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Tips on indirect grilling
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Honey-Sesame Grilled Shrimp
Prep and cook time: 50 minutes

21/4 pounds uncooked jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined

For the marinade/glaze:
1/4 cup Asian sesame oil
1/4 cup rice wine or dry sherry
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbs. honey
2 cloves garlic, crushed with the side of a cleaver
21/4-inch-thick piece fresh ginger, sliced and flattened with the side of a cleaver
2 trimmed scallions, the white part flattened with the side of a cleaver and the green part finely chopped
1 Tb. sesame seeds, plus
1 Tb. for serving, toasted in a 325-degree oven until light brown
1 to 2 tsps. of your favorite hot sauce
1/2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder (optional)

Combine marinade ingredients in a large bowl; whisk until honey dissolves. Stir in shrimp. Marinate 30 minutes.

Preheat grill or broiler to high. Drain shrimp in a strainer over a saucepan. Boil marinade until thick and syrupy, about 4 minutes. Thread shrimp on skewers and place on the grill (or under broiler) until cooked through, 2 minutes per side, basting with marinade. Transfer shrimp to a platter. Sprinkle with the scallion greens and sesame seeds. Serve at once.
Serves: 6.
Nutrition: 249 calories, 25g protein, 11g fat (1.6g saturated), 0g fiber, 9g carbohydrates, 793mg sodium.

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6 racks baby back ribs (4 to 6 pounds)
12 Tbs. Sweet & Hot Rub
3 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce
If cooking in oven: Smoke baste of 3 Tbs. butter melted, mixed with 1/2 tsp. liquid smoke
If cooking on grill: 2 cups wood chips, preferably apple, soaked in 2 cups apple cider or water 1 hour; drained

Remove the thin, papery skin on the back of each rack of ribs, or ask your butcher to do it. (Pull it off in a sheet with your fingers, using a corner of a dish towel for a secure grip.) Sprinkle 2/3 of the rub on both sides of the ribs, patting it in with your fingers. Let rest for 30 minutes, while you light the grill or preheat the oven.

Grill method: Set up grill for indirect grilling. (See instructions below.) Place ribs on a rack in the center of the grill away from the heat and cook for 1 hour.

Oven method: Preheat to 350 degrees. Brush the ribs with the smoke baste. Arrange the ribs on baking sheets with rims or on large roasting pans. Bake for 1 hour.

Brush ribs with 1/3 of the sauce. Cook 15-30 minutes more. The meat will be very tender and will have pulled back from the ends of the bones. Transfer ribs to a platter. Brush with more sauce. Sprinkle with remaining rub. Serve remaining sauce on the side.
Serves: 8.
Nutrition: 667 calories, 34g protein, 45g fat (18g saturated), 1g fiber, 31g carbohydrates, 2,570mg sodium.

Indirect grilling The rib and chicken recipes use a technique called indirect grilling. This quick, easy, fail-proof method effectively turns your grill into a smoker/barbecue pit. For charcoal grill Light coals. Wait until they glow red. Rake coals into two piles at opposite sides of the grill 1. (Some grills have special side baskets for this.) Put an aluminum-foil drip pan in center 2, between the coals. Install the grate 3 and put food in the center over the drip pan 4. Toss presoaked, drained wood chips on coals. Cover the grill; adjust vent holes to obtain a 350- degree temperature. After an hour, add 10 fresh coals to each side and leave the grill uncovered until the coals light. For gas grill Two-burner grill: Preheat one side to high; put food on other. Three-burner grill: Light the front and rear, or right and left, burners and cook food in the center. Four-burner grill: Light outside burners; cook food in center. Using wood chips: If your grill has a smoker box, follow the manufacturer's instructions. If not, wrap chips in foil, poke holes in the top and place package over a burner. On many gas grills, you must preheat the grill to high to get the chips smoking, then reduce the heat to the desired temperature.

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Chicken on a Throne

Prep and cook time: 21/2hours

1 large roaster chicken (4 to 5 pounds), washed, lumps of fat removed, and blotted dry
8 Tbs. Sweet & Hot Rub
1 12-ounce can of beer
If roasting in oven: Smoke baste of 3 Tbs. butter melted, mixed with 1/2 tsp. liquid smoke
If grilling: 2 cups hickory wood chips soaked in water 1 hour, then drained

Sprinkle 2 Tbs. rub in the cavity of the chicken. (If roasting the bird, brush the outside with smoke baste.) Sprinkle 4 Tbs. rub on the outside. Open the beer can and make a few additional holes in the top. Pour out (or drink) half the beer and add the remaining 2 Tbs. spice rub to the can. Holding the chicken upright, insert the can into the cavity. Spread out the legs to form a sort of tripod, so the chicken stands upright.

Grill method: Set up your grill for indirect grilling (see page 10). Place the bird in the center, away from the heat, and cook until golden brown and fall-off-the-bone tender, 2-21/2 hours.

Oven method: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the bird upright in a roasting pan and roast until golden brown and fall-off-the-bone tender, 2-21/2 hours. Present the bird upright on the beer can on a platter. Remove and discard the beer can, then carve the chicken.
Serves: 8.
Nutrition: 351 calories, 32g protein, 22g fat (7.6g saturated), 0g fiber, 5g carbohydrates, 970mg sodium.

