BBQ U
The BroadmoorIn its 10th year as the nation's top school for smoking, skewering, and spit firing (but never charring), grill-master Steven Raichlen's Barbecue University just awarded the class of 2010 their diplomas in grilling.

After years of threatening my family and friends that I would take the course and then move our kitchen to the back yard, I finally took the plunge (I mean tongs). I went for three days of intensive barbecue training at his resident university headquarters at the Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

This year's new curriculum was developed by Raichlen, of course -- it's a celebration of barbecue, using his new book, Planet Barbecue, as the syllabus. It explores different techniques of grilling from around the world, so the course is as much about cultural anthropology and geography as it is cooking.

From all-American Memphis style ribs to Asia-inspired "The Best Beef Satay in Singapore" (yes, that's the actual name of Steven's recipe), students not only gained an appreciation for the different types of barbecue from around the world, but also the cultural and historical significance of the dishes.

For example, barbecue did not originate around a fire pit with a cowboy holding a ribeye on a stick. Steven goes much farther back in time and farther around the globe to the origins of the word itself – from the Taino Indian word barbacoa – to its first written reference in 1526, historically preserved in the United States Library of Congress.

Each day of Barbecue U is seasoned with historic trivia such as this, which students talk about in between learning to cook a full menu of at least eight dishes. From starters to main courses to desserts, every item on the menu is, as you might guess, cooked on one form of grill or another – including the Catalan Cream, its sugar caramelized by a hot iron taken directly from the fire.

By graduation, it was clear that all the participants might have arrived as barbecue enthusiasts, but left as both accomplished grill masters and food anthropologists. Yet, probably my most important takeaway from the course (and my favorite recipe), was Steven's insightful mantra that "there are no mistakes in the kitchen, just new recipes waiting to be discovered."

See Steven Raichlen in action at Barbecue U by clicking the video tab.


1
You don't need a grate to grill.
A 'Cowboy Steak' is literally cooked directly on the coals and provides a great wood and smoky flavor that is impossible to recreate indoors or at a steakhouse.
2
Juicy fat makes a juicy grill.
Excess fat from beef or other high protein meat is a great lubricant for the grill. Over a hot fire, rub the fat across the grate (using tongs, of course) to create a great tasting way to keep your grill slick using a natural non-stick surface.
3
Beware of imposter charcoal.
If you grill with hardwood charcoal instead of briquettes, make sure the charcoal is natural and not processed wood scraps or cheap lumber. Amazingly, even the charcoal sold at Whole Foods is not natural charcoal, but a processed wood substitute.
4
All fires are not created equal.
There are actually five types of live fire cooking: direct grilling, indirect grilling, smoking, spit roasting, and roasting in the embers.
5
One grill, multiple temperatures -- no problem.
Create a three zone fire to cook a variety of foods at the same time and also control the timing of your presentation. Use a double layer of coals for your hot zone, a single layer for your medium zone, and leave the remaining third of your grill free from coals to have a fire free area for keeping items warm.
6
Leave the petrol at the pump.
 If you want to grill like a pro, using lighter fluid is a no-no. Instead, heat your coals using a chimney starter and a simple ball of newspaper. That's enough fuel to get the coals blazing. It will also ensure that your food won't taste like petroleum!
7
Keep your kebabs off the grate.
 To keep your kebabs from sticking to the grill, wrap two bricks in aluminum foil, place them about 10 inches apart, and balance the ends of the skewers on each brick. Your food will heat more evenly and it's easier to turn.
8
Wood skewers vs metal.
 Use metal skewers for meat and bamboo for fish or chicken. Since meat is cooked over high heat, metal skewers will survive the high heat.
9
Fish on a grill - it's a wrap.
Most people give up trying to grill fish because it either sticks to the grate or falls apart. An easy tip to solve this problem is by wrapping the fish in a banana leaf, which can be found in the fresh or frozen section of many supermarkets or in specialty markets. Wrapping the fish not only keeps it from falling apart, it's also a healthier cooking method as there's a steaming effect and less oil is needed. And, as Steven would tell you, using banana leaves will also make you look cool.
10
No meat thermometer? No problem.
The answer to whether a steak is done or not is actually in the palm of your hand. Use the "touch test": Touch your index finger to your thumb and the firmness of the 'pad' under your thumb is the firmness for 'rare.' Touching your middle finger to your thumb will give you medium rare, and your ring finger to your thumb will give you medium. Try it -- it works!