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When the weather’s hot, Todd MacIntyre loves to grill.

The Sydney, Cape Breton resident — who spends his summers in Darnley, P.E.I. — has been a chef for more than 30 years and works at the Nova Scotia Community College as part of the faculty for the Culinary Arts Program at the Marconi Campus.

“I barbeque year-round, but certainly less frequently in winter,” he says.

“I have a Green Egg Kamado grill and a small Weber tabletop BBQ. I love the versatility of the small (but mighty!) Weber, but the taste from the charcoal is hard to beat.”

What he loves about summer barbequing is that he says it is often a relaxing experience.

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Burnt out from corn and baked potato? These Atlantic Canadian chefs have mouthwatering ideas to amp up your barbecue side dish game

FOLLOW A FOODIE: Fire up the BBQ ... for grilled cheese?

“The smell and flavours take me back to my childhood and remembering my dad cooking on it,” reminisced MacIntyre. “So, for me, it’s the smell, memories and relaxation of the experience; not to mention, maybe having a favorite beverage handy.”

MacIntyre has put together some of his favourite main BBQ and side dishes for east coasters to try out this summer.

1. Place the wings in a large bowl, add olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Add the BBQ rub and mix until well coated. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for a minimum of one hour (Hint: the longer the better).

2. Get your smoker to the proper temperature and place the wings on indirect heat. Smoke until internal temperature reaches 165-175°F. Simply place an 8x12 tinfoil tray directly on the coals and add water and throw in a few wood chips. Add hickory wood chips also directly to fire while cooking. Repeat when necessary (Hint: soak chips in water at least 10 minutes).

3. While the wings are smoking, prepare the sauce. In a small sauce pot, melt butter, add grated onion and cook one to two minutes. Add whiskey, maple syrup, ketchup, dried oregano, salt, pepper, Worcestershire and cayenne. Cook over medium to high heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently until glaze thickens.

4. Once wings get to temperature of 165- 175°F, brush glaze onto both side of the wings and cook to your desired doneness.

Yield: Four to six servings

a. Combine the ingredients and mix well.

b. Reserve one tbsp of the rub for later.

c. Add the chicken to foil tray and season all over with the rub; allow to marinate one to two hours.

d. Bring to room temperature 45 minutes before cooking.

2. Soak 1½ cups wood chips in water for at least 10 minutes. Preheat the barbeque to around 350 to 375°F on one side or, if using coals, indirect heat on half the BBQ.

3. Pour the braising over the chicken and place the tray on the indirect heat side. Place wood chips directly over hot area or you can wrap in foil, poke a few holes and place sort of indirectly over hot area.

4. Cook chicken for about 30 to 45 minutes, you don’t want it boiling, just a nice gentle simmer.

5. Now add the chicken directly on grill and brush on ½ the glaze and sprinkle half the reserved spice. Cook about five minutes, careful to not burn. Turnover, glaze and spice again, cook another five minutes.

Yield: Eight to ten servings

1. In a bowl combine all the ingredients, except the fish, and mix well.

2. In a casserole dish or foil tray, lay sliced lemons and place salmon on top.

3. Cover with marinade, wrap and marinate for an hour. Baste every 20 minutes.

4. Allow to come to room temperature before cooking.

5. Prepare barbeque to medium heat and place the tray of fish on for 10 to 15 minutes and baste as it cooks. It may take longer, depending on the heat on the BBQ.

6. Once almost cooked (check with food probe to 130°F), lay fish straight on the hot side of the BBQ to get the char marks. Cook 140°F

• Mix all ingredients together and store in an air-tight container for 30 days.

1. Preheat your smoker to 225°F-250°F. Place on a two-pound piece of hickory, or any fruit tree wood. Lay on top of coals. You may need to add a few during the process.

2. Using a boning knife, trim the brisket’s fat cap down to ¼”. Also, trim any large chunks of hard fat from the edges of the brisket. Season all surfaces with a favorite rub. Rest the brisket until the rub looks wet, at least 10 minutes.

