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All Seasons

Season 1

  • S01E01 Up in Smoke

    Where there's smoke, there's fire, and where there's fire, there's BBQU®. This show focuses on the art of smoke-roasting on the grill: grilled tomato gazpacho, ember-roasted baba ganooj, home smoked salmon, and smoke-roasted pears for dessert.

  • S01E02 Rib Fest

    Steve prepares sweet and sticky Kansas City-style spare ribs, spicy Memphis dry rubbed baby back ribs and Jamaican jerk baby backs.

  • S01E03 Much at Steak

    Learn how to grill the perfect steak, from an herb-butter crowned New York strip to an authentic bistecca alla fiorenta to wine and juniper marinated, wood-grilled, fork tender fillet mignons.

  • S01E04 Stick Food

    This week, shish kebab gets a college education, with a global look at stick food. Recipes for shrimp grilled on sugar cane, Turkish shish kebab, grilled asparagus "rafts," and cinnamon grilled peaches.

  • S01E05 Fish Meets Grill

    If fish sticking to the grill sounds like a familiar problem, the Professor has the solution. Learn the ABCs of fish grilling with cedar-planked salmon, halibut in a basket, grilled tuna London broil, and a spectacular campfire style bacon grilled trout.

  • S01E06 Meatless Grilling

    In the class, the Professor takes up the topic of meatless grilling. Grilled quesadillas; grilled pizza with mozzarella and basil; balsamic grilled portobello mushrooms; and a novel finale: "glazed doughnuts" (bourbon-glazed doughnut peachesÜyou won't even miss the meat!

  • S01E07 Birds on a Can

    A serious look at the latest craze to sweep the American barbecue circuit: chickens, duck, quail, even turkey grilled upright on a can of beer or soda.

  • S01E08 Whole Hog

    In much of the U.S. barbecue means pork. The Professor goes whole hog, literally, showing you how to make Carolina-style pulled pork, mojo-marinated grilled pork tenderloin, smoky bourbon brined pork chops, and, yes, a spectacular pit roasted whole pig

  • S01E09 Tackle the Tailgate

    This show offers some new twists on American barbecue favorites, including herb-butter stuffed burgers, chili and cheese stuffed hot dogs, an eye-popping barbecued cabbage, and uptown s'mores. Tailgate picnics will never be the same!

  • S01E10 Where's the Beef?

    The Professor takes you on a world tour of beef on the grill, from English smoke roasted prime rib to Nicaraguan-style churrasco (grilled beef tenderloin) with chimichurri sauce, to French-style rib steak grilled in the fireplace, and for the finale, a smoky Texas barbecued brisket. Where's the beef? On the grill.

  • S01E11 Healthy Grilling

    High in flavor, low in fat, and mercifully short on preparation time, grilling is a great way to eat healthily, especially when the menu includes chicken yakitori, Thai grilled beef salad, grilled tuna with Greek-style zucchini, and grilled pineapple for dessert.

  • S01E12 Fowl Play

    If burnt skin and raw meat characterize your attempts to grill chicken, the Professor will set you straight. Learn how to prepare garlic lemon rotisserie chicken, spatchcock chicken with walnut dill pesto, classic American barbecued chicken, and a spectacular chicken breast under a brick.

  • S01E13 Shellfish on the Grill

    Move over shrimp on the barbie. Make way for scallops grilled on rosemary skewers, garlic grilled clams and mussels, and a spectacular whole grilled lobster. When it comes to shellfish on the grill, the Professor rewrites the textbook.

Season 2

  • S02E01 High on Hog

    The professor goes whole hog with a curriculum running from Bratwurst with Grilled Bell Peppers to an 18-pound Cuban Christmas Eve Ham called lechon asado, which emerges from the grill after 8 hours of slow cooking a beautifully burnished golden brown. He also demonstrates a classic Tuscan take on one of America's favorite parts of the pig: a spit-roasted Rosemary Grilled Pork Loin.

