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The Way of the Bun: A Quickie on Grilling Etiquette

In Cooking Guide, Recipes by Mark MaskerLeave a Comment

Last weekend, a good buddy of mine took it upon himself to open the lid on my grill and check the food. Right after I’d just checked it myself. My friend’s lucky he’s stringy or he’d have been the next course. I’m not a cannibal. I am, however, a firm believer in object lessons. Especially to any would-be violators of my grill second guessing my work. I have plenty of friends so I can afford to cook one here and there.

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A Pellet Smoker Simplifies Barbecue

In BBQ - Grilling - Smoking, Beef, Gadgets & Tech, Recipes, Reviews, Stories by Dave DeWittLeave a Comment

I gave up smoking meat a few years ago because it was getting to be too much trouble. First I had to locate the wood, which meant calling firewood lots and asking if they had any pecan or fruit woods around. And then, during the smoking process, was the constant adding of the wood to the firebox, which interrupted anything else I was trying to do. The best time to smoke was during a football game when I could add wood during the timeouts for commercial breaks. But football isn’t on during the summer, which is the traditional time for smoking. Finally, I gave it up and just went to the Pork and Brew Cookoff and bought a year’s supply of pulled pork and brisket from my friends, the Texas Rib Rangers.

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Is Barbecue Too Trendy Now?

In BBQ, News by Mark Masker2 Comments

Earlier this week, Today.com ran a story asking the question, “Is barbecue getting too trendy for its own good?” We here at the blog thought it’d be great to ask our own little panel of experts what they thought about the story and for their own two cents on the subject.

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The Four Horsemen of Super Bowl Barbecue

In Interviews, Stories by Mark MaskerLeave a Comment

During the Bare Bones competition at Meatopia Oakland last year, I couldn’t help but hear Chris Lilly talk to his Kingsford buddies about this year’s football season. Mostly because I was eavesdropping. That conversation mutated into the kernel of an idea which grew into a great question: what do some of the biggest and brightest in barbecue do for Super Bowl Sunday?

Doctor Doomed: Hallucinating Physician Assaults Taste Buds

In Chile Peppers, Hot Sauces, Recipes by Mark MaskerLeave a Comment

British Radiologist Ian Rothwell, 55, became the first person to finish the world’s hottest curry at a UK restaurant while suffering hallucinations brought on by the dish. Truth to tell, drinking a glass of riot spray would have been cooler. And cooler. That’s what happens when you eat something with a reported six million Scoville units of heat in it. The curry is chock full of 20 Naga Infinity Chiles and has to be prepared by chefs wearing goggles and a face mask.