=Mark wrote: > An essay on NPR about the Zen of BBQ. About 5 minutes long. > > There Is No Such Thing as Too Much Barbecue: > > http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4827993 Ah, what a nice essay on a topic near and dear to my heart. At the risk of bragging a bit... Earlier this month, I spent a week in North Carolina and entered into a local BBQ competition (the Edenton Hogfest). We were one of 12 teams cooking ribs, brisket and chicken, and it was a great time on the High Ground of barbecue, made better when our chicken took 3rd and our ribs took 1st - and we took the Grand Champion trophy for total points. It was great for a guy from California and one from Massachusetts to even play in the game there. It took me a while to figure out some of the basics; the first 6 months, I drove myself about nuts worrying about temperature spikes and marinades, rubs, mopping, sopping, and opening the lid far too many times. Eventually, I learned that BBQ done right is pretty relaxing, even boring. You get decent hunks of meat, you season them modestly, you cook them with lump and a little wood until they're done, and the fewer times you peek, the better off you are. A great lesson in life, really. ObChileHead: I periodically smoke batches of habaneros, and grind them. Mmmmmm... Dana