  • S02E02 World of Steak

    The professor takes viewers on an around-the-world tour of ways to cook steak. He begins with a Cuban recipe for thin steaks grilled with adobo, a garlic-lime marinade; next, from Mexico, a fiery recipe for Steak from Hell which features a fire-roasted salsa served over a perfectly grilled T-bone. And, finally, on to Viet Nam where grilled strips of sirloin are served in with fresh herbs and a spicy sauce in lettuce bundles.

  • S02E03 BBQ from Soup to Nuts

    Ever think you could cook a dinner from soup to nuts right on the grill? Steven demonstrates a whole meal cooked right there on a pair of Weber grills. He starts with a wonderfully smoky grilled corn chowder, follows with Goat Cheese Grilled in Grape Leaves, fires up a colorful Brazilian Stuffed Rib Roast and caps it off with Coco Loco Brulee - a coconut- and rum-flavored crme brulee cooked right on the grill!

  • S02E04 Go Fish

    Steven showcases seafood recipes from the around the globe. He starts with planked salmon, a slow-roasted salmon recipe popular in the Pacific Northwest; he then grills prawns with a spicy, yogurt-based Tandoori marinade. He follows with a coconut milk-based recipe for tuna steaks he learned in Brazil with a French-inspired sauce vierge (think salsa verde) over thick and juicy grilled swordfish steaks.

  • S02E05 Where There's Smoke

    Where there's smoke, there's flavor. And to many pitmasters smoking is the only thing they consider "true barbecue." In this master class, Steven covers the slight differences between smoking in a smoker, a kettle and a gas grill; the differences between chunks and chips as fuel; and the effect the variety of wood smoldering away in your grill has on the flavor of the finished dish. He demonstrates a range of recipes, from simple Smoked Brats to Memphis-style Pork Ribs, the epitome of barbecue to much of the country east of the Mississippi.

  • S02E06 Grateful Bread

    Grilled Pizza? Of course - everything goes on the grill at BBQU®! Grilled Pizza and four other recipes make up this lesson about bread and barbecue. GrillCam offers viewers a unique look at a grilled bread recipe - Naan, the delicious hand-stretched Indian specialty. The professor also includes three recipes perfect for weeknights or parties, including quesadillas, real bruschetta and Spanish pan con tomate.

  • S02E07 Stuck on Skewers

    Who knows why there's such a universal appeal to food cooked on skewers? Whatever the reasons, today's class offers ammo for the argument that skewered dishes just taste great. Steven demonstrates six recipes that use a variety of skewering techniques (toothpicks, double-skewers, sugarcanes) and talks about the wide array of skewers and kebabs available on the market today. Highlights include sweet and salty bacon grilled prunes, authentic shish kebab and an elegant recipe for grilled quail from Greece.

  • S02E08 Fire Birds

    Last year, Steven demonstrated Beer Can Chicken, certainly one of the most legendary recipes he's ever written. This year's all-poultry show starts with Iced Tea Chicken, a non-alcoholic version of that famous recipe that's infused with a sweet Southern flavor all its own. Silver Paper Chicken is a healthy update of a fried dim sum dish, made with five-spice marinated chicken breasts grilled in aluminum foil shu mai. And the professor shows off a pair of dishes he learned trekking the world's barbecue trail, Piri-Piri Chicken from Portugal and Grilled Game Hens with a marinade he learned from a grill master in Afghanistan.

  • S02E09 Vegging Out

    Man cannot survive by meat alone! In this episode the professor cooks a few of his favorite vegetarian dishes for the grill, including heart-friendly options like Tofu on Stilts and Robatataki (a mixed vegetable grill) that both come from the Japanese's rich yakitori grilling tradition. And even committed carnivores would have a hard time passing up delectably crisp Grilled Artichokes, basted with garlic-parsley butter during a long, slow roast on the grill. As Steven likes to say, "If you had trouble eating your vegetables as a kid, it's probably because they weren't grilled."

