Steven Raichlen Biography
Steven Raichlen is a multi-award winning culinary writer, journalist, television host, and now novelist. He is the man who reinvented modern barbecue.
He attended Reed College from where he graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor of Arts in French literature. He also received a
Thomas J. Watson Foundation Fellowship to study medieval cooking in Europe, and was offered a Fulbright Scholarship to study comparative literature. Raichlen trained at Le Cordon Bleu and La Varenne cooking schools in Paris.
Raichlen hosts the French-language TV shows Le Maitre du Grill and Les Incontourables du BBQ on Zeste in Quebec. In 2018, his
Steven Raichlen Grills Italy show was launched on Gambero Rosso Channel in Italy.
Raichlen also battled and defeated Iron Chef Rokusaburo Michiba in a “Battle of the Barbecue Gods” on Japanese television.
Steven has appeared on numerous television programs and networks including Good Morning America, The Today Show, CBS This Morning, Discovery Channel, Oprah, Regis & Kelly, The View and CNN.
Steven Raichlen Age
Raichlen was born on 11 March, 1953 in Nagoya, Japan. He is 66 years old as of 2019.
Steven Raichlen Photo
Steven Raichlen Family
He was raised in Baltimore, Maryland, US.
Steven Raichlen Wife
Raichlen is married to Barbara Seldin and the couple lives in Coconut Grove, Florida and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.
Steven Raichlen BBQ
Raichlen has the flagship title The Barbecue Bible in a series of cookbooks written on grilling, barbecue, and other forms of outdoor cooking.
He documented four years worth of travels along what he considered the great “barbecue belts” in the world rateher than focusing specifically on one style of barbecue.
He is the founder of Barbecue University, which offers three-day intensive courses on live fire cooking at the Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs. He has also lectured on this history of barbecue at institutions as diverse as Harvard, the Library of Congress, and the Smithsonian.
He created the TV show Barbecue University (aka BBQ U), which aired for four seasons from 2003 to 2006 on American Public Television.
Steven Raichlen Net Worth
Being on of the best and most successful culinary writer and television host, Steven has an estimated net worth of $7 million.
Steven Raichlen Website
Raiclen has his own websites stevenraichlen.com and barbecuebible.com where he shares information about himself, his recipes, and programs. On his websites, you can also buy his cookbooks and other products such as: Charcoal smokers and grills, ceramic cookers, gas smokers, and pellet grills.
Steven Raichlen Project Smoke
Steven created Project Smoke on public television, focusing on traditional and cutting-edge techniques in smoked food in 2015 and also Steven Raichlen’s Project Fire.
Steven Raichlen Writing
His books have focused on the culture and practice of global grilling since 1998. He has about 31 books including; The Barbecue Bible (1998, revised in 2008), How to Grill (2001), BBQ USA, Healthy Latin Cooking, Project Smoke and Project Fire.
Raichlen’s books have been translated into 7 languages. He also wrote Planet Barbecue!, the story of his travels to more than 50 countries in search of the best barbecue, published by Workman Publishing in 2010.
He has written for The New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, Food & Wine, Bon Appétit and Esquire magazines.
He has been known to further careers of barbecue pitmasters thanks to his writing, including Wayne Mark Schafer, of Baltimore’s Pit Beef fame Big Fat Daddy’s, who was featured in Raichlen’s NY Times article and 425 Fiery Recipes book.
Raichlen released his first novel, Island Apart, about a Chappaquiddick hermit’s developing relationship with a cancer patient in 2012.
Primal Grill With Steven Raichlen | Steven Raichlen Grill
He also hosted Primal Grill, again on American Public Television from 2008 to 2010. The show focused on the “how-tos” of live fire cooking, employing different grills for each technique.
Steven Raichlen Recipes
Some of Raichlen’s recipes include;
Memphis-Style Ribs
The pork rib is one of the most perfect morsels ever to occupy a grill. The meat is generously marbled, which keeps it moist during prolonged cooking. As the fat melts, it crisps the meat fibers and bastes the meat naturally. You can choose any type of rib for this recipe—baby back ribs, long ends, short ends, rib tips. Serves 6.
