Can we cook a whole fish?

Despite the fact that I don’t like things with bones (thanks for sharing that with everyone, Frank), I manned up over the weekend so we could attempt to cook a whole fish. And I’m happy to say it wasn’t half bad.

We decided this first effort should be undertaken with rockfish–or striped bass, as it’s called outside the Mid-Atlantic area–because it’s one of Frank’s favorites. And who doesn’t like a local specialty? Read more »

The BBQ Obsession

Honey and Ginger Glazed Baby Back Ribs

Commencement speakers and wannabe English professors frequently exhort audiences to follow their passions. This is all well and good, but I have always believed that a world full of young idealists wandering around following their hearts would be a dangerous one. Cynical? Maybe.

That said, if the world were perfect and money was not an obstacle, I can assure you I would crisscross the globe in search of barbecue nirvana. I believe, to paraphrase Ben Franklin, that the dance of smoke, fire, meat, and reluctantly, vegetables, is proof that God wants us to be happy.

Pulled pork, brisket, ribs, sausages, you name it, I’ll eat it and when I’m feeling bold, make it.

Barbecue is very personal, like painting. One of the saddest memories of my adult life was saying goodbye to the staff at the Half Moon BBQ in Silver Spring, Maryland on their last Saturday night.

But barbecue is supposed to be happy, and I was happy to come home from work to find the July issue of Bon Appétit, completely dedicated to barbecue, sitting on the mail pile.

The cover photo of Honey and Ginger Glazed Baby Backs pretty much sums it up: crusty spices, crispy meat on the outside, even the obligatory grease spots.

This is 21st century barbecue, which is to say it is global. Korean beef barbecue and pork belly shares space with Spanish grilled black cod and Turkish chicken kebabs. Needless to say, there’s plenty of material for Summer experimentation.

As Summer rolls on, you can expect a lot more grilling here at The Foodventure. Of course, we’d love to hear about your favorites, too.

Recipe Ownership

Commenters over at Serious Eats raise an interesting discussion: at what point does a recipe become your own? That is to say if you make a recipe from a cookbook or a magazine multiple times and your friends really like it, can you call it yours?

Years ago I took a barbecue class with my aunt. One of the recipes we learned was a brined grilled chicken that was the class favorite by far. I have made the recipe hundreds of times since, and friends, family, and neighbors request it frequently.

I didn’t create the recipe, and I don’t modify it much when I make it. Still, everybody calls it Frank’s chicken. Is this fair?

New Grill!

It was a gorgeous day in our nation’s capital, and I knew that I wouldn’t have a better opportunity for a while to do something I’d been putting off: buying a new grill. My old one, which I picked up for free second hand, was badly rusted, so I thanked it for all the memories and moved on.

For the maiden voyage I went with a piece of salmon fillet that I salted, peppered, and oiled, then went it was almost done finished with butter and dill. I Also adapted these potatoes for the grill, and grilled some asparagus. It was a major success on all counts.

I’m looking forward to a summer of great grilling. If anybody has any grilling suggestions, leave a comment below!