  • S02E10 A Little Lamb

    Two of the professor's recipes in this all lamb lesson play off the classic Turkish combination of lamb and eggplant - one where luxurious racks of lamb that get the royal treatment in a recipe Steven learned at the opulent Ciragan Palace Hotel. The second, Lamb and Eggplant Kebabs, comes from the kebab parlors that line the streets of Istanbul. He shows off spicy Australian-style lamb steaks, good enough to convert any committed beef eater, and caps it all off with a certified party showstopper, rotisseried whole leg of lamb.

  • S02E11 What's Your Beef?

    In this episode he shares a number of different recipes from places around the world where beef is the pitmaster's meat of choice: the Uruguayan rolled stuffed flank steak dish called Matambre, meaning "hunger killer"; Espetada, skewered Beef and Bay Leaf Kebabs from the island of Madeira; and a recipe he created that marries Chinese spices and America "dinosaur" ribs. Also, GrillCam provides a never-seen-before view of real Texas brisket cooking, with a time-lapse look at the delicious transformation of beef cooked for 8 hours over a low, slow fire.

  • S02E12 Party Down

    The grill is central to celebrations across the country - but the menus at most American backyard get-togethers need a little updating. Barbecue University¨ to the rescue! Steven lays out the basics for some American regional favorites, including Wisconsin Double Brats and a version of Cheese Steaks on the grill. And for the more adventurous, he demonstrates Bosnian hamburgers, homemade smoked Turkey Pastrami and a stunning adaptation of baked Alaska called Baked Hawaii that you've got to see on GrillCam to believe.

  • S02E13 The Five Methods of Live Fire Cooking

    It's kind of like the one class you have to attend right before finals - Professor Raichlen clearly outlining the five methods of cooking that every barbecued food on the planet falls into. Beyond the educational aspect, this episode features recipes like Stoned Chicken and Peking Duck, both impressive (and easy) dishes that could steal the show at any dinner party. And the camera angles - watching Peking Duck render and crisp on a rotisserie or unpeeled onions and potatoes roast to succulent tenderness in the embers of a kettle grill - make this an episode not to be missed.

Season 3

  • S03E01 Chicago and the Midwest

    The professor crisscrosses the Midwest for a collection of the region's best grilling recipes: Grilled Pitas grilled Red Pepper Dip he picked up in the Motor City; a spectacular Bratwurst "Hot Tub" - the tailgate classic from Sheboygan, Wisconsin; Mexican-style Grilled Corn from the Windy City and an all-new take on burgers - Veal Burgers with Dill from the Minnesota's Twin Cities.

  • S03E02 The American Tropics - Hawaii

    Keep your leis on and your coals going for the tropical feast in this special night school edition of BBQ U begins with a Tuna "London Broil" prepared with a sesame-pepper-wasabi crust, served with a wasabi cream sauce and grilled baby pineapples. A succulent traditional rotisseried Honey Lime Huli Huli Chicken follows, and Steven wraps up his dissertation on Hawaiian barbecue with Huli Huli Pineapple, a carved whole pineapple painted with a brown sugar glaze as it spit roasts over a bed of glowing coals.

  • S03E03 New England

    From shoreline to foothills, the professor covers New England fish to fowl, summer to fall. He demonstrates tricks for shellfish shucking and how to avoid tipping over clamshells on the grill in Grilled Clams with Sambuca and Italian Sausage. Steven simply grills the perfect summer fish - Swordfish - and marries it with a summer salsa made with ruby red tomatoes and raw sweet corn. Finally, he tackles turkey - The Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey - on the grill, giving it the full New England treatment with a maple syrup brine and a Maple Syrup Redeye Gravy.

  • S03E04 Louisiana and the Gulf Coast

    This week's episode celebrates grilling Bayou-style, with three New Orleans-inspired segments. The first is Steven's update of that Gulf Coast specialty shrimp 'n' smokies, grill-blackened catfish - a Cajun classic - with a side of fennel follows and this season's twist beer can chicken - Cajun roastin' chicken on a beer can - wraps it all up.

