Elizabeth Karmel

Smoking a whole turkey is little more work than roasting a bird, but it infuses the meat with a rich, woodsy flavor. All it requires is setting up a grill. Once that's done, the turkey's good to go—all it needs is a simple glaze made from hot-pepper jelly. The final glaze caramelizes on the skin and adds a sweet and sour heat to the smoky turkey.

Good for Slathering: Pork; chicken, turkey, duck; beef; lamb: It doesn't get any easier than this! And this mop is probably what 90 percent of the competition barbecuers use—with maybe a little beer mixed in for good measure!

Good for Slathering: Pork; beef; duck; ribs My students make this barbecue sauce every month in my Southern-barbecue classes. It is the only red sauce that we make in the class, and we always double the recipe because the class slathers it on everything! This sauce has been printed in many places and thousands of students have the recipe, but I couldn't write a sauce chapter and not include it here. The Dr. Pepper gives this sauce an edge over most basic sweet barbecue sauces.

Good for Seasoning: Flank steak; pork; chicken; salmon This is the original three-ingredient rub, and it packs in a lot of flavor and texture. If I am feeling ambitious, I make a chimichurri sauce to drizzle on top, but the rub itself has so much flavor that all you need is a light coating of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. The recipe calls for the amount you need for one night's dinner, but because the rub doesn't have any salt or pepper in it, you can increase the amount by simply multiplying. For example, if you are making 10 flank steaks, multiply by 10.

Editor's note:The recipe below is adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site,girlsatthegrill.com. This coleslaw originally accompanied Karmel's recipe forNorth Carolina Style Pulled Pork.

Editor's note:The recipe and introductory text below are adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site,girlsatthegrill.com. The addition of ketchup in this slightly sweeter vinegar sauce distinguishes it from simpler Eastern North Carolina vinegar sauce. I prefer this sauce not only because I grew up with it—I like the added flavor and the pink color that the ketchup gives the sauce. To turn this sauce into an Eastern sauce, add 1 cup of water and eliminate the brown sugar and ketchup. This sauce is used to makeNorth Carolina Style Pulled PorkandNorth Carolina Coleslaw. You will need to double this recipe to sauce both the meat and the slaw.

Editor's note:The recipe and introductory text below are adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site,girlsatthegrill.com. This is the dish that started my love affair with grilling and barbecue. Growing up a stone's throw from Lexington, North Carolina—the World barbecue headquarters—I always visited a barbecue joint to get my pork fix. We'd either eat it there or take it home in quart containers to reheat in a silver chafing dish. After college, I said good-bye to the barbecue joints and moved north. If I was going to enjoy pulled pork more than once or twice a year when I went home, I just had to teach myself how to make it. Here is my tried-and-true version made most often on a gas grill, no less!

Editor's note:The recipe below is adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site,girlsatthegrill.com. This rub originally accompanied Karmel's recipe forSlow-Cooked Texas Beer Brisket.

**Editor's note:**The recipe below is adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site,girlsatthegrill.com. This rub originally accompanied Karmel's recipe forSlow-Cooked Texas Beer Brisket.

Editor's note:The recipe and introductory text below are adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site,girlsatthegrill.com. On the road to Lockhart, Texas in the Hill Country outside of Austin, I discovered barbecue heaven where smoke meets beef. This slow-cooked brisket is crunchy and almost burnt on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. After tasting a delicate 2-pound portion, I got some tips from the pit master himself and promptly went home and created my own version. The simple salt-and-pepperLockhart Dry Rubis favored by the old guard and theTricked-Up Brisket Rubis akin to what some of the younger up-starts in the barbecue world are doing to add a little more dimension to their burnt ends. Both rubs are great for slow-cooking and smoking brisket. You only need to make one rub to make this brisket so just pick whichever is more appealing to you. Be sure to purchase an untrimmed brisket. The meat needs all of the fat cap to keep it moist during the long cooking time.

Editor's note:The recipe and introductory text below are adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site,girlsatthegrill.com. This rub has all the classic barbecue notes: salt, spice, sweet, and smoky. It is particularly great onribsbut works with pork chops and tenderloin, chicken and even catfish for an authentic low 'n slow barbecued flavor.

Editor's note:The recipe below is adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site,girlsatthegrill.com.

Editor's note:The recipe and introductory text below are adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site,girlsatthegrill.com. Grilling asparagus miraculously transforms it from the kind of vegetable you hated as a kid to a sweet, meaty, lip-smackin' treat that you can't get enough of as an adult. Contrary to popular belief, look for the fatter stalks when buying asparagus—they are much better suited to grilling and actually have better flavor. This is the least amount of work you will ever have to do to be considered the Queen or King of the Grill.

Editor's note:The recipe and introductory text below are adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site,girlsatthegrill.com. I use this technique to grill one of my signature dishes, pancetta-wrapped trout. I stuff the fish with fresh tarragon, wrap it mummy-style in pancetta (uncured Italian bacon) and serve it with a simple mesclun salad for a winning meal off the grill.

Editor's note:The recipe below is adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site,girlsatthegrill.com.

Editor's note:The recipe and introductory text below are adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site,girlsatthegrill.com. There are those days that nothing will do except a bacon cheeseburger. Instead of visiting your favorite burger joint, make them at home. You may never order a burger out again!

Editor's note:The recipe below is adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site,girlsatthegrill.com.

Editor's note:The recipe and introductory text below are adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site,girlsatthegrill.com. This is the basic recipe for beer-can chicken. The origin of this recipe has as many stories as there are grill cooks. The one I like best goes something like this: A barbecue pit master had been drinking beer—the officially sanctioned barbecue-circuit beverage—all day when he realized that he was going to need to eat something if he was going to last all night and into the next morning tending his slow-cooked barbecue. So, he opened his rig (a smoker-grill that is large enough for several whole hogs) and set his beer down on the cooking grate to get something small to cook from his cooler. He picked up a chicken and put it on top of his half-full can of beer without noticing what he was doing. He looked for his beer, couldn't find it, and popped open another one without a second thought. That is, until he opened the grill an hour later and, lo and behold, perched on the grates of his rig was the first beer-can chicken! Regardless of the story, it is truly the best chicken you have ever tasted!

Editor's note:The recipe below is adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site,girlsatthegrill.com.

Editor's note:The recipe and introductory text below are adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site,girlsatthegrill.com. Once you understand the technique of grilling chicken pieces, it will be easy for you to add your favorite rubs, marinades, and sauces. I recommend grilling chicken pieces over an indirect heat so that the chicken is cooked on the inside and golden brown on the outside at the same time. Cooking over direct heat can create a raw interior and a burned exterior—especially if you put the barbecue sauce on too soon.