Black bean tacos cooked on the BBQ

Is everyone else having a long, hot summer like we are in the UK? It did finally rain the other day for the first time in about 2 months, but it’s back to blue skies again today. I’m not complaining – we Brits are used to our BBQs being interrupted by drizzle (and continuing anyway, of course), but it’s nice to actually be able to complete a BBQ in the sunshine for once!

There’s a tendency to always make the same thing on a BBQ – burgers, hot dogs, maybe the odd kebab skewer. But it’s always fun to mix things up for a change – have you ever tried having tacos cooked on a BBQ?! Here’s how!

How to prepare BBQ tacos

First, you’ll need to use some silver foil to make a kind of boat to cook each taco in. This helps them to keep their shape when they’re on the BBQ, and also gives them a bit of protection against the direct heat of the coals. Make sure the underside of each tortilla is fully covered by the foil – any bits that stick out the side or hang over the top might end up burning.

Then just add the filling, and they’re ready to go!

No-cook filling

The filling of these black bean tacos is really straightforward – tinned black beans, sweetcorn, spices, and grated cheese. They’re all pre-cooked ingredients, so nothing actually needs cooking on the BBQ, it just all needs to be heated through. This is really important, as the tacos only take a minute or two to cook over the coals.

As the cheese melts, it makes the black bean filling nice and gooey, and really brings everything together. To be honest I’d love this really simple no-cook taco filling even if I wasn’t cooking the tacos on a BBQ – sometimes the simplest things are the best. Feel free to add any other no-cook ingredients you fancy – some chopped spring onions would be good too!

Cooking tacos on a BBQ

Once you’ve added your no-cook filling to the tortilla shells, just stick them on the BBQ. The tacos need to be cooked over a really low heat, otherwise the tortillas can catch and burn. They’re perfect for adding to the BBQ towards the end, when you’ve already cooked your burgers and sausages, and there’s just a bit of lingering heat left.

You do want a little bit of char on your tortillas (otherwise what’s the point of them being cooked on a BBQ?), but not too much, so watch them closely – they only take a couple of minutes. You can part-close the lid of the BBQ to help them heat all the way through if needed, and raise them up away from the coals if they’re browning too quickly underneath.

When they’re done right, these BBQ tacos end up with a beautiful crispy bit underneath (gotta love that char), with a gooey, cheesy black bean filling. My kind of food!

Peach salsa

Since the black bean filling of these tacos is so simple, I thought I’d liven them up with an easy homemade peach salsa. It really helps to freshen everything up and adds plenty of extra flavour – it goes so well with the slightly charred tortillas and the rich, spicy beans.

I always love adding fresh fruit to homemade salsa – pineapple, strawberries, peaches, anything really. The sweet-savoury combination is awesome.

If you fancy trying to cook your tacos on a BBQ, you can find the full recipe details over on Brit+Co, where I blogged this recipe last year. Just click here for the recipe!

So what do you think – have I convinced you to try cooking your tacos on a BBQ next time?!

Love interesting BBQ ideas? Why not try grilled avocado!