BBQ Journey

Grandmothers are awesome for a number of reasons. They shower you with love and affection, load you with sugar, and send you back to raise Hell with your parents.

I could tell it had been a long winter when on the first warm weekend of the year my family was itching for a seafood cookout. We usually have a few each year, but this is the first I remember one happening in May.

When warm weather hits, it seems the first significant smell to waft through the air is the delicious smell of barbequing.  It's one of my favorite smells and like Pavlov's dog, it always gets me salivating in response.

Hot dogs are almost as receptive to sauces and recipes as chicken wings. Most any sauce tastes good on a hot dog, and they're a great vessel for condiments like mustard, ketchup and relish.

I'm a little late with your recipe this week. By four days, I know. Look at it this way: I'm giving you a great recipe from a new book (NFL Gameday Cookbook by Dr. BBQ), and you can make it this weekend!

I had one concern when bourbon-soaked pork chops from "Ribs, Chops, Steaks, and Wings" was voted the winner in this week's barbecue journey poll: How much is bourbon going to cost me? I even debated not putting this recipe out there as an option. About a month ago, I made a cognac sauce that cost $25. Back then, I said I was not a comfortable liquor buyer. I'm still not, and my wallet is

Dr. BBQ was kind enough to send us a copy of his book "Ribs, Chops, Steaks & Wings" to give away just in time for BBQ season. Dan has been using it as inspiration along his Barbecue Journey, and now you can win your very own copy. Here's how:

Reuben. The menu named always appealed to me no matter that I had never tasted many of its contents. Corned beer? No idea what that was. Sauerkraut? I hope I pronounced it correctly. Swiss cheese? Now, that, I know and love.

One of the great things among many great things about chicken wings is how receptive they are to sauces and rubs and mixes and whatever you want to throw on them. Chances are if you've come across a sauce you like on a steak, it will taste good on a wing. I've made peanut butter and jelly wings. I've made wings wrapped in bacon. I've made traditional wings with plain Jane hot sauce. I've tried the

The beauty of a perfectly cooked steak is that it requires almost no seasoning and it is still enjoyable. Throughout this "barbecue journey" recipes have been packed with flavor, often using a rub filled with up to a dozen spices. And each dish struck a number of notes.