RECIPE OF THE WEEK: SAMBA DOGS

Just in time for National Hot Dog Day (July 23), we bring you these explosively flavorful hot dogs I experienced at a samba school in Rio. The vendor topped her charcoal-grilled hot dogs with a luscious relish of corn, tomatoes, peas, black and green olives, and hard-cooked eggs.

The “McRob”: A REAL Barbecued Rib Sandwich

You know our friend and Barbecue Board member Rob Baas. A few weeks ago the Project Smoke fire wrangler, BBQ U alum, and all around master of live fire cooking had the idea to reimagine the fast food McRib as real barbecue. Challenge met and expectations surpassed. This is one guest blog I can’t wait to try out on my smoker. Read More…

Sweet Corn Around the World: 10 Globally Inspired Recipes

Are you ready for your sweet corn epiphany? Here are 10 globally inspired ideas for taking this year’s crop over the top. See More…

TRENDING IN THE STORE

HILL COUNTRY BRISKET WITH COCA-COLA SAUCE

The perfect brisket is the holy grail of barbecue—often pursued, rarely attained. Your goal is a thick moist slab with a crusty “bark,” a vivid smoke ring, and meat so smoky, you’re inclined to measure your consumption in pounds, not ounces.

Project Smoke Coming to a PBS Station Near You

Excited? That doesn’t begin to express the emotion. After years of planning and months of shooting and editing, my new TV show, Project Smoke, launches on Saturday, June 27 (and in some cities July 4th weekend or later this summer). Our mission: to do for smoking what Primal Grill did for grilling. Read More…

10 Barbecue Hacks: Simple Tricks for the Grill

Two new groups of graduates recently left Barbecue University with diplomas in hand. I’m proud to have helped them ascend the ladder of barbecue enlightenment. Here are some of the “secret” techniques from the school to help you up your game at the grill. See More…

TRENDING IN THE STORE

Reverse Searing: Godsend or Gimmick?

When I started smoking meat 25 years ago, no one knew of reverse searing. Today, you can hardly browse barbecue websites without being urged to try it. The process turns the traditional method of cooking a steak or roast—hot sear followed by slow roast—on its head. You start by smoking the meat low and slow to an internal temperature of about 100 degrees, then you char it over a hot fire to raise it to the desired temperature, applying the crisp smoky crust at the end. Read More…

How to Choose the Best Ribeye (Cowboy) Steaks

From our friends at Strauss Brands who brought us What Is Grass-Fed Beef and What’s So Great About It? and provided the beef for Project Smoke come two helpful videos on steak. See More…

FROM THE STORE

BREAKFAST ON THE GRILL: THE MILE HIGH PANCAKE

This cousin of the popover and Yorkshire pudding puffs dramatically on a hot grill.

Extreme Grilling: Steak Six Ways

You’re a confident griller of steaks. You’ve mastered New York strips, you can handle flank steak, and on several occasions, have produced magazine centerfold-worthy porterhouses.

Now it’s time to tackle extreme steak grilling: That means on a shovel, grilled over spruce branches, wrapped in hay, in a salt and cloth crust, on a pitchfork, and my favorite—grilled directly on the embers. Read More…

Home-Smoked Pastrami, Part 2

Recently we told you about the fascinating history of pastrami. (Hint—it involves camels, geese, and beef navels.) This time I’m going to reveal the 8 steps to pastrami nirvana, complete with my fail-proof recipe for pastrami you cook like barbecued brisket. The only other thing you need is mustard. Read More…

FROM THE STORE

THE GREAT AMERICAN HAMBURGER

What makes a great hamburger? First there’s the meat. You want to use a flavorful cut, like sirloin (for uptown burgers), or chuck or round (if you’re feeling more democratic). And it shouldn’t be too lean: 15 to 20 percent fat is ideal.

Buying a Grill or Smoker? 8 Questions to Ask Yourself

May is National Barbecue Month, a perfect time to establish your barbecue bona fides. Will this be the year you master the porterhouse? Make your own home-cured bacon or pastrami? Nail a competition-quality brisket?

It’s also the time of year to cast a critical eye on your grilling hardware. For some people, that means refurbishing grills that grew sclerotic over the winter. For others—and here I raise my hand—National Barbecue Month gives you license to shop for a new grill or smoker. Read More…

Sneak Preview of the Menu for Barbecue University 2015

Barbecue University 2015 is fast approaching, and do we have a sizzling menu for you! Here’s a sneak preview, and that’s just on day 1. Read More…

FROM THE STORE

RECIPE OF THE WEEK: MAKING BACON

Tom Mylan, co-owner of The Meat Hook in Brooklyn, uses cherrywood to smoke bacon at his shop “because it imparts a sweet but not wimpy smokiness.”

Home-Smoked Pastrami

If you think to eat killer pastrami you need to visit a landmark deli in Manhattan, you haven’t been to Fette Sau BBQ in Brooklyn. Or The Granary in San Antonio. Or The Local Pig in Kansas City.

America is experiencing a pastrami renaissance with soulfully cured, assertively spiced smoked meat turning up at top barbecue joints across the country. Darkly crusted with crushed coriander seed and fiery with black pepper. Meat so moist it squirts when you cut into it and so flavorful, you don’t really need mustard, pickles, or rye bread. Read More…

What Is Grass-Fed Beef and What’s So Great About It?

Grass-fed beef. You hear the term more and more, not just at natural foods markets, but at a new generation of barbecue joints. So what exactly is grass-fed beef and how does it differ from conventional beef? Why should you consider buying it the next time you fire up your grill or smoker? Are there any special techniques you need to cook it? Read More…

FROM THE STORE

GRILLED PRIME RIB WITH GARLIC & ROSEMARY

Here’s an easy, virtually foolproof method for cooking perfect, crusty on the outside, meltingly tender inside prime ribs every time.