Smokers Welcome: Try This at Home

Smoking at home, on the stovetop? A lot of people are doing it to great effect, based on this New York Times article.

"WINTER does strange things to grill lovers cooped up in city kitchens. They start daydreaming about smoldering hardwood.

Chefs around town seem to have that same impulse. Lately they have been smoking everything in reach — onions, tomatoes, chicken, fish, maple syrup. Some invest in professional indoor smokers, but the majority do what a home cook can easily do, rig a roasting pan with aluminum foil or use inexpensive gear like Camerons stovetop smokers.

After a 20-minute smoke and then a flash in a hot pan, chicken thighs taste like they are straight off the grill, but smokier, juicier and — depending on how you get your smoke — more interesting.

And the technique fills kitchens not with smoke, but with a cozy aroma, like potpourri, with Pavlovian effects."

Includes recipes for:

• Tea-Smoked Chicken Thighs With Pomegranate Glaze


• Smoked Catfish Salad


• North Carolina-Style Pulled Pork

Full article here.

Food News: Great steaks have common thread -- fat

So, you're having a BBQ for your 4th of July or summer get together and are wondering "What should I get for the grill?" This piece from the Boston Globe offers some good tips for your fiery endeavor.

"Independence Day is the most popular holiday for grilling, according to the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association, and steaks are second in popularity only to burgers.

Marbling is the first thing to consider when buying steaks for home, LoSurdo says. While filet is the most popular cut at his restaurant, he prefers the rib eye, sometimes known as Delmonico -- a fattier cut that comes from the lower part of a cow or steer's back."

"LoSurdo notes that per-pound prices for steaks can range from a few dollars to upwards of $20. He advises choosing ``the best thing you can afford... His personal steak preference is a "center cut" from the middle of the loin, an inch thick or better. Go for a bone-in steak if possible because it will have more flavor."

Full article here.

Recipe News: Outdoor recipe: Campire Chili

"Lorie Roach, of Buckatunna, Miss., earned the title of America's best campfire chef at a Redwood Creek wines campfire-cooking contest. Her prize included a $10,000 ''adventure grant'' and a $5,000 donation to the national park of her choice.

Her winning recipe - sweet onion, apple and bratwurst campfire chili - is a one-pot wonder that's ideal for cooking outdoors. Most of the prep work can be done at home. Roach recommends freezing the bacon and bratwurst (which can be sliced first), to store in an insulated bag or with an ice pack. The cook will need a Dutch oven with lid, and a wooden spoon. "

Includes recipe for:

• Campire Chili

Full article here

Recipes: Kebab recipes

"The beef recipes are courtesy of the Cattlemen's Beef Board and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association; the chicken recipe is courtesy of the National Chicken Council. You can use the ladder method on the recipes, if desired. Follow the recipes for specific cooking methods."

Includes recipes for:

• Beef Kebabs With Grilled Pineapple Salsa


• Steak Kebabs And Wild Rice With Mushrooms


• Seafood And Vegetable Skewers With Herb Marinade


• Patio Daddy-O Shish Kebabs


• Italian Grilled Cheese Skewers


• Ginger Chicken Kebabs

Full article here

Recipes: Grilling recipes

"All of these recipes can be prepared deliciously on a gas or charcoal grill. But cooking over a wood fire will add extra flavor."

Includes recipes for:

• Flat Iron Steaks with Little Italy Relish


• Barbecued Plank-Roasted Pesto-Stuffed Chicken Breasts


• Basil Pesto Stuffing


• Margarita Wild American Shrimp


• Pepper- and Coriander-Coated Tuna Steaks


• Grilled Romaine Hearts


• Grilled Ginger Peach Melba

Read more: Grilling recipes
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Recipes: Finger-lickin'! Steal this spare ribs recipe

"In this special weekly feature, "Today" food editor Phil Lempert brings you recipes "stolen" (with permission) from notable restaurants across America. See how much money you can save - and fun you can have - by cooking these dishes at home!"

Includes recipes for:

• Asian Spiced Pork Spare Ribs


• Chili-Soy BBQ Sauce

Read more: Finger-lickin'! Steal this spare ribs recipe
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Recipes: 4 recipes: A rub, a sauce and 2 versions of ribs

Includes recipes for:

• BBQ Queens' Love Potion for the Swine


• Big-Time Barbecue Rub


• Backyard Championship Ribs


• Tex-Mex Barbecued Baby Back Ribs

Read more: 4 recipes: A rub, a sauce and 2 versions of ribs
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Recipe: Kevin's baby back ribs

Includes recipe for:

• Kevin's baby back ribs

Read more: Recipe: Kevin's baby back ribs

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Recipes: Do it for Dad! Steal this Texas barbecue recipe

"With Father's Day just around the corner, here's a great barbecue dish for Dad to tackle — or, even better, for loved ones to cook for him — whether it be out camping, on a picnic, on the beach or just in your own backyard.

This Texas-style recipe comes from Austin's Restaurant, a Mountain View, Calif., eatery famous for its classic barbecue meat dishes."

Includes recipes for:

• Smoked Beef Tri-Tip and Texas BBQ Sauce


• Lone Star Hot BBQ Sauce

Read more: Do it for Dad! Steal this Texas barbecue recipe

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Recipes: Fourth Of July Barbecue Recipes

Some tasty recipes for your 4th of July BBQ grill...

Includes recipes for:

• Grilled BBQ Hamburger Supreme


• Sweet-Sour Barbecued Ribs


• Sirloin Steak with Grilled Bell Peppers


• Blackened Fish


• Fajitas on the Grill

Read more: Fourth Of July Barbecue Recipes
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Recipe of the Week: Grilled Pepper Salsa

"This is a tasty accompaniment for a summer barbecue. Can be made ahead or while the meat is on the grill (barbecue)."

Read more: Recipe of the Week: Mixed Salad with Gorgonzola

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Fire up the barbecue - Just in time for summer, 6 hot cookbooks can make you a grill master

"Cooking food over an open flame is certainly not a modern cooking technique. Ever since man learned how to rub two sticks together back in the B.C. years (that's "before charcoal") to flambe the catch of the day, we've been on an endless pursuit of the ultimate grilling experience.

And every barbecue season the list of cookbooks offering the latest techniques, tips and recipes grows ever larger...

Whether you cook with gas, charcoal, wood or anything else that gets the job done, here are six of the latest cookbooks to help you earn the title of Grill God (or Goddess) at your Memorial Weekend barbecue."

Includes book reviews:

• Good Times, Good Grilling by Cheryl & Bill Jamison


• Weber's Real Grilling by Jamie Purviance


• The New Gas Grill Gourmet by A. Cort Sinnes


• Bobby Flay's Grilling for Life by Bobby Flay


• The BBQ Queens Big Book of Barbecue" by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig


• The Italian Grill by Micol Negrin

Includes recipes:

• Double-Decker Mushroom Beef Burgers


• Grilled Fresh Figs with Mascarpone and Balsamic Syrup


• Smoky Pepper Strips in Lemony Caper Marinade


• Tangy Thai Chicken


• Grilled Spice-Rubbed Vidalia Onions


• Grilled Prosciutto and Basil-Wrapped Shrimp

Read more: Fire up the barbecue - Just in time for summer, 6 hot cookbooks can make you a grill master
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Recipes: Summer grilling recipes

Includes recipes:

• Pesto-Stuffed Salmon with Corn Salad


• Grilled Portabella Mushrooms Stacked with Spinach and Manchego Cheese


• Bourbon-Barbecued Rib Eye Steaks


• Thunder Thighs


• Barbecued Spareribs with Apple Cider Mop

Read more: Summer grilling recipes

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