All Fired Up S2BBQ & Grill

Storecupboard Salt Chicken with Seared Corn Ribs

Name: Storecupboard Salt Chicken with Seared Corn Ribs
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: Hot Sauce Salt; 200g sea salt; 1–3 tbsp of your favourite hot sauce; Zest and juice of 1 lemon; Orange & Herb Salt; 200g sea salt; 4 rosemary sprigs, leaves removed and finely diced; 5 thyme sprigs, leaves removed and finely diced; Zest and juice of 2 oranges; For the chicken; 500g free-range chicken wings; 500g free-range skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs; 500g free-range chicken drumsticks; Your choice of hot sauce salt or orange & herb salt; For the corn ribs; 2 ears sweetcorn; 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp cayenne pepper; Pinch cumin seeds; Salt; Freshly ground pepper

Nico ReynoldsFrom the series · All Fired Up S2

45 min totalServes 4Medium

Time45 min

Serves4

SkillMedium

ShowAll Fired Up

Method

For the salts: mix the hot sauce salt ingredients together in a small bowl until completely combined. In a separate bowl, mix the sea salt with the chopped rosemary and thyme, then stir through the zest and juice of the 2 oranges for the orange & herb salt.

Dry each salt one of two ways: spread over a non-reactive tray and leave until the liquids evaporate (a few days — a sunny spot speeds it up), or spread over a tray and dry in the oven at 90–100°C for about 30 minutes until the liquid has evaporated.

For the chicken: cover the chicken in the salt of your choice and leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Set up the grill using a vortex method — light a small mound of coal in the centre and leave until the coals are ash grey.

Place the chicken around the heat source in a circle, keep the lid closed with the vent open, and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour until cooked through and golden — use a meat thermometer and look for 75°C.

For the corn ribs: husk the corn, cut in half horizontally, then cut each half into quarters lengthwise to give 8 batons (keep the middle intact).

Toss the corn with the olive oil, salt, pepper, cayenne and cumin seeds.

Arrange on the direct side of the grill for 15–20 minutes, turning until charred on all sides.

Cook's notes

The salts need to dry out fully before they'll rub in properly — the oven at 90–100°C for about 30 minutes is the reliable route, or spread them on a tray in a sunny spot for a few days.
Set up the vortex by pouring the lit charcoal from your starter into the centre of the barbecue — keeping the heat in the middle means you can ring lots of food around it, lid on with the vent open.
Give the pieces enough space for air to flow through — the more food you put on the grill, the more it drops the temperature (that happens on gas too), and an overpacked grill steams rather than cooks.
Don't move the chicken around too much or you'll end up with patches of seasoning — leave the pieces be and pull each one as it hits 75°C in the thickest part; wings, thighs and drumsticks all finish at slightly different times.
For the corn ribs, cut the husked cobs in half horizontally, then each half into quarters lengthwise for 8 batons — toss in the spiced oil and give them 15–20 minutes over the direct side, lid on, turning until charred all over.

Serve with A cold lager or a sharp lemonade cuts through the salt beautifully, and the corn ribs are really all the side you need — though a simple green salad or some soft flatbreads to mop up wouldn't go amiss.

Make ahead & storage The flavoured salts keep for months in a sealed jar, so it's worth making a big batch. Leftover cooked chicken is happy in the fridge for up to three days and is excellent cold, shredded through a salad the next day.

BBQ & Grill45 Minutes

Recipe by Nico Reynolds · From the series All Fired Up S2 · Photography © Appetite Media
Published 13 July 2026 · Updated 14 July 2026