  • S03E05 Texas and Oklahoma

    Barbecue from Texas and Oklahoma is about big flavors and big cuts of meat - in this episode Raichlen tackles a whole beef brisket Smoke-lahoma-style and pairs it with "Best Barbecued Beans on the Planet" before going whole hog and spit-roasting a whole ham flavored with Bourbon and apricots. Spice-scented sweet potato casserole, grilled sweet potato pie and "drunken" steak round out the episode.

  • S03E06 The Pacific Rim

    Drawing on the traditions, favored ingredients and techniques of the Pacific Northwest, the professor leads a short and to-the-point master class on Pacific Rim grilling: Lemongrass Pork Sates with Peanut Sauce and Cucumber Relish that reflect the strong influence the cooking on the far side of the Pacific has on grillmasters here; salmon grilled on Alder planks from the northwest with citrus compound butter; and a dessert that marries sweet and savory - cinnamon grilled plums with an Oregon Pinot Noir wine sauce.

  • S03E07 America's Crossroads

    A class of American classics: A Louisville slugger, a best of Memphis and a succulent St. Louis secret. Louisville Wings, a Raichlen favorite - simple and short on ingredients but extra long on flavor. Indirect grill this old time crowd pleaser for a smokey and spicy start to any meal. Then it's on to Memphis, where Steven picked up this recipe for ribs from the justifiably famous Rendezvous restaurant. The Professor demonstrates how to make the restaurant's timeless dry-rub mix, shows the art of applying mop sauce and a serves the ribs up with tangy side of Memphis Mustard Slaw. Right after the Big Red Machine and the Arch, this recipe for grilled Pork Steaks is a St. Louis classic in which the Professor grills up here along with tangy, mildly spicy red barbecue sauce

  • S03E08 Northern California

    The Professor takes class to elegant Northern California for unexpected delights. Barbecued Oysters are paired with a savory Chipotle Horseradish Sauce just like they do 'em at the Hog Island oyster company. Three main courses to pair with local wines: Grilled Tenderloin in Herb Crust with Grilled French Fried Potatoes, Duck Under a Brick with Grilled Figs and show stopping whole salmon stuffed with herbs, basted with butter and wrapped in aluminum foil.

  • S03E09 The Mid-Atlantic

    You can grill yourself home again - and in this episode Raichlen shows us all his home-turf tricks from the Mid-Atlantic. Soft Shell Crabs with Old Bay Tartar Sauce are quintessential Baltimore cuisine, here grilled rather than fried to bring out every ounce of the meat's sweetness. Pit Beef is a Baltimore tradition, prepared with a salty beef rub, sliced thin and served with Pit Beef Horseradish Sauce. Always the history buff, the Professor rotisserie grills Spit-Roasted Lamb with Butter and Salt, a recipe that dates back to some of America's first barbecues. The comforts of home wouldn't be complete with out a tempting dessert: Blueberry Crumble, indirect grilled and served ala mode.

  • S03E10 The Southwest

    The Professor takes a turn through the desert bringing all the flavors of the Southwest alive over live fire. He demonstrates Grilled "Fry" Bread - originally a Navajo dish - is a great side dish or can be drizzled with honey sprinkled cinnamon sugar for dessert. In Mexico, rellenos are fried, but Raichlen lays 'em on the grill to produce smokey flavored BBQ Bean and Cheese Chile Rellenos. The he offers a southwestern twist on a Latin American favorite with "Churrasco" Portobello Mushrooms, complete with a garlicky rich chimichurri sauce.

  • S03E11 The South

    The Professor makes a swing through the South, gearing up the grill in Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia. Alabama's Barbecued Chicken is famously served with White Barbecue Sauce - a surprisingly delicious creamy, peppery, spicy alternative to traditional red. Raichlen grills up Tennessee Pork Loin with Brown Sugar and Mustard and a shot of Tennessee whiskey and serves with a Nashville Sweet Barbecue Sauce.

