beth’s barbecues sound like an absolute delight, and I can’t wait to share her stories and tips with you. Get ready to be inspired for your next al fresco feast …
“It’s that time of year here in France when the fields are ablaze with beaming sunflowers and the air is filled with sweet scents of freshly harvested wheat. And that’s not all. If I take the dogs for an early evening walk, it doesn’t take long for them to start sniffing the breeze hungrily. Barbecues are being fired up, and those heady aromas are enough to stir anyone’s appetite. We’re starving by the time we get home.
In our part of SW France, cooking outside is a definite thing, and why not? The climate lends itself to dining al fresco, and barbecuing/grilling is a wonderfully social activity.
Barbecue Equipment
We’re pretty traditional here. Most of our friends use a grill fuelled by oak or charcoal briquettes. Once the desired base temperature is reached, dried apple, cherry, or nut tree branches are often added. Cut-offs from grapevine pruning (the old-timers swear by grapevine wood) are favourites, too. They all give off that lovely fruity scent, which permeates the food as it cooks.
Planchas are also used. This Spanish word refers to a flat, heated surface. Ours is made from cast iron with a non-stick coating, which prevents it from rusting. It’s fuelled by gas burners for indirect grilling and can reach high temperatures. Planchas are great because they distribute heat evenly, ideal for most foods, including delicate ingredients like fish, prawns, and vegetables that need gentle, consistent heat.
To Marinade or Not
In general: not. The French tend to focus on using ingredients that enhance the natural flavours of the meat. This means there is less use of heavy marinades and rich sauces during the cooking process. Instead, products such as extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, herbes de Provence, parsley, garlic and a combination of sea salt and black pepper are used.
Popular Food Choices
Ouf! It’s hard to know where to start. I adore French barbecued food. You’re unlikely to see mountains of hot dogs sausages and beefburgers, but you will see lots of chicken, chipolatas and merguez spicy lamb sausages. Carnivores particularly delight in these. Sometimes made using beef, the red, tangy sausage originated in Morocco and is a staple dish, as are brochettes.
Brochettes are skewers loaded with chunks of meat or fish, as well as vegetables such as onion and peppers. Visit any butcher at this time of year, and you’ll see prepared brochettes, ready to go on the grill. They’re easy to cook, versatile, and utterly delicious.
Travers de Porc (pork ribs) also feature on outdoor cooking menus, though these are not slathered in a strong, piquant sauce. Recipes using ingredients such as runny honey, balsamic vinegar, and rosemary, along with garlic, olive oil and seasoning, are common. But perhaps the star of the carnivores’ show at a barbecue is the Côte de Boeuf. This cut of well-matured beef, with added salty butter, black pepper, garlic and perhaps a delicious scattering of delicate herbs, is cooked slowly over the ashy embers of a glowing fire. The end result has a crusty exterior and tender centre. Cooked correctly and enjoyed with a full-bodied wine such as my personal favourite, the classic Châteauneuf-du-Pape, it’s a true celebration of French culinary life.
Veggies and Fish
A variety of fish is cooked, but sardines are the runaway faves. Not only are they packed with healthful vitamins and oils, they’re somehow far tastier when cooked on a grill – especially when drizzled with olive oil, lemon and lightly sprinkled with fresh garlic and parsley. Miam miam!
In our area, with its abundance of fruit and veg farmers, tomatoes, peppers and mushrooms are grilled, offering tasty alternatives for those who are less keen on meat. Oh, and for pud, bananas and marshmallows often make an appearance. I know, they’re a guilty pleasure.
As for accompaniments, salads with a light vinaigrette on the side, rice, and, of course, the ubiquitous baguettes are standards.
So that gives you an idea of the classic barbecue/grill menu. Another meat prepared here feeds hordes. It’s a crowd-puller which wows onlookers and delights the palate. It’s wild boar.
Sanglier à la Broche
We live in an area with a strong hunting tradition. The hunters’ role includes keeping the number of wild boar to manageable levels since they can cause havoc to farmers’ crops. The culled animal is revered, and its meat is shared among family and friends. It’s also the star of the show at large gatherings where the animal is roast on a spit, a cooking method which has been performed for thousands of years. The process adopted in our area is unlikely to have altered much since then. The sixtieth birthday celebration of our friend is a good example.
A culled fifty-kilo boar from our forest was used, and Damien, self-appointed village boar-cooking expert, volunteered to become chef for the day.
Damien dug out a fire pit in our friend’s garden the day before the party. With help from others, he set up a chunky rotisserie spit, with a handle at one end to turn the beast. A large drip tray was positioned below the iron pole. Damien was good to go.
At approximately 7 am the next day, Damien lit his fire. The pole was fed through the skinned boar and wired into place to stop it from swinging during cooking. The internal cavity was stuffed with Damien’s secret mixture, which involved a vast quantity of herbs, vegetables and liquor. The cavity was closed using industrial staples, and the skin was coated with a heady mixture of oil, seasoning, and something punchy that smelled like eau de vie.
Damien began cooking at 9 am-ish. The aromas coming from the garden, when we arrived at around 8 pm, were amazing. The first thing everyone did was to admire the boar, which Damien had been basting all day using a medieval-looking long-handled ladle to scoop and pour the juices from his drip tray. Thoroughly marinated with beer, it was a job to know which was the most lubricated, the chef or the beast.
Removing the cooked boar was a team effort. It was allowed to rest for over an hour, and then sliced and presented on platters along with tureens of herby new potatoes, hunks of baguette and salad. Healthy, packed with protein with no additives, quite honestly, it was one of the best meat dishes we have ever eaten. And just when we thought the spectacle was over, Damien (now a bit wobbly) offered the removed boar tusks as a souvenir. Strange but true, they were instantly claimed as a memento of the evening.
That’s country life al fresco in our corner of beautiful France for you…”
Thank you so much, Beth, for sharing your story, especially during such a busy time for you and the clan. You truly deserve a celebratory feast, complete with a glass of rosé or a beer! For more seasonal adventures from southwest France, don’t miss Beth’s excellent best-selling books. Santé, here’s to many more unforgettable barbecues and shared moments under the Occitanie sun.
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