Whether youhave a gas grill, a charcoal kettle, a
smoker, or a pull-behind competition barbecue trailer,
you canmake delicious barbecue at home, as long as
youhave patience, passion, and indirect heat. Expert
advicewill not hurt either.
“Start with high-qualitymeat, especially brisket. If it
starts tough, it ends tough. Sear meats quickly over
high heat so the rub or spices adhere, then cook over
low temperature. Like chili or pasta, a lot of barbe-
cue is even better the next day, sowe cook our
meats most of the way, then chill them for at least
24 hours before finishing. It makes it tastier.”
SCOTT ROBERTS, OWNER OF THE SALT LICK
“When I want to kick it up, I like to add hardwood
chips or chunks to the grill; it adds bold smoky
flavors. Themost commonwoods are hickory and
mesquite, but you can find alder, apple, cherry, and
my personal favorite: pecan. One of themost impor-
tant but least-exciting [tips] is to keep your grill
clean. Every time you use your grill, heat it up,
covered, for 15minutes, and then use a grill brush to
brush the grates before cooking. I thinkmany cooks
are afraid of undercookedmeats. A good thermometer
is a cook’s best friend.”
EMERIL LAGASSE, STARCHEF,
TVPERSONALITY, ANDAUTHOROF EMERIL AT THEGRILL
“Let themeat come to room
temperature before placing on
the grill. Thiswill allow the out-
side and inside to cookmore
uniformly. Remove large cuts of
meat one hour before cooking
and smaller cuts 30minutes
before cooking. Resist the urge
to constantly lift the lid… every
time you do that you lose
smoke, whichwill make it less
flavorful, and the temperature
will go down quickly. Youwant
tomaintain a consistent temperature.”
BOBBY FLAY,
STAR CHEF, HOST OF TV’S FOODNETWORKSTAR, AND AUTHOR
OF BOBBY FLAY’S BAR AMERICAINCOOKBOOK: CELEBRATE
AMERICA’SGREAT FLAVORS, DUE OUT THIS FALL
If you reallywant tomaster
barbecue, signup for one
of two annual three-day
sessions of BarbecueUniver-
sity, led by
PBSTELEVISION
HOST, COOKBOOKAUTHOR, AND
BARBECUEGURUSTEVEN
RAICHLEN
.
These boot camps
are hosted by Colorado’s five-
star Broadmoor resort, home
to a unique barbecue centerwithmore than40
different grills for students. barbecuebible.com/bbqu
For the ultimate barbecue boot camp, head to the
ALISAL GUEST RANCH ANDRESORT
in Solvang, California.
Learn about Dutch oven cooking and spice blending,
plusmeet with local brewmasters andwinemakers.
alisal.com
Red-HotGrillGear
Summit Grill Center with Social
Area
WEBER
’sbignewproduct
launch, this completeL-shapedout-
doorkitchen, includesa largegrill
with rotisserie, dual-ring sideburner,
a smoker, a searingburner, an ice
bin, and tonsof storageand counter
space,allwithout theneed formasonry
work, electricians, orbuildingper-
mits.At $4,499, it’san instant alterna-
tive tooutdoorgrill centers that can
costmuchmore.
weber.com
Bam!
Superstar chef andauthor
EMERIL LAGASSE
hashisown lineof
pots, pans, sauces…andnowgrills,
inanewpartnershipwithcommercial-
rangeandkitchen-appliancespecialist
Viking. ThenewEmeril line includes
apowerful four-burnergasgrill
($799) anda large charcoal kettle
grill ($199), both inhigh-quality
stainless steel.
hsn.com
Do It All
The
BIG GREEN EGG
, amod-
ern, ceramic takeonanancient
Asian clay-pot cooker, hasa cult
following, includingTVhost Steven
Raichlen. Bymanaging theairvents,
you cangrill, sear, smoke, or slow-
cookall inoneultra-heavy-dutyunit.
The super-insulateddesignmeans
consistent heat,whileefficiencyand
five sizes (large isaround $800)
handleeverything from steaks to
racksof ribs towholesmoked turkeys.
biggreenegg.com
ExpertTIPS
➔
➔
➔
FALL 2011
celebratedliving.com
90
FOOD
The Best in Barbecue