  • S03E12 Florida

    This week the Professor hits the peninsula where they grill with snap in the sun. Feel the heat with Raichlen's Jalapeno Jerk Baby Back Ribs glazed with Pineapple Barbecue Sauce. Florida's Latin American influence is celebrated with Maduros, grilled plantains, so sweet and delicious you might call them banana candy. The state fruit gets a turn with Florida Tangerine Teriyaki Chicken Breasts and Salmon Kebabs Skewered on Sugarcane with Sour Orange Mojo

  • S03E13 Southern California

    A celebration of So Cal classics: Caesar salad that Steven takes to the grill, charred, tender artichokes with a Worcestershire Dip and a Santa Maria Tri-tip with Pinquinto Beans and Garlic Bread that proves Southern California has one of the country's most delicious and unusual barbecue traditions.

Season 4

  • S04E01 Fire and Water

    Fish is the "fear factor" in grilling: Will it stick? Will it fall apart? How do I know when it’s done? In this show, Steven Raichlen gives you his favorite strategies for victory at sea. No tricky turning maneuvers needed for Cedar-Planked Salmon, a dramatic presentation with incomparable wood flavor. Grilled Tuna with a gutsy Fire-Charred Tomato Chipotle Salsa is seared directly over a mesquite fire. Bacon-wrapped Trout, stream-caught just yards from the set and still dripping with water, are stuffed with Poblano Corn Relish and grilled in fish baskets over an open fire. Fish doesn’t get much fresher–or better–than this.

  • S04E02 The New Face of Beef

    Here’s a show for beef lovers featuring fantastic cuts of beef, new to most grillmeisters. Leading off is a clod (whole smoked beef shoulder), much beloved in central Texas and virtually unknown everywhere else on the planet. It's 18 pounds of pure beef pleasure cooked low and slow to fork-tender perfection. Then, meet the new steak on the block — flame-seared flat iron, which Steven prepares in the south of the border style with chilies and mucha cerveza.

  • S04E03 Meatless Grilling

    Sooner or later, a vegetarian will show up at your cook-out, look into your carnivorous eyes, and ask to be fed. Don't be caught flat-footed as a host. This meatless menu preempts the politically correct and will have even the most unrepentant meat-eaters sniffing the air hungrily. First up, flame-seared Portobello Mushrooms topped with cheese, the vegetarian equivalent of a cheeseburger. Reminiscent of a grilled steak is ginger-studded Grilled Tofu. And finally, Steven presents a smoky, revamped version of an American classic, Macaroni and Cheese with Fire-Roasted Onions.

  • S04E04 High on the Hog

    Pork is arguably the heart and soul of the American barbecue tradition. In this show, Steven goes whole hog with two terrific pork dishes. From the Deep South come Coffee-Crusted Pork Tenderloins with Redeye Barbecue Sauce. Then, demoing the very latest in hi-tech outdoor kitchens, the Professor spit roasts Coconut-Crusted Ribs and whips up some grilled Tropical Fruit Kebabs to accompany the ribs.

  • S04E05 Louisiana Tribute

    Mindful of the suffering of New Orleans in the last year, this show pays tribute to Louisiana’s rich culinary traditions. You know Raichlen's rule: If something tastes good baked, boiled, or deep-fried, it probably tastes even better grilled. Case in point: Grill-Top Shrimp "Boil" jazzed up with grilled bratwurst–this isn't like any shrimp boil you've ever tasted. And never mind that deep-fried turkey was invented in Louisiana: Steven cooks Big Easy Barbecued Turkey with plenty of wood smoke after literally injecting it with a spice-scented marinade. Cajun Tuna Pipérade combines the "Holy Trinity"--onion, celery, and bell pepper--with tomato, spicy andouille sausage and fire-licked sushi-grade tuna steaks for flavor that just won’t quit.

  • S04E06 Rib Master

    In American barbecue, ribs rule, and woe to the grillmeister who doesn't understand the rules. Like never, ever boil. This is the rib crash course, appropriate for all skill levels, and a popular part of the curriculum at BBQ U. The Professor gives you a little background on bones before getting to the meat of the matter. Here’s the rest of the lesson plan: Classic spare ribs served with ember-roasted sweet potatoes; Dinosaur Beef Ribs, the biggest and baddest bones of all; finally, the refreshingly different, A-plus Mint Julep Ribs with a healthy hit of Kentucky bourbon.

