Bon Appetit July 2013

FIND, FOLLOW, AND CONNECT WITH US ONLINE THE HASHTAG Summer is here, which means outdoor-cooking season is in full swing. To celebrate, we asked some pros to take a stand on that hotly contested, age-old question: "What's the #bestbbq in the country?" “Whole-hog smoked pork from PIG WHISTLE IN FAYETTEVILLE, NC.” @andreareusing Andrea Reusing, Lantern, Chapel Hill, NC “SALT LICK IN AUSTIN for Texas-style BBQ and the best sausage in the country. And anything from Mike Mills. because of the gentle applewood smoke on his baby-back ribs. It makes for a really balanced rib.” @chefsymon Michael Symon, The Chew “Hey @bonappetit! Shout-out to PODNAH’S PIT up the street @podnahsbbq: 1/2 rack spareribs, white bread and slaw, plus jalapehos & onion.” @NaomiPomeroy Naomi Pomeroy, Beast, Portland, OR “OKLAHOMA JOE'S IN KANSAS…

WHENEVER I’M GOING TO GRILL, the first thing I usually do is pick up the phone and call Maria. She runs things down at Florence Prime Meat Market, a tiny butcher shop on a side street in Greenwich Village. Screen door, sawdust on the floor, been open since 1936. Benny Pizzuco, a longtime butcher, owns it, but Maria is the one behind the counter, surrounded by a bunch of guys with thick forearms, standing over big, worn-down butcher blocks, carbon-steel knives in hand. My order is almost always the same: dry-aged, thick-cut rib steaks, bone in. And however many people I tell Maria I’m having over, she usually portions out enough for two more. Some folks would call this upselling, but when the meat is this tasty, I don’t argue.…

READERS’ FAVORITE RESTAURANT RECIPES DEAR BON APPÉTIT HOW CAN I MAKE AN AT-HOME VERSION OF THE AMAZING WHOLE BRANZINO FROM BROOKLYN’S TALDE? —PHILIP WARDNER Brooklyn BRANZINO WITH HERBS AND TOMATO JAM 4 SERVINGS For a video and step-by-step photos on making the parchment packet, visit bonappetit.com/go/parchment. TOMATO JAM ¼ cup vegetable oil 3 Tbsp. yellow mustard seeds 1 Tbsp. ground coriander ½ tsp. ground cardamom 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced 2 garlic cloves, chopped 2 Tbsp. chopped peeled ginger ¼ cup fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam) ¼ cup sugar 1 Tbsp. ground turmeric 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes 4 beefsteak tomatoes (about 2 lb.), coarsely chopped 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper BRANZINO 4 1-lb. whole branzino, cleaned Kosher salt, freshly…

YOU KNOW THE R RULE? The one that says you should only eat oysters in months with the letter r? Ignore it. Grilled oysters, the fire concentrating their briny flavor, are my barbecue go-to. Here’s how to make them yours: Buy a few dozen oysters (you want big ones that won’t dry out). Once your grill hits medium-high, fill the grate with as many bivalves, cupped side down, as will fit. Cover, and half a beer later (about two minutes), the shells pop open. That’s it; they’re done. Transfer to a platter, remove the top shells, and slurp away. I serve mine with hot sauce, but a dab of herb butter works, too. Repeat. And crack another beer. It’s summer. —ANDREW KNOWLTON Find our recipe for herb butter at bonappetit.com/go/herbbutter…

When life moves outside, don’t leave style behind. Deck out your lawn or, um, deck with our picks and you may never go back in KING ME This teak lounger is a reissue of Swedish King Gustav VI Adolf’s favorite chair. Make it your throne this summer. H55 easy chair, $685; dwr.com RUBBER DUB Leave the boom box in the basement: This tiny rechargeable speaker is Bluetooth-enabled, so you can broadcast music from your phone or computer. Six bright colors mean it’ll never get lost in the grass. WOW speaker, $75; neo-utility.com BURNING, MAN Do S’mores taste better when you toast the marshmallows over a fire made in a bold and pricey modernist sculpture? Text us when you find out. Urbanfire wood-burning fireplace, $1,350; modfire.com “Fire pits are a great…

So, you have an “alterego” Twitter feed that chronicles what you eat [@NPHFoodPorn]. Have you always been obsessed? In my 20s, I mostly ate burritos and nachos, with the occasional burger. It was my better half, David [Burtka], who made me adventurous. Do you have guilty pleasures? In-N-Out burgers. But not too often. I have to watch my girlish figure. David is a classically trained chef who worked at Babbo. What’s the best thing he cooks? He makes a Babbo-ish Bolognese: Fresh pasta is key, and a sauce with veal, pork, pancetta, and San Marzano tomatoes, finished with butter. That may be my meal if I was gonna get in the electric chair. Do you help out much in the kitchen? I’m the sous and the dishwasher. Someone’s gotta do…