Adam Perry Lang is a French-trained chef with years of experience at illustrious restaurants such as Daniel, Le Cirque, and Guy Savoy. With a resume like that you might assume that Lang would be more comfortable with squeeze bottles and a sous vide machine than tongs and a grill. In fact, Lang has retired his proverbial toque and become a bona fide barbecue expert. In 2003 he opened Daisy May's BBQ and entered the professional barbecue circuit. Lang's pork shoulder won first place at the World Series of Barbecue and was named Grand Champion at the World Pork Expo. With victories like these under his belt, it's obvious that Lang knows his barbecue. His next project is taking him across... More

"Because prime meat is dear, it must be treated with respect both before and during grilling." This week's grilling tips come from a family that is regarded as the premiere butchers in the country—The Lobels. Nathan Lobel started it all in Austria during the 1840's when he began to raise beef cattle. Later he opened a slaughterhouse and his grandson Morris joined the family business that would later become a meat empire. Morris took the technique and work ethic his grandfather taught him and in 1911 he emigrated to the United States. Eventually Morris settled in New York where he opened a butcher shop in the Bronx, which he later moved to their current Madison Avenue location. Extremely high quality... More

"I'll soak chips for 15 minutes or so, chunks for an hour or so, and logs, if they’re really dry, for up to six hours. But my preference is chunks." This week's grilling tips come from Adam Perry Lang, a remarkable chef who is as well-versed in pot au feu as he is pit smoking (and everything in between). This wide span of knowledge comes from a decade spent with some of the greatest chefs and restaurants in the world, from Restaurant Guy Savoy in Paris to the renowned Daniel and Le Cirque in Manhattan. Eventually Adam landed a job as a private chef, which had him jet-setting all over the world and allowed him to spend a life-altering summer... More

This week's grilling tips come from British chef, acclaimed food writer, television star, and humanitarian, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Beginning his career in the food industry working as a sous chef at the River Cafe in London, he quickly realized that his free spirit and lack of discipline made him ill-suited for the restaurant industry. Whittingstall then moved on to become a successful food writer, publishing pieces in the Sunday Times and The Observer. Whittingstall took his career and eccentricity to the next level with the popular television shows, Cook on the Wild Side and four other series based on the farm where he lived, River Cottage, in Dorset, England. Whittingstall became known for his relentless campaigning of holistic values and... More

This week's grilling tips come from Bobby Flay, Mr. Grill himself. Though Flay is a successful chef and restaurateur, and a Food Network star (he's one of the Iron Chefs and he is of course the host of Throwdown!) he is probably more identified with grilling than any other celebrity chef. He has written three books about grilling, Boy Gets Grill, Grilling for Life, and most recently Bobby Flay's Grill It, from which these tips are taken. Flay on Gas vs. Charcoal: "I am on record many times as saying that I prefer the ease and consistency of gas grills. However, that doesn't mean that I don't use charcoal grills myself from time to time. Charcoal burns hotter than gas,... More

Now that the official start of spring has passed, I inevitably see more people grilling outdoors. While this should be a joyous occasion, there's an evil that goes alongside the times that constantly irks me to no end: lighter fluid. Ever since I bought my first grill, invited some friends over, and started the fire with match light charcoal (coals already coated in lighter fluid), the stuff has been my mortal enemy. On that fateful day, I followed protocol and let the coals burn until covered with gray ash before grilling, but even after that the first few rounds of food that came off the grill all had the horrible hint of chemical cooked in, not to mention the... More

As far as I'm concerned it's never too early to crank up the grill, no matter where you live. I went to college in Iowa, and I have fond memories of grilling hamburgers and hot dogs in January wearing a ski parka. So grilling in April is a piece of cake, or should I say a piece of meat, to me. Starting this week we're going to bring you grilling tips from some of the biggest names in cooking. Batting lead-off for our brigade of grill-mad chefs is Mario Batali. His Italian Grill is a worthy addition to any serious griller's library.... More

Although I take to the flames all year round, I'm an admitted wuss to the cold, and once January rears its ugly head, I find myself opting for the warm comforts of the indoors rather then manning the grill in the arctic ice land that lays outside. Staying in is no excuse to stop grilling though, and I've found many grilling recipes can easily be adapted for indoor cooking, given the proper equipment. While not quite as passionate of a debate as charcoal preferences, I've found people will defend their Foremans, panini presses, and electric grills to no end. Having tried all of the former options and beyond, I've concluded that a cast iron grill (I'm rather fond of... More

Uh, best idea ever? Photograph from That's What You Think Winnie of That's What You Think discovers the deliciousness of grilled doughnuts when she picks up a jelly doughnut and an eclair from Peter Pan Bakery in Brooklyn on the way to a backyard barbecue. How did they turn out? The exterior becomes a crispy hot shell that gives way to juicy, molten insides and takes on the slightest hint of smoke and maybe just the faintest little happy leavings of whatever sausages (from the Polish butchers up the street) and steaks (from the Greenmarket) had just vacated the grill real estate. Mm, meat-tinged doughnuts. I'm there. Related A Guide to the Best Doughnuts in New York Cooking with... More