For British chef Mr Tom Kerridge, it’s easy to understand the appeal of the humble hot dog. “They are so easy to put together, you can play around with different flavours and cook them on a barbecue,” he says. “When the weather is great, cooking outdoors is amazing – you don’t need plates, just some good buns, and you can cook loads at the same time, which keeps everyone happy.”

His crowd-pleasing take on the barbecue staple looks to Germany for inspiration with a more-is-more approach to the classic dog. Inspired by what he calls “everyone’s favourite Christmas side dish”, Kerridge’s ultimate pigs-in-blankets hotdog is wrapped in bacon and uses a hint of curry powder, German mustard and Bavarian cheese for a whack of continental flair, with the chef recommending serving the “hot dogs” with coleslaw or pickles.

Recipe (serves four)

For the barbecue burnt onions

3 tbsp vegetable oil

2 large onions, finely sliced

For the pigs in blankets

4 jumbo sausages

2 heaped tsp mild curry powder

12 rashers of streaky bacon

For the German mustard mayo

100g thick mayonnaise

40g German mustard

3 tsp shallots, finely chopped

10 cornichons, finely sliced

2 tbsp dill, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To assemble

4 long hot dog rolls

8 thick slices of smoked Bavarian cheese

8 large slices of dill pickle

A bunch of spring onions, green part only, finely sliced

To cook the onions, place a cast-iron pan on the hot barbecue and add the oil. When it is hot, add the onions with a generous pinch of salt. Stir well and cook for about 20 minutes until softened, dark and caramelised. Meanwhile, prepare the sausages: poke a metal skewer through the length of each sausage and lay the skewers on a tray. Season with the curry powder, trying to get an even coating all over the sausages. Wrap each one in bacon, using three rashers per sausage, and secure the bacon with a couple of cocktail sticks.

Lay the bacon-wrapped sausages on the hot barbecue and cook for about 10 minutes, turning every minute or two. While they are on the barbecue, mix the German mustard mayo ingredients together in a bowl, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste; set aside until needed.

Once the sausages are cooked through, lift them off the barbecue and place on a tray. Remove the cocktail sticks and metal skewers. To build the hot dogs, slit the rolls open through the top and lay the cheese slices in them. Add the bacon-wrapped sausages and top with plenty of caramelised onions and the pickle slices.

Place the hot dogs on a sturdy baking tray on the barbecue, put the lid on and leave for a minute or two so that the cheese becomes all gooey and melted. Transfer the hot dogs to plates and spoon on the German mayo. Scatter over the spring onions for freshness and serve.

For many, fried chicken goes hand in hand with the 4 July, with sticky buffalo wings in particular an enduring fixture for patriots nationwide. Fried chicken is also one of the star dishes at London’s Malaysian restaurant Normah’s, where founder and chef Ms Normah Abd Hamid applies her own twist inspired by her heritage.

“Normah’s food is not just about the ingredients. It’s more about the method and style of cooking which is greatly influenced by my late father,” she says, introducing a recipe that uses roasted garlic and turmeric in a marinade designed to lift the flavour while providing a crispy coating. “The key is understanding the use of spices and herbs that complement the protein, whether that’s fish or meat.”

Recipe (serves 2-4 as a side)

2 cloves garlic

Oil

250g boneless chicken thighs

2 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

½ cup plain flour

½ cup corn flour

½ cup tapioca flour

¼ cup potato flour

Water

Cover the garlic with oil and roast at 160ºC for 10 minutes or until soft before mashing.

Marinate the chicken thigh with the mashed garlic, turmeric powder and salt.

Mix all flours with water to make the batter and then use to coat the chicken.

Heat oil in a pan and once the pan is hot, deep fry the chicken until golden crispy before serving. Can be served accompanied by nasi lemak – Malaysian coconut rice milk.

American Independence Day is the biggest holiday for fresh sweetcorn and barbecued corn on the cob is a staple part of the celebrations for many. This year, take inspiration from south of the border and opt for a Mexican street-food classic – esquites. According to Ms Adriana Cavita, chef and founder of London’s Cavita restaurant, this easy-to-assemble sweetcorn side dish works well as a salad accompaniment to a spread of food. “It’s a very traditional dish, cheap to make and buy and – of course – delicious,” she says. “It is incredibly simple and champions one of our most loved ingredients, corn!”

In her restaurant, esquites are served with steamed mussels. Ms Cavita says that versatility is part of this dish’s appeal. “This is a very simple dish that is made to be personalised,” she says. “Esquites varies throughout Mexico as it is a good plain base. Some are made with chicken stock and chicken leg for a more meaty version. In some areas, fresh chilli is added. I believe people should add whatever additions they like the best. I like to add chipotle and parsley instead of coriander, which is more traditional – really you can do what you like as long as corn remains the dominant flavour.”

Recipe (serves four as a side)

3 tbsp olive oil or butter

¼ white/brown onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

5 fresh ears of corn, corn kernels removed

Sea salt

2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

Chipotle, to taste

Parmesan, grated, to taste, grated

Put your sauté pan on a medium heat and add the olive oil and onion, then cook for a couple

of minutes before adding the garlic.

Once it all starts to get some colour, add the corn, salt and parsley. Cook for about 10 minutes. You want the juices in the pan to reduce by half to intensify the flavours.

Put into your serving dish and add grated parmesan and chipotle to serve.