The ABCs of summer may really be more like the BBQs and Ts, because that’s all you need on a hot day like today: your coolest, comfiest T-shirt and a delicious meal (carnivorous or otherwise) fresh off the grill. Rob, a Workman sales rep in the UK, and his daughter Flossie know the importance of those two hot-weather staples—and they even know how to put their own spin on the old classics.

While we here in the States were celebrating Independence Day, our friends across the pond were ringing in the summer at Grillstock, a celebration of all things barbecue. Flossie, 14, was game to help her dad sell some of Steven Raichlen‘s spectacular grilling books—that is until she saw the uniform. The Raichlen shirt was cool, with a hot slogan to match (“Hot enough for you?”), but it was also way too big. And did she really have to wear the same thing as her dad?!

Rob, flanked by BBQ books, models his Raichlen T-shirt—just right for a dad, but for a young T trendsetter? Not so much.

So like any fashion-forward T-shirt reclaimer, Flossie busted out her craft scissors and her copy of Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt and revamped the plain black T into a smokin’ fashion statement!

Flossie shows off her refashioning skillz.

We’ve never seen Generation T and The Barbecue! Bible shelved together, but thanks to Flossie and Rob, we can see how these two books make the perfect summer pair.

This Fourth of July weekend, flames and smoke will rise over backyards across the country. And that means grilling. In the best-case scenario, you get a tasty meal. In the worst case, you get an awesome story of how you turned hamburger into charcoal briquettes—or maybe how you got grill marks on your hand.

Steven Raichlen, author of the Barbecue! Bible, wants to help you stay on the right side of that line.

Steven is a major NPR fan, so when the call came to tape a July 4th segment with Morning Edition, he was on the next plane to Washington, DC (literally). Here’s gorgeous video from the taping to help you brush up on your July 4th grilling skills, along with a a recording of the full interview on NPR.

I love to grill. And while it can be hard to fight for time in front of the flames for those of us aren’t necessarily of the ribs-ribs-and-more-ribs persuasion (yes, my nickname in college was Megan the Vegan–yes, it rhymes), when I finally do secure some face time with the grill, it’s all over: peppers, onions, giant portabellos–even pineapple–and, of course my favorite: corn on the cob. Corn, in all its simplicity, can be prepared and impressive number of ways. To husk or not to husk, to soak or not to soak–these are but two of the questions when it comes to preparing corn on the cob on a grill. So this July 4th, I turned to author Crescent Dragonwagon of the Passionate Vegetarian cookbook for a new way to approach the golden kerneled goodness. Our author and her intrepid tasters found that no pre-soaked, husk bundled grilled ear of corn could stand up to naked corn cooked straight on the grill. Here’s what my experiment is going to look like this weekend:

Grilled Corn via Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon (pp.737-8)

Ingredients:

1-2 ears per person, shucked

Any desired condiments including butter, seas salt, pepper, lime halves

1. Preheat the grill to high, then turn it down to medium.

2. Place the corn over indirect heat or low direct heat and grill, covered, for 3 to 5 minutes. The yellow of the corn should intensify slightly, and there should be lots of golden-brown scorched spots. The texture will be a little tougher and chewier than raw or boiled corn, but that’s part of it’s charm! Serve immediately.

YUM. What will you throw on the grill when you commandeer it this 4th of July weekend?

Having let any plans for the 4^th of July fall by the wayside, my friends and I will likely be heading out to a restaurant this Monday night. But don’t you worry, we’ll still be getting in a good American-sized dose of barbecue. Much to the amusement of my fellow editorial assistants, I will be chowing down at Blue Smoke, my favorite (although considerably out of my budget) barbecue joint here in New York City.

While the menu at Blue Smoke is to die for (insert slaughter house joke here), the salt & pepper beef ribs are by far the most mouth watering item on the menu. For those lucky enough to have a grill themselves, check out the recipe below. It’s just one of the 425 recipes available in Steven Raichlen’s BBQ USA.

Salt & Pepper Beef Ribs

It takes a master to dare to put a dish of such startling simplicity on a menu. Or several masters in this case: Manhattan restaurateurs Danny Meyer, Michael Romano, and David Swinghamer, who redefined barbecue for New Yorkers with their much talked about barbecue emporium, Blue Smoke. Pork ribs are the house specialty, crusty, smoky baby backs cooked in the style of Danny Meyer’s native St. Louis. But Blue Smoke also serves beef ribs, and if you’ve never had these dark, meaty, Brobdingnagian bones, you’re about to have a life-changing experience. The boys keep the seasonings simple, just coarse salt and cracked black peppercorns. That way you get to appreciate the beef in all its smoky glory.

