Newsletter Archive
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Whether it’s the well-worn copy of The Barbecue! Bible you purchased when you began your grilling adventure, or the bookmark-filled Project Smoke you received when you bought your first smoker, we’re willing to bet that you have at least one cookbook by Steven Raichlen on your shelves. Steven’s writing has helped all of us become better grillers, much to the delight of our friends and families. And this year, with several bestsellers and thousands of recipes to his credit, Steven has written another gorgeous book that will take your grilling to the next level: How to Grill Vegetables.
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I’ve spent much of my adult life in the pursuit of discovering new dishes, traveling the world’s barbecue trail to introduce my readers and viewers to live fire.
In the process, I’ve discovered a myriad of ingenious grilling techniques—from reverse-searing to rotisserie-smoking to “cavemanning” (grilling in the embers).
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No, I haven’t gone over to the dark side. Let me state clearly: I’m not nor will ever be a vegetarian or vegan.
Nonetheless, I’ve just published my latest book (#32 if you’re counting) and the title is—gasp—How to Grill Vegetables.
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In Argentina today, every event from birthday parties to local festivals includes a real-fire barbecue. There are no gas or charcoal briquettes in sight at these get togethers, only natural charcoal or real wood burnt down to fiery coals to cook the very beef-forward dishes. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?
We’ve worked with our friends at Ñuke to pull together what makes an asado so special so you can host your own. (Hint! It’s the time spent with family and friends that really makes it special…but the beef is key too.)
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Like salt and pepper, I consider premium extra virgin olive oil a “desert island” ingredient, one I’d hate to live without. Taste it, and you’ll never look back.
If I grilled for you at my house, I’d reach for it often. On the menu might be flatbread baked in the embers, the tops pooled with olive oil and served with Catalan roasted vegetables; line-caught swordfish finished with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon; a green salad with homemade vinaigrette; and maybe a slice of pound cake sautéed in a fruity olive oil with mixed fresh berries. Yes, I’m a profligate user. I love the flavors fresh olive oil imparts to grilled foods.
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Is the ultimate pork rib something that can be achieved? I enjoy experimenting with different ways to season and cook pork ribs. There are so many approaches to making idyllic pork ribs. You must decide on the type of rib, the seasonings, the type of grill or smoker to cook on, and whether to add sauce or not.
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Project Fire will introduce new foods from unfamiliar cuts of steak to eco-friendly seafood, and new twists on popular classics such as entire meals cooked on the grill, from breakfast to paella to clambakes. And, as usual, there will be a jaw-dropping collection of new tools, fuels, and grills.
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From wood fires to caveman grilling, from hay smoking to reverse searing. Think grilled avocados with salbitxada (Spanish grilled vegetable sauce). Think Lowcountry oyster roast and spicy Korean short ribs. Think hickory-smoked whole beef tenderloin, a wood-fired crab boil, and smoked strawberry-rhubarb crisp for dessert. Plus grilled citrus sangria and smoky dragon’s breath cocktails to slake your thirst.
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What if there was a ham you could cure in just 4 days and smoke in just 2 hours?
Well, there is, and it was inspired by my friend Vitaly Paley. Vitaly runs one of the top grill restaurants in North America: Imperial in Portland, Oregon. He invigorates the traditional brine with cinnamon, star anise, and fennel. Fresh orange juice and Jack Daniel’s pump up the traditional brown sugar glaze. Thanks to the lack of bones, you can slice it as easily as you would a pork loin. In fact, it starts with a pork loin, which adds a degree of speed and convenience not associated with traditional ham. I call it Ham in a Hurry, and you’ll definitely want to try it
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For what seems like a friendly pursuit—cooking hefty hunks of meat over live fire to be eaten mostly by other people—barbecue has long been besieged by controversies. Among them: Is it sacrilege to sauce brisket? Are fall-off-the-bone-tender ribs the mark of an amateur? Is brining for the birds?
Add to the list: Should you wrap meats like brisket, beef shoulder clod, pork shoulder, ribs, etc., in aluminum foil or unlined butcher paper hours into the smoke, or leave the meat “naked”?
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There are several BBQ controller configurations out there, but the Smartfire 5.0 eschews extensive piping and bulky external hardware in favor of a compact and durable unit that slides into the appropriate adaptor for your smoker. When you order your Smartfire adaptor, you select the adaptor for your preferred cooker. The company has purpose-built adaptors for most popular brands like the Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe or Primo Grills kamado-styles, your Weber Smokey Mountain bullet-style cookers and even barrel cookers like the Pit Barrel Cooker and Gateway Drums. The adaptor simply slides into your smoker’s intake vent, and then the controller fits snuggly.
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It’s official! Steven Raichlen’s Barbecue University™ returns to luxurious Montage Palmetto Bluff in South Carolina’s Lowcountry over the Father’s Day weekend, June 17 through 20.
