DIRTY food is in.

Casual is cool, and if you can get your hands sticky while digging in, then so much the better. Bespoke burgers, gourmet hot dogs, marinated chicken wings, pulled pork - it's in and it's all delicious.

Any self-respecting foodie, hipster or Londoner (or, for that matter, regular visitor to London) will know that street food has been doing the rounds for several years. Starting literally on the streets, in converted ambulances, trucks and campervans, small groups of self-funded, passionate (and tattooed) food-lovers, opted for cramped mobile kitchens, over traditional and more expensive premises. Absurdly long queues swiftly formed as the word - and the fun - spread like an oozy barbecue sauce. The likes of Pitt Cue, Meat Wagon and Pizza Pilgrims became must-visit sites in the most unlikely locations. Often now these same names have premises in London, and elsewhere; the queues are just as long, the food just as soul-soothingly irresistible.

Best of all, the dishes can often be recreated at home and are not expensive. It's not exactly what we do in the restaurant - although we do have smoked pulled pork as part of an intricate pork dish. At home this cooking is irresistibly tasty - as fun to make as it is to eat.

Spicy barbecue-style chicken wings

Recipes serve four

800g two-part chicken wings (this means with the tips cut off)

6 generous dsstsp tomato ketchup

4 dsstsp balsamic vinegar

4 dsstsp soy sauce

2 dsstsp Chinese five spice

2 dsstsp clear, runny honey

1 dsstsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp instant coffee

200ml boiling water from the kettle

1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 small red onion

3 spring onions

A few leaves of coriander to chop and scatter at the end (optional)

Method

1. Peel and finely dice the onion and combine with the garlic in a mixing bowl.

2. Mix the water with coffee to dissolve then leave to cool until it is tepid.

3. To the bowl with the onions, add the ketchup, balsamic, mustard and soy then stir to mix.

4. Add the Chinese five spice, honey and coffee and whisk in. Add the chicken wings to the mix and toss well. Refrigerate and leave to stand for at least an hour, or up to several hours.

5. Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Scoop all the chicken wings and all of the sauce onto a baking tray. Leave to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes then transfer to the oven and cook for 30 minutes, tossing and stirring everything around two or three times during cooking.

6. Meanwhile, trim off the root from the spring onions, slice the onions into rounds then set these aside.

7. To finish and serve, transfer all the chicken and sauce to a serving dish, scatter the spring onions and coriander leaf (if using) then eat at once.

Sticky Chinese five spice ribs

1kg-1.2kg rack of pork belly ribs, trimmed of excess fat

2-3 dsstsp olive oil

For the rub

1 star anise

1 tbsp Chinese five spice

1 tsp fennel seeds

4 black peppercorns

1 tsp coriander seeds

For the glaze

2 red onions

2 cloves peeled garlic

1 green onion, de-seeded and roughly sliced

1 red chilli, de-seeded and roughly sliced

1 bunch of spring onions, sliced in rounds, root removed

1 tsp Chinese five spice

4 tbsp apple juice

150ml soy sauce

3 dsstsp runny honey

1 dsstsp ketchup

Method

1. Heat oven to 160C. Make the rub first: combine all the ingredients in a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder and process to a coarse powder then rub into the meat. Season meat with sea salt.

2. Spread a metre-long layer of tin foil across a roasting tray then place the meat in the middle of it. Drizzle with a few dsstsp of olive oil then fold the tin foil to make a tightly sealed parcel. Bake in the oven for three hours or until the meat is tender.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze: in a saucepan, fry the onion and garlic for a few minutes until beginning to soften in a little oil then add the chillies, five spice and spring onions. Continue to sweat for a further few minutes then add the soy and apple juice. Bring to a simmer then transfer to a food processor. Add the honey and ketchup and blitz thoroughly then either leave as it is or press through a fine sieve using the back of a ladle, then set aside for now.

4. When the meat is cooked, remove the foil then increase the heat to 200C. Brush generous layers of the glaze over the meat then return to the oven for 10 minutes. Repeat at 10-minute intervals at least four times so you build up a layer of the glaze. You can keep going until all the glaze is used or keep some back to pour over at the end. Transfer the ribs to a platter, pour over any leftover glaze if you wish then serve.

Geoffrey Smeddle is the chef patron of The Peat Inn, by St Andrews, Fife, Ky15 5LH 01334 840206 www.thepeatinn.co.uk