Barbecue University® 2025
It’s hard to imagine how this year’s Barbecue University® could outdo the class of 2024. But we’re going to try!
Last year’s class—from across the U.S. and beyond—turned out mouth-watering Memphis dry rub ribs, lemon soy tri-tip, wood oven pizza, and sumptuous cedar plank chocolate brownie s’mores.
So how do we top that? With sizzling recipes from Steven’s forthcoming book, like sesame seared tuna, polpetti po’boys, pepperoncini grilled rib-eyes, Korean spiced chicken, and an outrageous bacon bourbon fruit crisp for dessert.
Barbecue University® is the brainchild of Barbecue Hall of Famer and 5-time James Beard Award winner, Steven Raichlen. You’ve read his internationally bestselling books, like Project Smoke and The Barbecue Bible. You’ve watched him grill on Planet Barbecue®, Project Fire, and his other popular TV shows on PBS.
Now you can join the man Oprah called “The Gladiator of the Grill” for 3 action-packed days of hands-on instruction at the school the Food Network ranked “The #1 Barbecue Experience in the U.S.
Our host is the majestic, 10,000-acre Alisal Ranch in Solvang, California. You’ll grill in our beautiful outdoor classroom in the morning. Enjoy afternoons off to ride one of the Alisal’s more than 100 horses or hike miles of trails or play golf, swim or do spa treatments. Or explore charming nearby towns, like the Danish-influenced Solvang, or Los Olivos (site of the cult wine movie, Sideways). And speaking of wine, there are more than 100 wineries in the Santa Ynez valley, so wine tasting is a must.
But don’t take our word for it. Eating Well Magazine called us “A fantasy camp for coal heads.” “I have attended cooking classes and retreats throughout the U.S. and Europe but have never experienced anything like Barbecue University®” wrote Larry Olmsted on Forbes.com.
Barbecue University®—where the only marks you get are grill marks!
The next session of Barbecue University® takes place September 2 to 5, 2025. Space is limited, so sign up today.
About Steven Raichlen
Author, journalist, lecturer, and TV host, Steven Raichlen is the man who launched the barbecue revolution. His 32 books include the international blockbusters The Barbecue Bible and How to Grill and the New York Times bestselling Planet Barbecue and Project Smoke (Workman Publishing). In The Brisket Chronicles, Raichlen explores how this epic meat is prepared around the world, from Texas barbecue to Jewish pastrami to Vietnamese pho. His latest book, How to Grill Vegetables, focuses on global plant-based grilling. Raichlen’s books (more than 6 million copies in print) have won five James Beard Awards and three IACP Julia Child Awards and have been translated into 17 languages.
Steven Raichlen hosts the popular TV shows Steven Raichlen’s Project Fire and Project Smoke, Primal Grill, and Barbecue University on American Public Television. His new show, Steven Raichlen’s Planet Barbecue®–focused on global grilling—launched on Memorial Day, 2023. Raichlen also stars in several French-language TV shows, including Le Maître du Grill and Les Incontournables du BBQ. His Italian TV show, Steven Raichlen Grills Italy, airs on Gambero Rosso. An award-winning journalist, Raichlen writes regularly for The New York Times. His work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Esquire, GQ, and all the major food magazines. In 2015, he was inducted into the KCBS Barbecue Hall of Fame.
In 2021, Raichlen launched Planet Barbecue®, a line of ready to heat and eat barbecue and grilled foods. He also created the Steven Raichlen Signature lines of grilling accessories and seasonings. His latest venture is a new restaurant concept: the Star Grill by Steven Raichlen for the Windstar cruise line. Raichlen founded Barbecue University®, now held at the Alisal Guest Ranch in Solvang, California, and has lectured on this history of barbecue at institutions as diverse as Harvard, the Library of Congress, and the Smithsonian Institution.
Steven Raichlen holds a degree in French literature from Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and studied medieval cooking in Europe on a Thomas J. Watson Foundation Fellowship. He was also awarded a Fulbright. When not grilling, you’ll find him at the helm of his sailboat, Barbacoa. He and his wife, Barbara, live in Miami and Martha’s Vineyard.
