Schlesinger’s Chicken
The master of Boston BBQ, Chris Schlesinger, suggests smoke-roasted, rubbed chicken in cider barbeque sauce.
The trick is to light a small fire in the corner of the grill. Marinade the chicken in ketchup, brown sugar, ground coriander, salt and cumin, and smoke it in a closed grill for 45 to 50 minutes, until the chicken is fully done. Serve with a sauce of cider, vinegar, brown sugar and celery.
Find the fresh free-range chicken at Cambridgeport Farmers Market by Morse School on Saturday, August 30 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Oysters in Wasabi Sauce
Dare to do something different this year. Caroline Carter from sanfransciscofoodie.com suggests firing up the grill for an oyster feast. Make a sauce of ginger, shallots, butter, sake, wasabi and heavy cream. Grill the oysters on high heat till they “pop” open and place them on a bed of warm rock salt. Top each oyster with sauce, a few fried ginger threads and lime wedges.
The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market is open on Saturday, August 30 from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. and sells fresh oysters from Tomales Bay.
St. Louis-Style Barbeque Sauce
Go back to basis: St. Louis-style barbeque sauce is a little less sweet and tangier than others. Whisk together ketchup, brown sugar, finely minced onion, garlic, cider vinegar, brown mustard, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and hot sauce in a saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes. Let it cool and then brush the sauce on baby back ribs or grilled chicken before taking it off the grill.
Find the meat, onion and garlic seven days a week at Kirkewood Farmers Market.
Miami BBQ Skewers with Fire-Roasted Salsa
Josie Smith-Malave from season two of Bravo’s “Top Chef” suggests marinating skewers of skirt steak in parsley, cilantro leaves, garlic, olive oil and vinegar, before grilling them over medium heat. She places each skewer on top of a slice of grilled, rustic white bread and finishes the dish with diced avocado and a homemade salsa of grilled tomatoes, scallion, jalapeno and lime juice.
There are several farmers markets in Miami, but for fresh vegetables Josh’s Organic Garden by the beach is a popular destination for in-the-know locals.
Legendary Texas BBQ
Robb Walsh, the restaurant critic of the Houston Press, gives this recipe for “Ray Lopez’s Beef Ribs” in his book, Legends of Texas Barbecue. Hailing from the Gonzales Food Market, “the maker of the best ribs in Texas,” Lopez sprinkles salt, paprika, ground pepper and cayenne on beef short ribs. The ribs are then put in a glass or metal baking pan and placed in a smoker, close to the heat source. Let them cook for three hours, turning frequently.
“Beef ribs are done when they are falling apart,” advises Walsh.
Austin Farmers Market in Republic Square Park sells humanely raised beef and is open year round.
Grilled Cabbage
Las Vegas-based chef Mike “The Legend” Mills from Memphis BBQ suggests grilled cabbage. Start by removing the core of the cabbage and sprinkling it liberally with Magic Dust and garlic salt. Then, fill it with onion and bacon and top it off with butter, before wrapping it in foil and placing it on the grill for 60 and 90 minutes.
You can get your cabbage at the Las Vegas Farmers Market on The Spring Preserve, which is open every Thursday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.