This guy wrote the book on grilling. Literally.

Steven Raichlen's bestselling book, The Barbecue Bible, has been the go-to guide for beginning grillers and die-hard flame heads for 10 years. Loaded with over 500 recipes, Raichlen also serves up grilling tips, cooking techniques, ways to cover your butt when you commit common mistakes, and answers to the most common grilling questions.

Before the initial publishing in '98, he spent four years, and traveled 200,000 miles around the world, to find the best of the best in barbecue. The guy knows a few things about putting food to the flame. So I'm going to be picking his brain in the coming months for tips, tricks and anything else that'll help improve your grilling skills. Nothing like learning at the right hand of the grill master.

To get you started, here are some of Raichlen's recipes that you can fire up this weekend. One is for his Steaks From Hell, which comes from a steak house in Juarez, Mexico and includes some dried hot chiles to sear the taste buds of you heat lovers; his Mustard Lime Steaks, that uses minimum ingredients to yield maximum flavor; his Thai-style Sweet & Garlicky Pork Chops; and for dessert, Fire Roasted Apples, which are a great way to end a fall meal.

For more recipes, or to get a copy of one of Raichlen's books, go to www.Barbecue Bible.com.

Steaks From Hell (pictured)
Serves 4
2 to 4 chiles de arbol or other dried hot red chiles (4 give you a nice heat)
2 large ripe tomatoes
1/3 medium-size onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, sliced
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 T-bone or sirloin beefsteaks (each about 3/4 inch thick)
4 large or 8 small flour tortillas, for serving
2 cups mesquite wood chips or chunks (optional), soaked for 1 hour in cold water to cover and drained

1. Soak the chiles in a bowl of warm water until pliable, about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, set each tomato directly on a gas stove burner and roast it over high heat until the skin is charred and blistered on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes in all. Transfer the tomatoes to a plate and let them cool.
3. Drain the chiles and remove the seeds if you prefer a milder salsa. Place the chiles in a blender with the cooled tomatoes and the onion, garlic, and cilantro and process to a coarse paste. Add the lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the salsa to a serving bowl.
4. Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to high. If using a gas grill, add the wood chips (if using) to the smoker box before preheating.
5. When ready to cook, if using a charcoal grill, toss the wood chips on the coals. Brush and oil the grill grate. Salt the steaks generously on one side. Arrange the steaks on the oiled grate, salt side down, and grill, turning once with tongs, until cooked to taste, 2 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the steaks to a platter and let rest for 3 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, arrange the tortillas on the grate and grill until soft, pliable, but not browned, about 20 seconds per side. Serve the steaks with the tortillas and the salsa on the side.

Mustard Lime Steaks
Serves 4
4 sirloin beefsteaks (10 to 12 ounces each), cut 1 inch thick
1/4 cup dry mustard, such as Colman’s
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 large, juicy lime
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground white pepper

1. Place the steaks on a platter and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the dry mustard over them. Pat the steaks with the flat part of a fork to spread the mustard evenly. Sprinkle the steaks with 2 tablespoons of the Worcestershire sauce, then squeeze half of the lime juice over them. Pat the steaks with the fork. Season the steaks generously with salt and pepper. Turn the steaks over and spread them with the remaining 2 tablespoons each of mustard and Worcestershire and the remaining lime juice. Season the steaks with salt and pepper, patting them with the fork. Let the steaks marinate for 15 to 20 minutes while you preheat the grill.
2. Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to high.
3. When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Place the steaks on the hot grate and grill, turning with tongs, until cooked to taste, 4 to 6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Do not rotate steaks here; if you do, you’ll knock off the mustard mixture. (This is a good steak to serve “Pittsburgh rare”—black on the outside, bloody inside.) Transfer the steaks to a platter and let rest for 3 minutes.
4. Thinly slice the steaks on the diagonal, as you would London broil. Let the slices marinate in the meat juices for a minute or two, then serve.


Sweet & Garlicky Pork Chops
Serves 4
4 thick (1 inch) or 8 thin (1/2 inch) pork chops (about 2 pounds in all)
1 head garlic, broken into cloves and peeled
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup Asian fish sauce or soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons rice wine
2 tablespoons Asian (dark) sesame oil
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Make 1 or 2 cuts in the fat side of each pork chop to keep it from curling during grilling. Arrange the chops in a baking dish and set aside.
2. Combine the garlic and sugar in a mini-chopper or food processor and process to a paste or pound to a paste in a mortar using a pestle. Work in the fish sauce, honey, rice wine, sesame oil, ginger, salt, and pepper. Using a rubber spatula, spread the mixture over both sides of the chops. Let marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for 1 to 2 hours.
3. Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to high.
4. When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Arrange the chops on the hot grate and grill until nicely browned on both sides and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes per side for thick chops, 2 to 4 minutes per side for thin chops. Transfer the chops to a platter and serve at once.


Fire-Roasted Apples
Serves 8
8 firm, sweet apples, such as Cortlands or Galas
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup dried currants
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs, toasted bread crumbs, or ground almonds
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 marshmallows, cut in half (optional)

1. Lightly grease an aluminum-foil roasting pan. Core the apples, using an apple corer or melon baller, but don’t cut all the way through the bottom; the idea is to create a cavity for stuffing.
2. Cream the butter and brown sugar in a medium-size bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the currants, graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Spoon the brown sugar mixture into the apples, dividing it evenly among them. Place a marshmallow half (if using) on top of each apple. Place the apples in the prepared roasting pan.
3. Set up the grill for indirect grilling. No drip pan is necessary for this recipe.
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.
4. When ready to cook, if using a charcoal grill, toss all of the wood chips on the coals. Place the pan of apples in the center of the hot grate, away from the heat, and cover the grill. Cook the apples until soft, 40 minutes to 1 hour. Check the apples after 40 minutes and, if the marshmallows start to brown too much, cover the apples with a piece of aluminum foil. Serve the apples at once.