Method:

Indirect grilling

Ingredients:

1 rack of beef ribs

(2 ½ to 3 ½ pounds)

Coarse salt (kosher or sea)

Cracked or coarsely ground black pepper

Your choice of barbecue sauce, for serving

You’ll also need:

3 cups wood chips or chunks

(preferably apple or hickory), soaked for 1 hour in water to cover, then drain

1. Very generously season the beef ribs on both sides with salt and pepper.
2. Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium low. If using a gas grill, place all of he wood chips or chunks in the smoker box or a smoker pouch and run the grill on high until you see smoke, then reduce the heat to medium-low. If using a charcoal grill, place a large drip pan in the center, preheat the grill to medium-low, then toss 1 ½ cups of wood chips or chunks on the coals.
3. When ready to grill, place the seasoned ribs in the center of the hot grate, meat side up, over the drip pan and away from the heat. Cover the grill and cook the ribs until dark brown (almost black), very crisp on the outside, and tender enough to pull apart with your fingers, 2 to 2 ½ hours. If using a charcoal grill, every hour you’ll need to add 12 fresh coals and ¾ cup of wood chips or chunks to each side.
4. Transfer the grilled ribs to a cutting board and cut the rack into individual ribs. Serve with your favorite barbecue sauce on the side.

Yield:

Serves 2 or 3

Ah, summer!

We celebrate its arrival this Memorial Day weekend, when the grills of America are lit with unbridled glee. From sea to shining sea, grillmasters and barbecue aficionados will offer up the standard fare: hot dogs, hamburgers, ribs, maybe Texas-style brisket if they’re feeling adventurous.

But for the maestro who wants to knock the socks off of family and friends, there’s a mind-boggling dessert that will confound, amaze, and impress them—and make their taste buds sing. It’s as American as apple pie—and often served with it, as a matter of fact. But here it gets the live-fire treatment. I’m talking about grilled ice cream.

Yes, ice cream. But isn’t that an inherent contradiction? you ask. Isn’t putting a frozen dessert over hot coals a bit like mixing oil and water? Perhaps, but in the ambitious, able hands of America’s master griller, Steven Raichlen, grilled ice cream becomes not only doable, but delectable, too! Read on for the how-to.

Grilled Ice Cream
from Planet Barbecue! by Steven Raichlen

The Scoop

Where: Azerbaijan (the easternmost of the Caucasus Mountain republics, bordered by Armenia, Russia, Iran, and the Caspian Sea)

What: Coconut-crusted ice cream balls grilled shish kebab-style over blistering hot charcoal

How: Direct grilling on a grateless grill

Just the facts: Because of the delicate nature of the ice cream and coconut coating, you’ll need to grill these kebabs on a grateless grill; suspend the skewer between two bricks positioned at opposite sides of the grill. You can use any flavor of ice cream for this recipe—Chef Mehman favors vanilla. Stateside, I’m partial to Häagen-Dazs’ crème brûlée; its burnt-sugar flavor reinforces the taste of the flame-charred coconut.

The Method

The strangest thing I’ve ever grilled? It’s a question I’m asked often. So is Azerbaijan’s most famous grill master and TV chef, Mehman Huseynov, and the hyperkinetic chef has a ready answer: ice cream. Yes, ice cream. Skewered on a slender ribbon of steel, crusted with beaten egg and shredded coconut, and seared over the fire. The secret to grilling ice cream is to dip the frozen balls in egg and coconut several times before grilling. The hot fire cooks these ingredients into a hermetic crust, which seals in the melting ice cream. It’s essential to work quickly and over a very hot fire to sear the exterior before the ice cream has a chance to melt.

Makes 8 to 12 balls; serves 4

1½ pints of your favorite ice cream

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups grated or shredded dried coconut in a shallow bowl

You’ll also need
Flat metal skewers, at least 12 inches long

Advance preparation
4 to 6 hours for refreezing the ice cream

1. Using a large ice cream scoop, scoop the ice cream into 2-inch balls. Place them in a baking dish and return them to the freezer to freeze the balls solid, 1 to 2 hours.

2. Place the eggs and vanilla in a shallow bowl and beat with a fork. Dip each ice cream ball in beaten egg, turning it with forks to coat it all over, then in the coconut, turning it with forks to coat it on all sides. Return each ball to the egg to coat it again, then coat it in the coconut again. Return the balls to the baking dish and freeze them again until solid.

3. When the coconut-covered ice cream balls are frozen solid, skewer them on flat metal skewers and freeze them again.

4. Set up the grill for grateless grilling, following the instructions below and preheat the grill to as hot as it will go. Arrange 2 bricks on the grate at opposite sides of the grill.

5. Place the kebabs on the grill, resting the ends of the skewers on the bricks. Grill the ice cream balls until the coconut is browned on all sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side, 4 minutes in all. Work quickly; the idea is to sear the coconut without melting the ice cream. Slide the ice cream balls off the skewers into bowls or onto plates and serve at once.

