SousChef Community

I've always been fascinated by self-proclaimed pit masters. We're talking way beyond the dad who wears an ''I'm Smokin''' apron and grills on weekends. These are people whose lives revolve around charred pieces of meat, whose weapons of choice are a sauce mop and tongs, and who spend their weekends driving to competitive barbecue contests, like ...

Planning a barbecue for the long weekend? If, like me, you love outdoor cooking, the holiday is a bittersweet time to squeeze in some final grilling before summer ends. But, as I mentioned in a previous post, my life has been a bit crazy for the past few months, so I can't afford to spend hours fussing over dinner when boxes are still waiting to ...

If you didn't take advantage of those ridiculously cheap airfares to far flung destinations like France, Peru, Turkey, and Cambodia? don't beat yourself up. Instead, take a culinary journey across three different continents with these five recently published cookbooks. No need to book reservations and no passport required. Head down to Argentina ...

Several months ago, at the beginning of the grilling season, I wrote about my love for grilled pizza and shared the techniques my family has developed over the last ten years. A few people wrote in about pizza stones (do they make the process easier? Do they defeat the purpose?). At the time I had no experience using a pizza stone but I recently ...

You know how everyone's a food critic? Well, these days, everyone's a burger critic. Doesn't matter what city. Or how much money you have. Or whether you like the over-the-top burgers with the haute ingredients (foie gras, kobe, short ribs) or the classic patty-sandwich variety. Every blog I run into has a burger-to-bun analysis or a slideshow of ...

Looking for a feast for the Fourth? Want something American but with a twist? We've assembled delicious July 4th recipes and menus for your backyard bbq or picnic under the fireworks: Our Independence Party Planner compiles an easy buffet menu starring grilled chicken and ribs, as well as tips on hosting the party and activities to keep the kids ...

It's officially summer, so that means it's the season for a rise in foodborne-illness outbreaks. And it looks like beef's the first culprit in what I'm guessing will be a long line of many outbreaks over the next few months. More then 300,000 pounds of beef have been recalled by a Colorado meat company because an E. coli infection may be ...

Grilling season is officially here and the fourth of July is just days away. Chances are you might be consuming or serving a hot dog or two. There are so many on the market and it's hard to know which brand is best. To answer this timeless question, we conducted a blind taste test with 13 nationally available, beef hot dogs, three of which shot to ...

The season of barbecues is in full swing, and that means...lots of trash. I know, we're all trying not to be wasteful, but let's be honest: The last time you had an outdoor get-together, didn't you end up with multiple bags of garbage at the end of the party? I know I did, which is why I was happy to hear about a newish line of disposable plates ...

The event is over. The smoke has cleared. But that doesn't mean you can't vicariously enjoy the splendor that was the Big Apple BBQ Block Party. Feast your eyes, if you pardon the expression, on photos taken this weekend in Madison Square Park. Highlights include pics of an enormous mound of cracklins, mind-bogglingly good pimento cheese, and ...