Steven Raichlen, a national barbecue treasure and author of The Barbecue! Bible, How to Grill, and other books in the Barbecue! Bible series, embarks on a quest to find the soul of American barbecue, from barbecue-belt classics-Lone Star Brisket, Lexington Pulled Pork, K.C. Pepper Rub, Tennessee Mop Sauce-to the grilling genius of backyards, tailgate parties, competitions, and local restaurants.

In 450 recipes covering every state as well as Canada and Puerto Rico, BBQ USA celebrates the best of regional live-fire cooking. Finger-lickin' or highfalutin; smoked, rubbed, mopped, or pulled; cooked in minutes or slaved over all through the night, American barbecue is where fire meets obsession. There's grill-crazy California, where everything gets fired up - dates, Caesar salad, lamb shanks, mussels. Latin-influenced Florida, with its Chimichurri Game Hens and Mojo-Marinated Pork on Sugar Cane. Maple syrup flavors the grilled fare of Vermont; Wisconsin throws its kielbasa over the coals; Georgia barbecues Vidalias; and Hawaii makes its pineapples sing. Accompanying the recipes are hundreds of tips, techniques, sidebars, and pit stops. It's a coast-to-coast extravaganza, from soup (grilled, chilled, and served in shooters) to nuts (yes, barbecued peanuts, from Kentucky).

Pacific Northwest Planked Salmon With
Mustard and Dill Sauce (page 456)

Method: Grilling on a plank

For the salmon:

For the glaze:

You'll Also Need: 1 cedar plank (about 6 by 12 inches), soaked for 2 hours in water to cover(a rimmed baking sheet or large roasting pan works well for soaking), then drained

Run your fingers over the salmon fillet, feeling for bones. Using needle-nose pliers or tweezers, pull out any you find. Rinse the salmon under cold running water, then blot it dry with paper towels. If using salmon with skin, generously brush the skin with olive oil. If using skinless salmon, brush one side of the fish with olive oil. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Place the salmon on the plank, skin side down, if it has one; oiled side down if not.

Make the glaze: Place the mayonnaise, mustard, dill, and lemon zest in a nonreactive mixing bowl and whisk to mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium-high.

When ready to cook, spread the glaze mixture evenly over the top and sides of the salmon. Place the salmon on its plank in the center of the hot grate, away from the heat, and cover the grill. Cook the salmon until cooked through and the glaze is a deep golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. To test for doneness, insert an instant-read meat thermometer through the side of the salmon: The internal temperature should be about 135°F. Another test is to insert a slender metal skewer in the side of the fillet for 20 seconds: It should come out very hot to the touch.

Transfer the plank and fish to a heatproof platter and slice the fish crosswise into serving portions. Serve the salmon right off the plank.

Yield: Serves 4

Note: You can use fish fillets with or without skin-your choice. My wife finds that the skin makes the salmon taste fishy. I love it.) For that matter, the recipe works well with other rich oily fish fillets, including bluefish and pompano.

St. Louis, Mo. Super Smokers Sweet and
Smoky Dry Rub Ribs (page 289)

Method: Indirect grilling
Advance preparation: 4 hours for curing the ribs

Ingredients:

You'll also need: 2 cups wood chips or chunks (preferably apple), soaked for 1 hour in water to cover, then drained; rib rack

Remove the thin, papery membrane from the back of each rack of ribs: Turn a rack meat side down. Insert a sharp implement, such as the tip of a meat thermometer, under the membrane (the best place to start is right next to the first rib bone). Using a dishcloth or pliers to gain a secure grip, pull off the membrane. Repeat with the remaining racks.

Place the ribs on baking sheets.

Place the brown sugar, salt, and pepper in a bowl and stir to mix well. (Actually your fingers work better for mixing a rub than a spoon or whisk does.) Sprinkle this rub all over the ribs on both sides, patting it onto the meat with your fingertips. Cover the ribs with plastic wrap and let cure in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

Set up the grill for indirect grilling (see page 23 for gas or page 22 for charcoal) and preheat to medium.

