As part of our ongoing interview series, we recently had the opportunity to sit down with the man who literally wrote the bible of barbecue, Steven Raichlen.  A multi-award-winning author, journalist, cooking teacher, and TV host, Raichlen's best-selling Barbecue Bible cookbook series (4 million copies in print, translated in 12 languages) and his various television shows on PBS have helped people all over the world ascend the ladder of grilling enlightenment.

Smoke In Da Eye asks:  As someone who constantly looks to your various books for ways to step up my game, it's an honor to have you participate in our ongoing interview series, Steven.  It's now been nearly 11 years since The Barbecue Bible first made its way into the hands of backyard cooks around the world.  Since then, you have compiled some 2,500 recipes (according to my very rough estimate) and are about to hit us with even more great stuff in Planet Barbecue.  Have there been points in the process where you've thought "Damn, I think I've done it all" or do you constantly see new ideas and inspiration in front of you?

Steven Raichlen responds:  I'm still learning new things every day--especially with my recent trip around Planet Barbecue.  When I stop learning new things, I'll write about something else.

SIDE: And with all the success, there had to have been some failures.  Care to share a first time recipe or cooking technique that went terribly wrong?

SR:  We've had a lot of trouble duplicating pide--a Turkish bread that puffs up like a balloon.  (Trying to develop a recipe for a Big Green Egg, which is similar to a Turkish wood burning oven.)

We've had to throw a lot of bak wah (Singaporean grilled pork jerky).  The stuff comes out too soft and wet to grill.  However, I'm pretty confident we will come up with a good recipe.

SIDE:  Speaking of Planet Barbecue, you've been on the road non-stop traveling to 50 plus countries, meeting grill masters and testing their regional specialties.  Was there one cooking method, dish or story that really stood out above all else?

SR:  Lately, I've really been into what I call Primal Grilling.  Grilling next to or over a wood fire, like they do in Argentina.  Or grilling foods right in the embers, like they do in Colombia and the Middle East.  The French have a really cool technique grilling mussels over a bed of pine needles.

SIDE:  Do you happen to recall that "ah ha" moment when you fell in love with outdoor cooking and decided to make it your career?

SR:  Second week of November, 1994.  That's when the idea came to me to write the Barbecue Bible.    I liken it to hearing a voice from heaven that bade me to "Follow the Fire."   The idea was that, while grilling is the world's oldest and most universal cooking method, it's done differently in every culture.  This little epiphany changed my life.  I started traveling the world's barbecue trail and I've been doing it ever since.

SIDE:  I was interested to read that you trained at the Cordon Bleu (plus a fellowship to study Medieval cooking) since there are actually a fair number of trained chefs (Adam Perry Lang, Byron Chism, etc.) who have left the kitchen in favor of smokers and grills.  Any theories on this?  It certainly has helped push the boundaries of what can be created outdoors, no?

SR:  Grilling is such a robust, primal way of cooking. It's the opposite of elaborate or fussy, and yet the flavors bowl you over. It's also very democratic.  You can serve high falutin cuts, like whole beef tenderloin or prime rib or grilled lobster.    Or really cheap, down to earth cuts, like brisket and ribs. It's also something that interests everyone, no matter what his ethnic background or income level and I like being able to reach so many people.  (And not just in the U.S. --my books have been translated into 16 languages.)

By the way, my classic French training has been a huge help in my work with barbecue. When I came to the field, it was a confused mass of tradition, superstition, and regional practices.  The logic of French cuisine has helped me find the logic in barbecuing and grilling. 

SIDE:  After literally writing the bible of barbecue, doing countless TV shows, starting a university and seeing your recipes translated into 12 languages, is there anything left you still want to accomplish personally or professionally?  

SR:  Well, I'm working on a new book called Planet Barbecue (it's about grilling around the world).  I'm working on a Planet Barbecue TV show, which will take my viewers and readers on the incredible journey I've been on.  Also, a few years ago, I wrote a novel.   It's a love story and no, there's nothing in it about barbecue.  I'm still tinkering with it, but I won't rest easy until it is published, too. 

Thanks for taking the time, Steven.  And for anyone looking to learn from the master himself, be sure to enter Steven Raichlen’s Ultimate Grilling Recipe Contest.  On Labor Day weekend, Steven will deem one lucky winner “America’s Next Ultimate Griller” and present him or her with the grand prize: an all-expense-paid trip to Barbecue University at the Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

- SmokeInDaEye.com, Home of Bigger, Badder, Bolder BBQ