Steven Raichlen's Project Fire

The deep connection between wine and barbecue dates back millennia and still runs deep as ever.

Be honest: What you really want to master is the perfect grilled steak.

Fish on the grill. Four simple words that strike fear into the hearts of novice grillers.

The Pacific Rim extends from California and the Pacific Northwest to Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia, where exotic herbs and spices, chiles, and umami-rich fish and soy sauce make for larger-than-life flavor.

No one gathers around the stove to watch soup simmer or meat roasting in the oven.

Call it globalization's upside. Call it melting pot extreme.

One of the oldest methods of live-fire cooking, rotisserie grilling (aka spit-roasting) combines the smoky sear of direct grilling with the gentle, moisture-preserving heat of roasting.

The time of day or night matters little to the world's hardcore pit masters, who think nothing of firing up grills or smokers or wood-burning ovens for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even a late night snack.

Long before there were gas grills and charcoal, before rotisseries and planchas, there was fire.

The first tailgating party took place in 1869 at a Princeton-Rutgers football game.

Health-conscious Southern California boasts some of the most vibrant grilling in North America.

In this episode, Steven looks at fundamental techniques that he has used over the years.

It's the world's most ancient grilling method, and to my mind, it remains the best.

Brisket is simultaneously the easiest and hardest meat to barbecue.

Steinhatchee, Florida, population 1500, perches on the north shore of the historic Steinhatchee River where it joins the Gulf of Mexico.

Forget about red meat and black and blue steak. Today, we're grilling green.

T-bones? On it. Porterhouse? Got you covered. And, yes, we can handle a rib-eye.

Today's show takes you back. Way back. To a time when our ancestors did their grilling in the fireplace.

I'm always fascinated by the food cultures that arise on national borders.

You don't need a degree in smokeology to name the big three of barbecue: Kansas City ribs, Carolina pulled pork, and Texas smoked brisket.

You don't need to be a diehard Gators fan to get pumped up at a tailgate party.

The pork shoulder, aka Boston butt (named for the wooden barrels they were once shipped in), gives us Carolina pulled pork.

Long before there was modern fusion cuisine, people cooked Chino-Latino.

Miami may be the southernmost metropolis in the United States.

It's every carnivore's dream and every griller's triumph.

Here's a little-known fact about Steven Raichlen. His first James Beard Award-winning book wasn't about barbecue: it was a book on healthy eating.

Steak. Few other words in the English language have such power to make our hearts beat faster and our mouths water than sizzling slabs of beef seared over live fire.

Let Texans brag about brisket and Carolinians praise pulled pork shoulder.

You don't need a degree in barbecue to know that vegetables have hit the grill big time.

Baltimore may lack the barbecue bona fides of Houston or Kansas City.

A lot of American barbecue began with inexpensive meat cuts, like spareribs, beef shoulder, and pork belly.

Pollution. Overfishing. Abusive labor practices. There's a lot of negative news coming out about the seafood industry lately, and much of it breaks your heart.

From its humble origins as a picnic served from the back of a buckboard wagon to today's high-tech, high-octane outdoor foodie extravaganzas, tailgating continues to enthrall-make that obsess-American sports fans.

When I was growing up, a trip to Baltimore's Little Italy always meant culinary adventure.

In humankind's long march to food security, two ancient preserving techniques have stood out over the millennia: curing and smoking.

Ever since our prehistoric ancestors first put food to fire, cooks have contrived ingenious and not always conventional ways to harness the flames.

This show focuses on my favorite food growing up (and still one of my all-time favorite periods): callinectes sapidus, better known as the Maryland blue crab Come springtime, Maryland seafood markets and restaurants come alive-literally-with soft shell crabs, eaten shell and all, traditionally deep-fried, here seared over live fire.