Barbecue! Bible Giveaway

I’m giving away a copy of “The Barbecue! Bible,” by international grilling/barbecue expert Steven Raichlen, It includes over 500 recipes for grilling or barbecuing just about everything.

To enter the prize drawing, leave a comment at the end of this blog post.

I interviewed Raichlen when I was food editor at the Deseret News, and he talked about traveling to 53 countries to document nearly every culture’s grilled foods. He sampled everything from fancy restaurants to home cooking to street vendors.

And yes, he did get a few bouts of food poisoning, but nothing that put him out of commission for too long.

“I’m lucky I’m writing about foods that come straight off the grill; it’s a self-sterilizing process,” he told me. “If I were writing about salads, I wouldn’t be here to tell the tale.”

He’s written around 30 books, mainly about grilling or barbecue, and this one is pretty comprehensive. He gives a lot of how-tos — fuels, equipment, temperatures, etc. Then there are recipes from all over the world. Aromatic Latin Quarter Shrimp Kebabs, Fire-Charred Tomato Soup, Memphis-Style Ribs, Turkish Shish Kebab, Piri-Piri Chicken, Tandoori Prawns, Spicy Chorizos, North Carolina Pulled Pork, Beer Can Chicken, Uptown S’mores, Coco Loco Brulee. There are also sections on marinades, rubs and sauces, as well as drinks to go with your meal.

Barbecue is nearly a universal language, Raichlen says, because it embraces three things that people love: being around a fire, eating outdoors and eating with their fingers.

The term “barbecue” can be a source of contention among American barbecue enthusiasts. In general, “real barbecue” is the low-heat, smoke-roasting of meats prevalent in the southern United States, and grilling is the quick, high-heat method of cooking steaks and burgers.

But Raichlen’s definition includes both under one umbrella. For him, barbecue embraces “the ancient art of cooking with live fire, a specific cooking technique involving wood smoke, a series of iconic dishes, a meal prepared and eaten outdoors and a communal food experience.”

Here’s a recipe from the book.

To enter in my prize drawing, just leave a comment at the end of this post. I’ll draw a winner on July 1.

 Memphis Rub

¼ cup sweet paprika

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons Accent (MSG, optional)

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 to 3 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

Combine the ingredients in a jar, put the lid on tight, and shake to mix. This rub will keep for up to 6 months. It makes about ½ cup; enough for 4 to 6 racks of ribs.