Summer has arrived and with it comes the promise of long, balmy evenings and grilled meats gently cooking across the coals. Barbecue season is finally here. First things first, get the Marigolds out because if, like me, you closed the lid last year (like every year) and thought ‘I’ll worry about that in the future’ – your reckoning has arrived. It promises mould, fur, powdery black fingernails and destroyed clothing, not to mention the scent of chemical in the air. Welcome to the daily life of a commis chef. Just be thankful it’s only one day of the year. Should you survive, or cleverly outsource, this preparatory stage, then welcome to the fun part. Skirt steak is a valuable and delicious alternative to the more common and prime cuts of beef on the barbecue roster. Move on to the next paragraph now if you don’t like visual animal imagery, but this muscle hangs from the belly of the animal and has long cords or “grain” that run through it. The key is to slice across this grain after cooking and before service, shortening the cords in the process and making it softer to chew. The flavour of this skirt steak with charred chilli chimichurri will be as good as any prime cut. Photograph: Harry Weir The flavour is as good as any prime cut, particularly benefiting from the hard and fast charring of open flames and extreme heat. It should always be served medium rare or less, and be rested for as long as it is cooked. Anything else and it will be tough to get the enamel into it. As you’ll see in the recipe, it all happens fast and you’ll need to make sure to season the exterior heavily. The barbecue chimichurri is a very handy recipe that can be made in advance and kept in the fridge or even frozen for a variety of dishes. Charring the chilli and shallot until blistered and blackened may sound unnerving, but will result in a beautifully sweet and smoky back note to the green herbs and zesty lime.The second dish relies on quality ingredients. The Irish tomato season is just kicking off, and we have some great producers all over the country. When perfectly ripened and with a beautiful balance of sweetness, these just need to be sliced, seasoned and served up at room temperature with some ripped basil leaves and spicy extra virgin olive oil. I’m often asked about cooking fish on the barbecue and it can be tricky. The best thing to do at home is source some thick cut monkfish, starting it on a pan to seal the exterior. From here, it can hit the coals for a minute or two to finish cooking through while getting gently scented with that signature smoke. This guarantees full-on flavour without the fear of the fish sticking to the grills. If in doubt when it comes to sticking, just make sure the grills are outrageously hot. For the most part, the main thing that causes ingredients to stick is the grill being too cold. Take the time – it’s easier to cool things down than to be stuck trying to heat things up. Recipe: Barbecue skirt steak with charred chilli chimichurriRecipe: Barbecue monkfish tail with marinated heritage tomatoes and basil