BBQgeek

Here we go again

Spring has sprung and hibernation time is over.  After a few months of downtime considering whether to continue this blogging thing my need to write has fired back up and I'm ready to rejoin the Internet.  In order to stoke the fire a bit this year I am going to change up my format a little and expand my horizons.  I've tried to make BBQ the axis on which this little blog turns.  While that might be enough for some it is not enough for me.  I'm going to throw open the gates and write about whatever is on my mind with regard to food and restaurants.  This should result in a few more restaurant reviews and substantially more recipes.  Books are going to make a debut this year.  I also plan to pen a series of posts entitled "On Blogging" that will explore some of the challenges faced in running a blog and being a part of the food and foodie community.  Hopefully I haven't lost too many of you in my self-imposed Internet exile and hopefully we will pick up a few new readers with the new format.

Great BBQ Xmas Gifts - Day 1 - Adam Perry Lang's "Serious Barbecue"

  This post marks the first day of my Xmas gift to all my readers out there.  Since I can't give you all a nice fruitcake or a pair of slippers, I figure I would do the next best thing - give you recommendations for gifts for your friends and family that may be into BBQ and grilling.  Or, maybe I'm giving you hints on gifts you want to pick up for yourself.  Either way, I'll be posting one potential gift a day from now until Christmas.

It's no mistake that my first recommendation is Adam Perry Lang's Serious Barbecue.  If you've been following my blog, you know I've already cooked and blogged about several of his recipes.  I've still got a few more laying around that I've yet to write up.  Serious Barbecueis my favorite barbecue cookbook of all time because it takes a different approach.  Adam applies his fine dining experience cooking with Daniel Boulud and Mario Batali to enhance classic barbecue dishes and to bring some new ones to the table.  Adam seems to like to employ several techniques within one dish - wet rubs, dry rubs, brines, mops, and glazes - to build layers of flavor.  My two favorite recipes to cook have been the Honey Garlic Tri-tip and the Bacon wrapped drumsticks.    Adam's book is packed with more than just recipes and beautiful pictures.  He also writes extensively about the logic behind his approach.  Buy this book for the griller in your family and you will make them very, very happy.