Southern-style BBQ Octopus

Name: Southern-style BBQ Octopus
Yield: 2
Cuisine: American South
Ingredients: baby octopus; vegetable oil; brown sugar; southern bbq sauce

Traditional southern barbecue is all about sturdy cuts of beef and pork that can take a long slow cook. My Southern-style BBQ octopus is the pescatarian equivalent as, like its cephalopod cousins squid and cuttlefish, it needs to be cooked either very quickly or very slowly, anything in between will render it tough. This recipe uses the quick cook method then tosses the octopus in some of the barbecue sauce while it’s still warm so it soaks up the flavour. This gives the most tender result, but if you don’t mind a bit of bite in your Southern-style BBQ octopus, see the alternative slow cooking method below which gives a greater charry barbecue flavour with a much chewier texture. Whichever way you cook it, for a great wine match try a glass of red wine from Sicily’s Mount Etna, like the Le Sabbie dell’Etna Rosso from Firriato.

Serves 2

Ingredients

350g baby octopus, cleaned
Vegetable oil, for drizzling
North Carolina-style BBQ Sauce (see video below)
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Method

Heat a flat barbecue plate or cast-iron frying pan to medium high.
Meanwhile, put octopus in a heatproof bowl, pour boiling water over it and set aside for 45 seconds then drain and rinse under cold water.
Split octopus in half.
Toss octopus with a drizzle of oil and place on barbecue or in pan without overcrowding; cook it in batches if need be.
Cook for 1-2 minutes, turning as needed just until it turns opaque.
Toss hot octopus with a couple of tablespoons of Southern BBQ Sauce and serve with remaining sauce on the side.

Alternative Method

Blanch octopus in boiling water as above then place in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of Southern BBQ Sauce and 1 teaspoon brown sugar.
Toss to combine well, cover and set aside for 15 minutes.
Heat a cast-iron pan over high heat.
Drain octopus, toss with a drizzle of oil, tip into the pan and cook for about a minute, turning to colour all sides.
Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
Uncover, increase heat to high and cook for a minute or 2 until moisture evaporates and octopus is caramelised. The result will be firmer, but nicely charred.