Back to Basics: Crafting Your Own Home-Cured Ham

Are you up for a gratifying challenge this year? Want to serve a genuine home-cured ham to your guests this Easter? There’s plenty of time for Smokehouse Shoulder Ham if you start soon.

Innovative Recipes with St. Patrick’s Day Corned Beef “Leftovers”

Just as a Thanksgiving holiday turkey often delivers an even stronger performance as a sandwich the following day, the same can be said for St. Patrick’s Day corned beef. Below are some of our best suggestions for corned beef leftovers. If you’re lucky enough to have them!

Back to Basics: Perfect Rotisserie Chicken

There’s something so seductive about a whole chicken rotating slowly on a spit, its skin browning to crisp perfection, its rich-tasting fat basting the meat as it roasts over the flavor-boosting powers of wood smoke.

Can you buy rotisserie chicken at your local big box store or supermarket? Of course. (Costco sells over 170 million per year.) But why would you, when a chicken seasoned and smoke-roasted at home is easy, versatile, and so satisfying? This cooking technique not only ensures even cooking, but also imparts a delightful crispy skin and succulent meat. Follow these simple steps, found in Steven’s book, Project Smoke, and you’ll be a rotisserie chicken master in no time.

Just in Time for March Madness! Addictive Smoked Chicken Wings

March Madness is right around the corner and that means watching your favorite team with family and friends. It is more fun that way, but the group will want to eat! Here are two simple appetizers to keep your crew fed while watching the game.

One of my go-to appetizers for a crowd is chicken wings. They are easy to make and the flavor profiles for wings are endless. My second appetizer is not as common as wings but is simple and always a hit. It is smoked camembert cheese with grilled bread.

Today I will share how I spiced up my wings and smoked cheese with the help of the Texas Pepper Jelly Company.

7 Fast and Tasty Weeknight Grilling Recipes

While many people confine their grilling to weekends or their days off, your grill can be an ally in putting great food on the table fast any night of the week. An added bonus? Clean-up’s easier, too.

Whether you cook over charcoal or gas, it generally takes less than 15 minutes for your grill to come up to temperature—time you can use to give foods like chicken breast or shrimp a quick marinade in your favorite vinaigrette, or season simply with a rub. Other proteins that can be finished in minutes include pork tenderloin or chops, burgers, thinner cuts of steak, brats, lamb chops, or fish fillets. Prepare extra servings so you’ll have the makings for another meal.

Have a Fiesta with Pork Flank Fajitas from Porter Road

As an active recipe tester for many years for barbecue master Steven Raichlen, I have taken to buying premium meats online from some of the country’s most well-regarded artisanal purveyors. One of my favorites is Porter Road.

Porter Road recently sent me a magnificent trio of pork cuts, including pork flank, bavette, and short ribs.

The pork flank I received was pasture-raised and generously marbled. My mind went immediately to fajitas.

Back to Basics: How to Grill Tender, Versatile Skirt Steak

Popular from Texas to Thailand, this robust steak from the underbelly of the steer (we call it skirt steak) has everything a carnivore hungers for: bold flavor, juiciness, and no-nonsense texture you can sink your teeth into. Let’s face it: Anyone can look good cooking a tender filet mignon. It takes skill—even cojones—to turn out a great skirt steak. We’ll share our how to grill skirt steak step-by-step method in this blog.

Texas Twinkies Jalapeño Poppers Just Got Better

Have you ever heard of a “Texas Twinkie”? I am not talking about the yellow sponge cake cream- filled treats you would eat as a kid. The Texas Twinkie is a jalapeño stuffed with leftover brisket, cream cheese, cheese, and a spice rub, wrapped in bacon, smoked, and then glazed with barbecue sauce. Sounds good to me.

8 Delectable Recipes for February

February’s a short month (even during Leap Year), but there’s a lot going on, including Super Bowl Sunday (February 11)—check out our definitive guide on wings as well as the Buffalo Chicken Dip—and Valentine’s Day. We’ve even included a couple of recipes that will transport you the Caribbean or Hawaii, even if you have to shovel a path to the grill through the snow.

Back to Basics: Your Guide to Grilling Crispy Chicken Wings

There’s no doubt that chicken wings are one of the most popular appetizers and game day snacks in the U.S. (In fact, if you intend to serve them on February 11, Super Bowl Sunday, you’d be well-served to tuck a few packages in the freezer right now as they sometimes become scarce.)

But wings are popular all over the world, from South Africa to Australia to Malaysia. Their versatility is part of their appeal. After all, the wing is the choicest morsel of the chicken for grilling, consisting chiefly of skin—rendered crackling crisp by the heat of the grill—and bones, which are fun to gnaw on and impart rich flavor. The meat there is well marbled so it stays moist throughout the cooking.

Here’s how to smoke-roast flavorful, crispy, utterly addictive chicken wings on your grill or smoker.

Bacon-Wrapped Foods that Still Steal the Show

Recently, we’ve been embracing foods wrapped with bacon. Several turn a weeknight dinner into something special, please the kids, or make great game day nibbles. We hope you enjoy our collection of recipes and suggestions, and are willing to share with us any ideas you have for bacon-wrapped foods.

STEAK, FIRE, FLAVOR: Sear (Steak like a) Pro

Working for Steven Raichlen has its benefits. One is. that occasionally I get to play around with some new gear. I have been fortunate enough to have received a few thermometers and other barbecue toys. I even got to attend Barbecue University (I am a proud graduate of the class of 2022).

But nothing could prepare me for what I got next. A FLAMETHROWER!

I had a couple of NY strip steaks laying around, so I thought I’d give searing a go.