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Firecracker Coleslaw

Dressing:
11/2 tsps. salt, or to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 Tbs. juice from the jar of pickled jalapeño chilies in the slaw
1 to 2 tsps. of your favorite hot sauce
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. celery seed

Slaw:
1 small green cabbage, cored and shredded (8 to 10 cups)
2 carrots, peeled and grated or shredded
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly slivered
1 green bell pepper, seeded and thinly slivered
2 to 4 fresh jalapeño chilies, seeded and thinly sliced (for a hotter slaw, leave the seeds in)
2 Tbs. minced pickled jalapeño chilies

Prepare the dressing. Combine the salt and garlic in a large mixing bowl and mash to a paste with the back of a spoon. Add the next 8 ingredients; whisk until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Correct the seasoning, adding salt or sugar to taste: The dressing should be highly seasoned. Stir in the remaining ingredients and toss to mix. Let the slaw stand for at least 10 minutes or as long as 4 hours before serving. Have plenty of beer on hand to extinguish the fires.
Serves: 10.
Nutrition: 83 calories, 1g protein, 3g fat (0.4g saturated), 2g fiber, 14g carbohydrates, 483mg sodium.

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1 12-ounce loaf French bread
12 Tbs. (11/2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

Preheat grill or broiler to medium-high. Cut bread on a sharp diagonal into 1/2-inch slices. Arrange on a tray or baking sheet. In a bowl, mix together butter, garlic, parsley and pepper. Using a spatula, spread the garlic butter on both sides of the bread slices. Grill until golden brown on both sides, 1 to 3 minutes per side. Don't take your eyes off the grill for a second: The bread will burn quickly. Serve at once. Serves: 8.
Nutrition: 272 calories, 18.5g fat (11g saturated), 4g protein, 1g fiber, 23g carbohydrates, 435mg sodium.

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1 ripe pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch rings
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 Tb. cinnamon, or to taste
Optional: scoops of vanilla or rum raisin ice cream

Preheat grill or broiler to high. Melt butter in a small frying pan; remove from heat. Combine cinnamon and sugar in a shallow bowl. Dip each pineapple ring in butter, then cinnamon sugar, coating both sides; shake off excess. Grill or broil until brown and sizzling, 5 to 8 minutes per side, turning with a spatula. Serve at once, topped with ice cream if desired.
Serves: 12.
Nutrition: 159 calories, 1g fiber, 0g protein, 8g fat (5g saturated), 23g carbohydrates, 2mg sodium.

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Bacon and liquid smoke give canned beans the old-fashioned flavor of slow cooked baked beans.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
6 ounces bacon, cut into 1/4 inch slivers
1 large onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 15-ounce cans great northern or kidney beans, drained and rinsed in a colander
1Ú4 cup packed dark brown sugar, or to taste
1Ú4 cup sulphured molasses, or to taste
1Ú4 cup barbecue sauce
1Ú4 cup ketchup
2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tb. Dijon mustard
1 Tb. dry mustard
2 Tbs. cider vinegar, or to taste
1/2 tsp. liquid smoke
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a heavy pot, cook the bacon over medium heat to render the fat, about 5 minutes. Discard all but 2 Tbs. fat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the beans, sugar, molasses, barbecue sauce, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, mustards, vinegar, and liquid smoke. Simmer the beans, uncovered, until thick and richly flavored, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serves: 8.
Nutrition: 225 calories, 8g protein, 6g fat (2g saturated), 33g carbohydrates, 5g fiber, 490mg sodium

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1 bottle (14 ounces) ketchup
1 cup apple cider
2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tb. sulphured molasses
1 Tb. cider vinegar
1 Tb. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. liquid smoke
3 Tbs. dark brown sugar
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. celery seeds
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves

Place all the ingredients in a large heavy saucepan and whisk to mix. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer the sauce, uncovered, until thick and richly flavored, 30 minutes, stirring often to prevent scorching. Transfer the sauce to clean glass jars and place a sheet of plastic wrap under the lid before closing the jar. This sauce will keep for up to 3 months in the refrigerator.
Makes: 3 cups
Nutrition per Tb.: 15 calories, 0g protein, 0g fat, 3g carbohydrates, 0 fiber, 121mg sodium.

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Stir ingredients together in a mixing bowl.

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For old-time smokehouse flavor, use hardwood chips, such as hickory or oak. First, soak the chips in apple cider, beer or water to slow the burn rate. If using charcoal, toss the drained chips on the coals. On a gas grill, use your smoker box or wrap the chips in foil, poke holes in the top, and place the foil package under the grate directly over a burner.

Apply barbecue sauce toward the end of cooking. If you put it on at the start, the sugar in the sauce will burn.

Five-spice powder (an optional ingredient for the Honey-Sesame Grilled Shrimp recipe) is a sweet Chinese seasoning mix made with cinnamon, cloves, pepper, star anise and fennel. Look for it at Asian markets.

Soak bamboo skewers in water for 1 hour to slow the burn rate.

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