3. Transfer the brisket to the smoker. Smoke open until a dark bark is formed, eight to nine hours.

4. Remove from the smoker. Wrap in butcher or parchment paper and return to the smoker. You can add beef stock if desired before wrapping. Continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meat reads about 208 to 210°F. Total cook time will vary, but around 14 to 16 hours for a 16-pound brisket total.

Yield: Enough for a five-pound brisket

• These can be skewered or cut larger to reduce fall through

• It is best to partially blanch potatoes (don’t wrap in foil, that is just steaming them and no BBQ flavor)

• You can marinate any vegetable in your favorite salad dressing for 30 minutes to an hour before grilling (French, Catalina, Italian, Balsamic, etc.).

1. Toss in some olive oil and seasonings.

2. Make sure grill is hot before adding vegetables.

• 1 to 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

• salt and pepper (to taste)

1. Place ingredients into a cast-iron pan and melt on barbeque, stir to incorporate. Remove from heat when melted. No need to boil.

2. When vegetables are grilled to desired doneness, brush on the butter

• 5 medium potatoes (peeled and cut into three or four pieces each)

• 3 cloves garlic whole (slightly crushed)

1. Preheat barbeque on 375-400°F and place a cast-iron pan with enough oil to coat the bottom. Heat oil on hot BBQ for about 10 minutes

2. Place potatoes into a pot and add enough water to just cover and add 1 tbsp salt. Bring to a boil. Cook until they are slightly resistant when pierced with a knife.

3. Drain and place on a cooling rack. Sprinkle coarse salt over them and allow them to dry on rack for 15 minutes. This allows them to form a crusty skin.

4. Add the hot oil with the garlic and cook for 10 minutes without touching. Keep turning every 10 minutes up to about 50 to 60 minutes until they are golden and crusty.

• ¼ to ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

• 4 cloves whole garlic (smashed slightly)

• Pinch of crushed red pepper

• ⅓ cup croutons or crusty bread (to make own)

• ½ cup grated Parmigiano or flakes plus more for serving

• Zest and juice of 1 lemon

• 1 bunch of kale, tough stems removed, cut into small bite size pieces

• ⅓ cup cooked bacon pieces (optional)

1. Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil. Toss in half the garlic and the crushed red pepper and bring the pan to medium heat. Cook the garlic until it becomes golden and very aromatic, two to three minutes. Remove the garlic and use later for another meal idea. Toss in the bread cubes and cook, stirring frequently, until they are golden, crisp and have absorbed all the oil. Remove from the heat and set aside.

2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the Parmigiano, lemon zest and juice, the remaining garlic, the Dijon, anchovies and Worcestershire. Puree until the mixture is smooth — 15 to 20 seconds. With the machine running, add olive oil through the feed tube. Let the processor continue to run for another 10 to 15 seconds. Taste and season with salt if needed.

3. In a large bowl, toss the kale with the croutons and enough dressing to your liking. Add bacon, craisins and nuts and toss to combine.

• 5 sweet corns cut in half (husks removed)

• ¼ cup feta or Manchego cheese

1. Mix all ingredients (except the lime and cheese) and allow to marinate at room temperature for one to two hours.

2. Preheat BBQ to medium heat.

3. Skewer the corn through the core and place on hot grill, cook, turning and basting with the marinade frequently until nice and charred all around. This may take 20 to 30 minutes

4. Remove from grill and squeeze the lime and sprinkle the cheese over top.

• 5 to 6 ears corn cut in half or whole (husks removed)

• ½ to 1 tsp favorite spice rub

1. Brush oil on the corn and prepare the BBQ. The BBQ should have a hot side and low side.

2. Place the corn on the low side for 10 minutes.

3. Place the butter, garlic, half the parsley and seasoning rub in a pot and melt on the BBQ.

4. Alternate back and forth from low to hot grill to get the desired char marks (without burning). Cook about 20 to 30 minutes.

5. Once the desired doneness is achieved, remove from grill and brush on the hot butter and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.

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