Karen Adler - BBQ Bash: The Be-all, End-all Party Guide, from Barefoot to Black Tie

The Harvard Common Press
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Copyright 2008 by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig
Photographs copyright 2008 by Becky Luigart-Stayner
Illustrations copyright 2008 by Heather Holbrook

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Printed in the United States of America
Printed on acid-free paper

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Adler, Karen.
BBQ bash : the be-all, end-all party guide, from barefoot to black tie / Karen Adler
and Judith Fertig.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-55832-348-3 (hardcover)
ISBN-13: 978-1-55832-349-0 (pbk.)
1. Barbecue cookery. 2. Cookery, International. 3. Entertaining. 4. Parties. I. Fertig, Judith M.
II. Title. III. Title: Barbecue bash. IV Title: Barbeque bash.
TX840.B3A318 2008
641.7'6dc22
2007046209

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Cover and photo insert design by Night & Day Design
Interior design by Edward Miller
Photographs by Becky Luigart-Stayner
Food styling by Judy Feagin; prop styling by Fonda Shaia
Illustrations by Heather Holbrook

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To R., G. K., and L.,
and everyone else who thinks life
is just one great big party!

Special thanks go to Remus Powers, Ph.B., aka Ardie Davis, founder of Greasehouse University; the Baron of Barbecue, Paul Kirk; John Ross, the Barbecue Professor; and Carolyn Wells, executive director of the Kansas City Barbeque Society, for bestowing the coveted Doctorate of Barbecue upon us BBQ Queens. So along with Karen's Masters of Barbecue and Judith's membership in the Magic Order of the Mop, we both proudly add Ph.B. to the end of our names!

Both our families include many fine cooks, grillers, barbecuers, and connoisseurs of wine and spirits. They are our most frequent guests in the kitchen and around the grill and include Judith's mom, Jean Merkle (indoor cook and baker extraordinaire); dad Jack Merkle (the family butcher and all-around meat man); sister Julie Fox (the entertainer who shares her fabulous recipes); and Julie's husband, John (who pours the drinks and quizzes us on rock & roll trivia). Karen's mom, Denise Conde (the dessert queen), has everyone making a beeline for her cakes, pies, and cookies. Her sister Linda Yeates bakes great pies and prepares perfect deviled eggs, but, most important, she's the sparkling-wine expert. Sister Nancy McKay creates the perfect ambience and settings along with fabulous casseroles and the best salads. Baby sister Betsy Peterson is very accomplished, since she worked as a caterershe makes great appetizers and has that innate baking expertise that runs in the family, too. Karen's husband, Dick, pours the cocktails, including his famous Da Das () and intoxicating martinis, plus he shares grill time with her.

Our children are all grown and they have developed their own styles of cooking. Judith's daughter, Sarah Fertig, likes to cook with an international flavor and flair. Son Nick Fertig makes Famous Cheesy Elk Dip, among other things, and owns his own smoker, too, so we are expecting competition from him. Karen and Dick's eldest daughter, Ellen Young, doesn't love to cook, but she can whip up a great spaghetti, and she doesn't have to cook anyway, because her husband, Brian, loves to be the man in the kitchen and the dude at the smoker. Brian doesn't spin sugar, but he can make a mouthwatering salmon souffl. Daughter Jill and her husband, Jimmy Donnici, share the duties indoors with lots of wonderful Italian-style meals, but Jimmy grills up a storm outside on his gas grill and makes some awesome barbecue in his smoker, too.

Other friends who have shared their recipes or entertaining tips with us include Diane Phillips, Rebecca Miller, Dennis Horner, Judy and Joe Evans, Roxi and Ralph Steinheimer, Rose Kallas, Susan Howard, Angie and John Stout, Ron and Barb Martin, Doug and Lisa Youngblood, Janet and Don Coffey, Jack and Janine Joslin, Jack and Susan Helm, A. J. Rathbun, chef Jasper Mirabile, Culinary Travels guy Dave Eckert, Chef Karen Putman, Jean Tamburello, Kathy Pelz, Andrea Benjamina, and Judi Moritz. The members of our monthly cookbook club are a wonderful source of inspiration and support. These fine ladies include Dee Barwick, Liz Benson, Vicki Johnson, Gayle Parnow, Mary Pfeifer, Kathy Smith, and Roxanne Wyss.

We are especially fond of all the foodies with whom we work and play, including members of Les Dames d'Escoffier, the American Institute of Wine and Food, and our Slow Food Convivium in Kansas City.

We both thank Mary Ann Duckers, who runs the show at Pig Out Publications and keeps our lives as neat and tidy as possible. Our agent, Lisa Ekus, and her wonderful associates are a pleasure to work with. The Harvard Common Press has been part of our lives for more than a decade, and we thank everyone there for their good work. Plus, we are so appreciative of their unending support for all of our books, including Judith's Prairie Home Cooking, Prairie Home Breads, and All-American Desserts, and our collaborative titles, which are Fish & Shellfish, Grilled & Smoked; The BBQ Queens' Big Book of Barbecue; Weeknight Grilling with the BBQ Queens; and, now, BBQ Bash!

What's a barbecue bash?

It's a gathering with equal parts food, drink, and fun. It's the old-style dinner party loosened up and taken outside under the stars. It's a kick-off-your-shoes good timeeven if you're dressed to the nines.

When you take a sip of something bubbly on a moonlit night, or just under some twinkling lightswhether it's beer, vintage Champagne, or even sparkling waterlife is good. And no matter what food you serve, if it's sizzled on a grill, you know it's going to taste great. But there's more to a barbecue bash than food and drink.

Although a barbecue doesn't have to mean weeks of planning and a cast of thousands, a be-all, end-all bash does require some forethought. In our previous books The BBQ Queens' Big Book of Barbecue and Weeknight Grilling with the BBQ Queens, we urged you to think about the whole meal, not just the hunk of meat over the flames. In BBQ Bash, we want you to think about the whole party. Sure, you can pretty easily throw an outdoor barbecue with hot dogs and hamburgers, mismatched paper plates and napkins, deli potato salad, chips and salsa, a few citronella candles, and a cooler full of beer and soft drinks. But you don't need any advice from us on that, now, do you?

A successful bash, on the other hand, calls for a little style. And, as you'll see, it's not hard to get it.