For the grill
1½ cups wood chips or chunks (preferably hickory), soaked for 1 hour in cold water to cover, then drained
For the ribs and rub
3 racks baby back pork ribs (about 7 pounds), skin removed or 2 racks pork spareribs (6 to 8 pounds total), skin removed
¼ cup sweet paprika
4½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
4½ teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1½ teaspoons celery salt
1½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
1½ teaspoons garlic powder
1½ teaspoons dry mustard
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
For the mop sauce
2 cups cider vinegar
½ cup yellow (ballpark) mustard
2 teaspoons salt
- Combine the paprika, black pepper, brown sugar, salt, celery salt, cayenne, garlic powder, dry mustard and cumin in a small bowl.
- ​Whisk to mix.
- Rub two-thirds of this mixture over the ribs on both sides.
- Transfer ribs to roasting pan.
- Cover and let cure in the refrigerator for 4 to 8 hours.
- Prepare the mop sauce.
- Mix together cider vinegar, mustard and salt in a bowl and set aside.
- Set up the grill for indirect grilling and place a large drip pan in the center.
- If using a gas grill, place all of the wood chips in the smoker box and preheat the grill to high. When smoke appears, reduce the heat to medium.
- If using a charcoal grill, preheat it to medium. Toss the wood chips on the coals when ready to cook.
- Brush and oil the grill grate. Arrange the ribs on the hot grate over the drip pan. Cover the grill and smoke cook the ribs for I hour.
- When the ribs have cooked for an hour, uncover the grill and brush the ribs with mop sauce. If using a charcoal grill, you will need to add 10 to 12 fresh coals to each side of the grill.
- Re-cover the grill and continue cooking the ribs until tender and almost done (¼ to ½ hour longer for baby back ribs; ½ to 1 hour longer for spare ribs).
- Fifteen minutes before the ribs are done, season them with the remaining rub, sprinkling it on.
- To serve, cut the racks in half.
​Tip: Cooking times are approximate. Ribs are done when the meat is tender enough to pull apart with your fingers.
Jalapeño Poppers
Who first had the idea to stuff a jalapeño with cheese and roast it wrapped in bacon? A guy, no doubt. The popper (aka armadillo or rattlesnake egg) may be a fixture on the American barbecue scene but, by using your favorite cheese, you can make it your own. Makes 16 poppers. Serves 4.
16 large jalapeño peppers
8 ounces cheese (cheddar, jack, manchego, smoked mozzarella, cream cheese or any other favorite cheese), cut into matchstick slivers if using a hard cheese.
16 sprigs fresh cilantro
8 slices artisanal bacon, cut in half crosswise.
- May be cooked on a grill or in the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. If you’re using a wire rack, place it on top of a baking sheet.
- Stuff the jalapeños by cutting in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrape out the seeds.
- Stuff 16 of the jalapeño halves with cheese and fresh cilantro. Place the other jalapeño halves on top.
- Wrap each reassembled jalapeño crosswise with a piece of bacon. Secure with a toothpick.
- Arrange the jalapeños on a baking sheet. Bake until the bacon is browned and crisp and the jalapeños feel soft when squeezed, about 20 to 25 minutes.
- Drain the jalapeños on paper towels.
- Serve at once.
Steven Raichlen Ribs
First-Timer’s Ribs
RECIPE NOTES
- Advance Prep:Â None
- Yield:Â 4 servings
- Method:Â Indirect grilling, followed by direct grilling
- Equipment:Â 1 1/2 cups wood chips or chunks (preferably hickory or apple), soaked for 1 hour in water to cover, then drained; barbecue mop
INGREDIENTS
For the mop sauce:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup apple cider
- 3 tablespoons bourbon, or 3 more tablespoons apple cider
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
For the rub and ribs:
- 2 tablespoons coarse salt (kosher or sea)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard (preferably Colman’s)
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- 2 racks baby back pork ribs (4 to 5 pounds total)
- Lemon Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce or another favorite barbecue sauce
RECIPE STEPS
Step 1: Make the mop sauce: Melt the butter in a nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the cider, bourbon, and soy sauce. Keep warm until ready to use.