Note: Grateless grilling

In many parts of the world, from Turkey to Japan to India, grills do not have grates and the food is cooked suspended directly over the fire. The method is particularly good for grilling skewered ground meat kebabs, tofu, and glazed foods that would otherwise stick to the grate. The easiest way to do grateless grilling on an American-style grill, either charcoal or gas, is to place two flat bricks, paving stones, or pieces of metal pipe on the grate, one at the front and one at the back. Position them just far enough apart so that the ends of the skewers will rest comfortably on them as supports. The food will be suspended over the grate and will be fully exposed to the heat.

For more sizzling recipes, check out Planet Barbecue!

When looking for a mouthwatering and crowd-pleasing recipe for Super Bowl Sunday, we know who to ask–Steven Raichlen’s crew. We asked Steven’s friend and fearless winter griller Nancy Loseke to share some of her most memorable Super Bowl dishes and recipes in anticipation of this weekend’s game.

If you are hosting a party this Sunday celebrating that unique fusion of football and food known as the Super Bowl, there’s someone I’d like to introduce you to: my friend, Steven Raichlen—grillmaster extraordinaire, author, and the host of “Primal Grill” on PBS.

Steven’s encyclopedic knowledge of the world’s grilling traditions is unparalleled. His iconic Barbecue Bible series of books (over 4 million copies sold) has been translated into 15 languages.

For years, Steven’s been a constant—albeit a virtual one—at my Super Bowl parties, deftly guiding my menu choices, refining my grilling techniques, and ensuring my guests have a great experience regardless of who wins the game…or the betting pool. (Am not sure why, but I have never been able to convince him to travel in early February from toasty Miami, Florida, to snowy northern Ohio.)

People are still talking about the party in 2006—Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Seattle Seahawks—that featured Steven’s fabulous Smoky Mac ‘n’ Cheese and several iterations of ribs. (At the time, Steven and I were furiously testing recipes for Raichlen on Ribs, which was released by Workman Publishing that spring.) Pulled pork reigned in 2009.

Last year—Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New Orleans Saints—Steven’s Cajun Wings stole the show.

What a privilege it’s been to have him and his extraordinary expertise on my “team” come Super Bowl Sunday. And now, for less than half what you’d pay for a beer at Cowboys Stadium February 6, you can recruit Steven, too: Download Raichlen’s TAILGATING: 31 Righteous Recipes for On-the-Go Grilling (Workman, 2011) on your Kindle, Nook, iPad, or even a computer armed with e-book reading capability.

In this convenient e-book, Steven has consolidated his favorite tailgating tips and recipes. He astutely recommends, for example, building your game day menu around “a large hunk of meat that serves lots of people but needs relatively little tending”. His Bratwurst “Hot Tub” will make Packers fans smile. Steelers fans will love Steven’s riff on “The Great American Hamburger”.

And not even the staunchest gridiron partisans will turn down Smoked Chicken Quesadillas with Cilantro and Pepper Jack Cheese (recipe below). Poppers. Wings. Dagwoods. All there, from appetizers to desserts.

The clock’s ticking…the party’s this weekend. Be on the winning team. Download Raichlen’s TAILGATING: 31 Righteous Recipes for On-the-Go Grilling today from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Smoked Chicken Quesadillas with Cilantro and Pepper Jack Cheese
Makes 4 quesadillas, can be multiplied as needed

Method: Direct grilling
Cooking time: 2 to 6 minutes
Advance preparation: You can assemble the quesadillas up to 30 minutes ahead, but you don’t need to. The whole point of a quesadilla is its speed and spontaneity.

Quesadillas are often described as Mexican grilled cheese sandwiches, but the truth is that most Mexicans cook quesadillas by deep-frying or pan-frying them. So leave the grilling to us. Like so much in our food culture, we Americans not only embrace the specialties of our neighbors and immigrants, we make them our own. These quesadillas explode with barbecue flavor—from the smoked chicken, from the pepper Jack cheese, and of course, from charring the quesadillas on the grill. The pico de gallo salsa is optional.

4 large (8 to 10 inches) flour tortillas
1 cup shredded smoked chicken
2 cups shredded cheese (I like a half-and-half mixture of pepper Jack cheese and sharp cheddar)
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
2 scallions, both white and green parts, trimmed and finely chopped
2 fresh or pickled jalapeño peppers, thinly sliced crosswise
2 tablespoons (¼ stick) butter (either salted or unsalted is OK), melted
Pico de Gallo (optional, recipe follows)

1. Place a tortilla on a work surface. Sprinkle one half of the tortilla with a quarter of the chicken, cheese, cilantro, scallions, and jalapeños. Fold the other half of the tortilla over the top to make a half-moon shaped quesadilla. Assemble the remaining quesadillas the same way. Lightly brush both sides of each quesadilla with the butter, turning them carefully. The quesadillas can be prepared to this stage up to 30 minutes ahead.
2. Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat it to medium-high.
3. When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate well. Arrange the quesadillas on the hot grate and grill them until the bottoms are golden brown, 1 to 3 minutes. Using a spatula, turn the quesadillas and grill the second side until the cheese is melted, 1 to 3 minutes. Keep an eye on the quesadillas—they burn easily. Serve the quesadillas at once, with the pico de gallo on the side, if desired.