If using a gas grill, place all of the wood chips or chunks in the smoker box or smoker pouch and run the grill on high until you see smoke, then reduce the heat to medium. If using a charcoal grill, place a large drip pan in the center, preheat the grill to medium, then toss all of the wood chips or chunks on the coals.

When ready to cook, using a rubber spatula, scrape the excess rub off the ribs. Place the ribs, preferably on a rib rack, in the center of the hot grate, over the drip pan and away from the heat. Cover the grill and cook the ribs until tender, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.

When the ribs are done, they'll be handsomely browned and the meat will have shrunk back about 1/4 inch from the ends of the bones. Transfer the cooked ribs to a platter or cutting board. Serve them as whole racks, cut the racks into pieces, or carve them into individual ribs. Serve them with the St. Louis-style barbecue sauce.

Yield: Serves 4 really hungry people or 8 folks with average appetites

Dr Pepper Barbecue Sauce (page 376)

Ingredients:

Cut the lemon in half cross wise and cut a 1/4-inch slice off of one half. Remove any seeds in this slice. Juice the remaining lemon: You should have 2 to 3 tablespoons juice.

Place the lemon slice, 2 table spoons of the lemon juice, and the garlic, onion slice, Dr Pepper, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, steak sauce, hot sauce, vinegar, liquid smoke, and pepper in a heavy nonreactive saucepan and gradually bring to a boil over medium heat.

Reduce the heat slightly to maintain a gentle simmer. Let the sauce simmer gently until thick and richly flavored, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding more lemon juice, hot sauce, and/or vinegar as necessary and seasoning with salt to taste, if desired.

Strain the sauce into a bowl (or clean glass jars) and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate, covered, until serving. The sauce will keep for several months in the refrigerator.

Bring to room temperature before serving.
Yield: Makes about 2 cups

Buffalo, N.Y. Buffa-que Wings (page 73)

Method: Indirect grilling
Advance preparation: 4 to 12 hours for marinating the wings

For the wings and marinade:

For the mop sauce:

For serving: Blue Cheese Sauce or dressing 4 ribs celery, rinsed and cut into thirds lengthwise, then cut crosswise into roughly 3-inch sticks

You'll also need: 1½ cups wood chips or chunks (preferably hickory or oak), soaked for 1 hour in water to cover, then drained

Rinse the chicken wings under cold running water and blot them dry with paper towels. Cut the tips off the wings and discard them (or leave the tips on if you don't mind munching a morsel that's mostly skin and bones). Cut each wing into 2 pieces through the joint.

Make the marinade: Whisk together the hot sauce, lemon juice, oil, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large nonreactive mixing bowl. Stir in the wing pieces and let marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for 4 to 6 hours or as long as overnight, turning the wings several times so that they marinate evenly.

Make the mop sauce: Just before setting up the grill, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir in the hot sauce.

Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium. If using a gas grill, place all of the wood chips or chunks in the smoker box or in a smoker pouch and run the grill on high until you see smoke, then reduce the heat to medium. If using a charcoal grill, place a large drip pan in the center, preheat the grill to medium, then toss all of the wood chips or chunks on the coals.

When ready to cook, drain the marinade off the wings and discard the marinade. Brush and oil the grill grate. Place the wings in the center of the hot grate, over the drip pan and away from the heat, and cover the grill. Cook the wings until the skin is crisp and golden brown and the meat is cooked through, 30 to 40 minutes.

During the last 10 minutes, start basting the wings with some of the mop sauce.

Transfer the grilled wings to a shallow bowl or platter and pour the remaining mop sauce over them. Serve with the blue cheese sauce and celery for dipping and of course plenty of paper napkins and cold beer.

Yield: Makes 32 pieces

Excerpted from BBQ USA by Steven Raichlen. Copyright © 2003 by Steven Raichlen. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Workman Publishing.

About the Author

Steven Raichlen, America's "master griller" (Esquire), is host of PBS's popular series Barbecue University at the Greenbrier. Bon Appétit named him Cooking Teacher of the Year (2003). Four of his five Barbecue! Bible books are Main Selections of The Good Cook club. In addition, he is author of the award-winning Miami Spice. He lives and grills-indoors and out-in Coconut Grove, Florida, and on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.