Step 2:Â Make the rub: Place the salt, brown sugar, paprika, pepper, mustard, garlic powder, and celery seed in a small bowl and mix with your fingers, breaking up any lumps in the brown sugar or garlic powder.
Step 3:Â Prepare the ribs: Place a rack of ribs meat side down on a baking sheet. Remove the thin, papery membrane from the back of the rack by inserting a slender implement, such as a butter knife or the tip of a meat thermometer, under it. The best place to start is on one of the middle bones. Using a dishcloth, paper towel, or pliers to gain a secure grip, peel off the membrane. Repeat with the remaining rack.
Step 4:Â Set aside 1 tablespoon of rub for serving. Sprinkle the remaining rub over both sides of the ribs, rubbing it onto the meat. Cover the ribs with plastic wrap and refrigerate them while you set up the grill.
Step 5: Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium (325° to 350°F). Place a large drip pan in the center of the grill.
Step 6: When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Place the ribs, bone side down, in the center of the grate over the drip pan and away from the heat. (If your grill has limited space, stand the racks of ribs upright in a rib rack.) If cooking on a charcoal grill, toss half of the wood chips on each mound of coals. Cover the grill and cook the ribs for 45 minutes.
Step 7:Â Mop the ribs on both sides with the mop sauce. Re-cover the grill and continue cooking the ribs until well browned, cooked through, and tender enough to pull apart with your fingers, 45 minutes to 1 hour longer, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours in all. When the ribs are cooked, the meat will have shrunk back from the ends of the bones by about 1/4 inch. Mop the ribs again every 15 minutes and, if using a charcoal grill, replenish the coals as needed.
Step 8: Just before serving, brush the ribs on both sides with some of the Lemon Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce and move them directly over the fire. Grill the ribs until the barbecue sauce is browned and bubbling, 1 to 3 minutes per side.
Step 9:Â Transfer the ribs to a large platter or cutting board. Let the ribs rest for a few minutes, then cut the racks in half or into individual ribs. Serve the ribs at once with the barbecue sauce on the side. Serve any the reserved rub on the side.
RECIPE TIPS
How to cook First-Timer’s Ribs in a smoker: Set up and light the smoker according to the manufacturer’s instructions and preheat it to low (250°F). Place the ribs in the smoker bone side down and smoke until cooked through, 4 to 5 hours. Start mopping the ribs with the mop sauce after 1 hour, then mop the ribs again once every hour. Brush the ribs with the Lemon Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce a half hour before they are done smoking. You’ll need to replenish the wood chips or chunks after the first and second hour of smoking and to replenish the coals every hour.
Steven Raichlen Books
A Taste of the Mountains Cooking School Cookbook
A Celebration of the Seasons: A Cooks Almanac
High-Flavor, Low-Fat Cooking
Miami Spice : The New Florida Cuisine
The Caribbean Pantry Cookbook: Condiments and Seasonings from the Land of Spice and Sun
High-Flavor, Low-Fat Vegetarian Cooking
High-Flavor, Low-Fat Chicken
High-Flavor, Low-Fat Pasta Cookbook
High-Flavor, Low Fat Italian Food Cookbook
High-Flavor, Low Fat Appetizers
High-Flavor, Low Fat Desserts
The Barbecue! Bible
High-Flavor, Low-Fat Mexican Cooking
Barbecue! Bible : Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades, Bastes, Butters, and Glazes
Healthy Latin Cooking : 200 Sizzling Recipes from Mexico, Cuba, Caribbean, Brazil, and Beyond
Healthy Jewish Cooking
How to Grill: The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniques, A Barbecue Bible! Cookbook
Beer-Can Chicken: And 74 Other Offbeat Recipes for the Grill
BBQ USA: 425 Fiery Recipes from All Across America
Big Flavor Cookbook: 440 Irresistible and Healthy Recipes from Around the World
Indoor Grilling
The Best of Barbecue University by Steven Raichlen
Raichlen on Ribs, Ribs, Outrageous Ribs
Planet Barbecue!
Bold & Healthy Flavors: 450 Recipes from Around the World
Man Made Meals: The Essential Cookbook for Guys
Project Smoke
Project Fire
