Ribs are one of the great pleasures of carnivorousness, and simplicity itself to prepare, as long as you cook them slow enough to melt the hard-working meat that makes them so tasty, and don't try to get too fancy with the marinade: this is a cut that really doesn't need it.

This salsa is so very simple it stands or falls on the ripeness of its ingredients: sweet tomatoes, tangy spring onions, hot herbaceous chillies and aromatic coriander, all thrown into sharp relief by a zesty lime and a generous quantity of salt. The quan

Many barbecuers believe that the smoke flavours actually penetrate the meat during the process though a more practical cook might argue the point. There is certainly a limited penetration of the marinade and the rub (the legendary "smoke ring") but the beauty of pulled pork is that it bypasses all such controversy - before serving the meat is shredded so the moist interior, the gorgeous layer of lubricating fat and the charred, tarry exterior "bark" are thoroughly mixed so the flavours really can marry together. To my mind it's this effect, plus the acidic bite of the special vinegar-based sauce, that makes North Carolina pulled pork the uber-'cue.

Not as common as the beef and pork dishes at a Korean barbecue restaurant, this underappreciated chicken dish, known as dak gui, is just as tasty and has a flavor reminiscent of teriyaki chicken but with a more complex, grown-up slant.

Succulent pork belly, sizzling slices of aubergine… Most things taste better cooked over coals – especially if they've been marinated in spices, soy sauce or lime

It surprises me that we often save barbecues for special occasions or parties when, frankly, it can be quite stressful catering for such numbers over fire. Really, the barbecue is just another agreeable weapon in the thinking cook's arsenal, more appropriate for a family lunch or friends over for supper than for feeding the whole village/street/cricket team.

I’ve been experimenting with a mixed approach, combining about 50% chuck with 25% brisket and short rib for a rich, meaty burger (I stole the mixed meat idea from New York butcher Pat LaFrieda, who sells bespoke burger mixes to places like the storied Shake Shack). Traditionalists will insist on beef burgers, but lamb, pork, turkey and even duck are fantastic ground and grilled — the Lunchbox Laboratory here in Seattle sells duck/pork burger called The Dork that calls to my nerdy heart.

Burgers may be fast food, but they're also a craft. There are clubs devoted to the cult of the perfect patty, endless articles devoted to the 20 examples you must "try before you die" (if they don't finish you off first), and every month, a new, and usually outlandish variation on the theme, from 10oz hunks of foie gras to doughnut buns. But I'm interested in taking the burger back to basics, with a classic beef number suitable for cooking on the barbecue, or a hot griddle pan.