  • S04E07 Grilling with Wood

    Cooking over hardwood trumps cooking over charcoal for several reasons. Main one? Flavor. In this episode, Steven Raichlen tells you what you need to know about selecting the proper woods and matching them to your menu, building the perfect fire, and coaxing the maximum flavor out of your grilling. From this pyrotechnic glory will emerge Mario Batali's Veal Chops with Lemon Oregano Jam. Then, a BBQ U first: a seafood and meat Paella wood smoked entirely on the grill. And finally, because even desserts get barbecued at BBQ U, Fire-Charred Pound Cake with Grilled Pineapple Salsa and Tequila Whipped Cream.

  • S04E08 Extreme Grilling

    Grilling is the performance art of cooking. And in every great griller beats the intrepid heart of a showman. This show is designed to add theatrics to your next barbecue. The Professor leads off with Butter and Herb Spit Roasted Turkey served with flaming Hot Pepper Kebabs; And even veggies get the shock treatment in Grilled, Dilled, and Chilled Eggplant Dip roasted directly in the embers. Steven steers the show back to BBQ U basics with Ember-Roasted Sweet Corn, grilled right in the husks. Extreme barbecue cuisine…today at the U.

  • S04E09 Southwest Revisited

    Steven Raichlen brings the high-voltage flavors of the American Southwest to the grill with a take-no-prisoners menu. Oven-Grilled Tortilla Chips with Pineapple and Jalapeño Salsa start things off, followed by Green Lightning Shrimp Kebabs, assertively spiced and just this side of incendiary. Millionaire Brisket, a Texas-size slab of meat, gets the royal treatment with a savory rub, a coffee and beer mop sauce, and a long, slow smoke over oak.

  • S04E10 Tailgate Warriors

    On the athletic field, there are concrete rules of engagement. But there are none governing the fiercely competitive sport of tailgating, meaning unsportsmanlike conduct and one-upsmanship in the parking lot usually get rewarded. Are you still in the minor leagues? Learn some new moves from Steven Raichlen. Score extra points with a platter of Grilled Polenta with Italian Sausage and Peppers. Stun your opponents and delight your fans with Flame-Grilled Prosciutto Panini. Engage in fowl play by serving Steven's indomitable Calgary Wings with zippy Maytag Blue Cheese Sauce. Study the Professor's moves, and you'll be doing your own victory dance.

  • S04E11 On the Lamb

    Lamb, so beloved elsewhere in the world, is underrepresented on American tables: Per capita consumption here is about 1 pound per year. Steven Raichlen's succulent Lamb on the Rod with mini sweet peppers could be the recipe that turns the statistical tide. Then it's double-digit thick and double-digit good Lamb Chops and Lamb Steaks served with a Parsley Onion relish and a tangy Feta Cheese Sauce. The Professor is on the lamb at BBQ U.

  • S04E12 Breast Man

    Pit masters are obsessed with breasts. (Chicken and turkey breasts, that is.) This week, BBQ U Professor Steven Raichlen takes on America’s most popular cut of poultry. It's all about how to keep white meat juicy when grilling and barbecuing. First, from . Balthazar, the boisterous, "see-and-be-seen" bistro in Lower Manhattan, come easy and fabulous Tarragon Chicken Paillards, which are pounded paper thin and smokily seared on the grill. And then Maple-Smoked Turkey Breast gets a triple-blast of flavor from maple sugar rub, a maple syrup glaze, and a long slow smoke over…you guessed it…maple wood.

  • S04E13 Fire Away (Getting Started)

    • June 24, 2006

    Jump-start your next party with a quartet of pass-arounds hot off the grill. The episode leads off with a twist on a pu-pu platter classic: Pancetta-Grilled Diver Scallop Rumaki. Next up in the starter category, Summer Sausage S’mores, think-out-of-the-box grilled sandwiches topped with cheese and jalapeños. And finally, Steven’s barbecued version of Chinatown Ribs; they're sizzling, sweet, salty, aromatic with ginger and scallions, and the quintessential hand-to-mouth food.