Charred & Scruffed

April 16, 2012
Gas grill owners need not bother with Lang’s down and dirty third book of barbecue. As the proprietor of New York’s Daisy May’s BBQ and co-owner (with Jamie Oliver) of London’s Barbecoa, propane is not in this chef’s vocabulary. His methodology employs high heat from fired-up coals combined with a raised grate and lots of flipping, or else clinching, a boxing term he reinterprets to mean placing cuts of meat directly onto the coals. Clinching, while being the ultimate solution to flareups, is not as manly as it sounds: the process begins with using a hair dryer to remove the coals’ excess ash. But a 10-ounce clinched strip steak is done in just nine minutes and is infused with “an intense blast of superheated flavor” as the juices steam directly back into the steak. Add a soaked plank of cedar to the mix and the results include clinched and planked rump steaks, lamb racks, or lobster tails, with the wood bringing additional layers of flavor and color to the meats. The scruffing referred to in the title involves roughing up the meat to create extra tears and ridges thereby increasing the surface area where flavorings can seep in. It’s a technique that works equally well with some vegetables, as in his scruffed carbonara potatoes, where bite-sized chunks of Yukon Gold soak up a lightly seasoned egg sauce. Agent: Lisa Queen.

April 15, 2012

Lang (Serious Barbecue; BBQ 25), a classically trained chef and New York City restaurant owner, here turns his attention to barbecue innovation. His unconventional techniques--which include clinching (cooking directly on the coals), scruffing (roughing up meat to give it more surface area), and spackling (topping meat with bold, concentrated condiments)--may sound unfamiliar, but they are clearly explained and relatively easy to execute. Recipes for meat, fish, and fowl are followed by side dishes, condiments, and seasonings. VERDICT An elegant and inventive barbecue cookbook for readers who appreciate subtly seasoned meat.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2012
Different regional barbecuing traditions blanket the U.S., each claiming primacy as the one, true, authentic, original barbecue. Along comes Perry Lang with a novel approach to barbecue that draws on all these diverse customs and creates a new sort of twenty-first-century barbecue. His master rub consists of just salt, pepper, garlic salt, and cayenne. But he advocates developing a great crusty surface on meats by first scruffing: abrading meat surfaces so that the flavors work their way more deeply into the flesh. He also finds that placing items directly atop glowing coals provides deep flavor without danger of acrid burning grease to mar final taste. He also recommends spackles, sauces that replace bottled ketchup and steak sauces with fresh flavors. Perry Lang's approach is meticulous and demanding, but any serious backyard barbecuer who follows these recipes will very quickly leave the rest of neighborhood pit masters wallowing in ashes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)