In Search of the California Barbecue Tradition

The Compton-born pitmaster Kevin Bludso, of Bludso’s Bar & Que, has never understood why pitmasters in California are often left out of the national barbecue story, which has a rich history well beyond Santa Maria-style. “At one point, L.A had so many barbecue restaurants, stretching from Watts to Compton,” he said. “As African Americans migrated…

One Chef, One Roof, Many Menus

Mark’s Off Madison, Mark Strausman’s new place on East 26th Street, is trying to be at least two different restaurants, maybe three. Possibly four. All of them are good. One of those restaurants operates only on weekend mornings and afternoons and is essentially Barney Greengrass South, serving eggs and smoked fish in various combinations with…

Learning to Love G.M.O.s

Not long after the conference, I flew to North Carolina to meet with Baker and his co-founder, Tom Adams. Before starting Pairwise, Baker and Adams each worked at large companies that invested in G.M.O. crops: Adams at Monsanto and Baker at Simplot, where he oversaw the development of a potato that produces less acrylamide, a…

A More Flavorful Burger Recipe

Grilled burgers have none of these advantages. Grills cook primarily through infrared heat — the electromagnetic radiation that travels from hot coals or grill bars the same way the sun’s heat energy travels through space — an altogether less-efficient form of heat transfer than direct conduction from a hot griddle. Browning and flavor development take…