There’s something so laidback about chucking your tinfoil-wrapped food in the flames and enjoying a beer with mates. Whether you have a hole in the ground or a fancy iron pit, these recipes can work for you.

Sweet potatoes in jackets with feta crème

Serves 4

• 4 sweet potatoes, about 300g each
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 large red chilli, finely chopped,
• 4 dill sprigs

Feta crème

• 300g feta, coarsely grated or crumbled
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped dill
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp milk

To make the feta crème, put the feta, garlic, and dill in a food processor. Mix for about 10 seconds, until well combined. With the motor running, add the oil, then the milk, to make a smooth and creamy sauce. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

Sit each of the sweet potatoes in the centre of a sheet of foil. Rub with oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Wrap in the foil to firmly enclose.

Your firepit is ready to cook on after about 2 hours of burning, when the timber is charcoal black, has transformed into red hot coals about the size of golf balls, and the smoke has all but subsided. To test for heat, you should not be able to hold the palm of your hand 5–10 cm above the grill for more than 2–3 seconds. Replace the grill over the firepit and give it around 10 minutes to heat up.

Sit the sweet potatoes on the firepit grill and cook for 45–60 minutes, until they can easily be pierced with a skewer. Avoid unwrapping the foil before they are cooked, or the heat will escape.

To serve, unwrap the sweet potatoes and make a deep cut down the centre of each. Spoon the feta crème into the potatoes and top with chopped chilli, a sprig of dill and some ground black pepper.

Festive turkey

Serves 4

• 1 boneless turkey breast roll, about 1.6kg, skin on
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp sea salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small handful toasted flaked almonds

Salsa verde

• 1 bunch flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, chopped
• 24 basil leaves
• 2 anchovies, chopped
• 2 tsp salted capers, rinsed and drained
• ½ cup (125ml) olive oil
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

Remove any wrapping the turkey came in. Rub the skin all over with the oil and sit on a chopping board. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Leave for 1 hour prior to cooking.

Your firepit is ready to cook on after about 2 hours of burning, when the timber is charcoal black. Test for heat with the same method as the potatoes. Give the grill 10 minutes to heat up.

Put the turkey on the firepit, skin side down. Cook for 8–10 minutes, until the skin is nicely browned all over. Move the turkey around if the skin is starting to catch and burn. Turn over and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Transfer the turkey to a disposable aluminium baking tray. Put another tray on top and fold the edges together to enclose the turkey. Sit the tray on the side of the firepit grill, where it isn’t too hot, and cook for 1 hour 15 minutes. After 1 hour, have a peek inside and look at the underside of the turkey. If it is starting to catch or brown too much, move the tray to the furthest edge of the firepit, so it retains heat and continues to cook without burning. Transfer to a chopping board and rest for 45 minutes.

Make the salsa verde while the turkey is resting. Put the parsley in a food processor with the basil, anchovies, and capers. Process for a few seconds to finely chop. With the motor running, add the olive oil until well combined. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the lemon juice. Taste for seasoning.

Carve the turkey and arrange on a serving plate. Spoon salsa verde over the top and scatter with almonds to serve.

Images and text from Firepit Barbecue by Ross Dobson, photography by Alan Benson. Murdoch Books RRP $35.

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