Pico de Gallo
Literally translated as rooster beak, pico de gallo is the most basic Mexican salsa, found in one version or other from Sonora to Chiapas. Perhaps the salsa takes its name from its pugnacious bite. Because there’s no cooking, this salsa lives or dies by the quality of the raw materials—for example tomatoes so luscious and ripe, they go splat if they fall off the worktable.

Makes about 1½ cups

1 large or 2 medium-size luscious, red ripe tomatoes, diced
½ medium-size Vidalia or other sweet onion, finely diced
1 to 3 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely diced (for a hotter salsa, leave the seeds in)
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or more to taste

Combine the tomato(es), onion, jalapeño(s), cilantro, and lime juice in a mixing bowl and gently stir to mix. Taste for seasoning, adding more lime juice as necessary. You can chop the ingredients ahead of time but the salsa tastes best mixed within 15 minutes of serving. The salsa will be quite moist.



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Looking to get more quality time with your buddies? Don’t sit and watch the game by your lonesome on your high-def gewgaw with your nonworking remote, people! It’s time to TAILGATE with the man Oprah called “the gladiator of grilling.” Yup, it’s Raichlen’s Tailgating! 31 Righteous Recipes for On-the -Go Grilling, by Steven Raichlen, who personally curated 31 perfect tailgating recipes from his bestselling Barbecue Bible cookbooks for your mobile grilling pleasure. Download it at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and other e-book retailers.

Newly engaged brides and grooms:  Once the mists of rrrrrrooomance have cleared and you’re ready to get down and dirty with some planning, do your and your family’s wallets a favor by checking out Your Dream Wedding on a Budget: 47 Cost-Cutting Secrets from America’s Favorite Wedding Planner by Mindy Weiss, featuring a goldmine of tips compiled from her be-all-end-all wedding planning resource, The Wedding Book: The Big Book for Your Big Day. Mindy may be known for her blowout celebrity to-dos (favorite piece of Mindy news from last year = story of Hilary Duff and the lost tooth!) but now that she’s planning her son’s wedding, you can bet she has budget on the brain! Barnes and Noble,Amazon, and other e-book retailers.

Say no to store-bought cakes, and a hearty yes to making loved ones of all ages feel ultra special on their birthdays. Bring on the balloons, the streamers, and the kazoos! Then get to (not so much) work by whipping up one of the tasty treats from The Cake Mix Doctor’s 25 Best Birthday Cakes: Easy Luscious Layer Cakes, Plus Frostings, Icings, Tips, and More by Anne Byrn. The doyenne of cake mix guarantees your guests won’t be able to guess it came from a box–but we defy you to resist the temptation of announcing it to all and sundry! Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other e-book retailers.

And finally, January brings the undeniable urge to start plotting the year’s escapes. Get cracking! In Perfect Island Getaways from 1,000 Places to See Before You Die: The Caribbean, Bahamas & Bermuda, discerning travelista Patricia Schultz gives you a foolproof access card to 53 destinations in paradise. Why waste hours, nay, days, combing through endless travelers’ reviews on the web when you can grab the authoritative, vetted, to-die-for bucket list with the click of a mouse? Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and other e-book retailers.

Because a launch isn’t a launch without a P-A-R-T-Y, we’re going to be feting these shorties and their fab authors with a virtual pub party featuring (virtual) cocktails, cake, bbq, and more! Stay tuned for details.

Ever heard of a turducken? That’s a chicken stuffed in a duck stuffed in a turkey. Cooking turducken is no easy task, but turducken seems like cooking 101 in comparison to a suggestion grilling expert Steven Raichlen received from a soldier deployed in Afghanistan.

Sgt. Woodward Thaddeus of the 101 Screaming Eagle Division proposes a dish consisting of “cooking a quail in a duck and a duck in a turkey, a turkey in a pig, a pig in a lamb, and the lamb in the cow.”

What would that be, a cowlapigturduckquail? Find Steven’s answer, and plenty more grilling tips, on the BarbecueBible.com blog!

Memorial Day is the unofficial start of grilling season for many–the long weekend and warm weather being the perfect excuse to fire up the grill. Check out these samples from How to Grill, The Barbecue! Bible, and the brand new Planet Barbecue! for delicious recipes perfect for your grill’s seasonal debut–and don’t forget, all three are great gifts for Father’s Day!