Barbecue's all-time greatest hits

Sunset, August, 1998 by Andrew Baker

From barracuda to banana splits and beyond, if we can get it in our hands, it'll end up on the barbecue. On our patio, a battalion of barbecues stand at attention, ready to fire. It's a rare day of recipe testing when they aren't in action.

Why all this pyromania? We're just doing what comes naturally in the West. Eight of the nation's 10 sunniest cities are here - prime turf for outdoor cooking. But even snow and rain don't stop Westerners from grilling year-round. In fact, most have a wardrobe of barbecues - big, small, built-in, portable, charcoal, gas, or electric. Barbecuing is to a Western cook what John Wayne is to a Western movie: vital.

At fiestas on grand ranchos, Spanish and Mexican settlers roasted beef, pigs, and lambs over - or under - hot coals. In fact, barbecue comes from the Spanish word barbacoa, wrapped meats buried under hot coals to cook. At Pacific Northwest potlatches, Native Americans celebrated tribal wealth with salmon cooked on wood frames in front of flames. On the range, cowboy "cookies" seared steaks over campfires.

Sunset inherited barbecuing as a Western right, and codified every aspect to make it a predictable art, telling readers how to build, buy, and cook on barbecues.

Since the 1920s, Sunset has reported on gracious patios with barbecues. City folks who were required to burn their own trash often incorporated barbecues into handsome backyard incinerators built of stone or brick. Sunset gave plans for these solid structures, as well as other, less demanding ones. Inventiveness ran rampant. Some ideas were simple, some were simply silly. Barbecues and smokers were made from woks, wine barrels, wheelbarrows, metal roofing, water heater tanks, water pipes, oil drums, trash cans, flowerpots, and steel plow disks. A 1942 design from a Hollywood home featured flame-shaped lights and a waterwheel-turned spit, a la Rube Goldberg.

Sunset has explored barbecue techniques and dishes from every continent except Antarctica. For this retrospective of barbecue classics, we've updated old favorites using the foods and flavor combinations that reappear decade after decade - and remain fresh today.

Barbecued Tri-Tip

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 25 minutes

NOTES: Tri-tip is a triangular piece cut from the bottom of beef sirloin.

MAKES: 8 to 10 servings

1 beef tri-tip (2 to 2 1/2 lb.) 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper

1. Trim and discard fat from beef. Wipe meat with a damp towel, then sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper.

2. Prepare barbecue for direct heat (left, step 1). When grill is very hot (step 2), lay meat on barbecue. Cook, turning as needed to brown evenly, until meat is rare in center of thickest part (cut to test) and 125 [degrees] to 130 [degrees] on a thermometer, about 20 minutes, or until it has reached desired doneness.

3. Transfer the tri-tip to a board and cut meat across the grain into thin, slanting slices.

Per serving: 126 cal., 33% (42 cal.) from fat; 20 g protein; 4.7 g fat (1.6 g sat.); 0.1 g carbo (0 g fiber); 116 mg sodium., 55 mg chol.

Pinquito Beans

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 35 minutes

MAKES: 8 to 10 servings

4 slices (about 1/4 lb.) bacon, chopped 2 onions (1 lb. total), coarsely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 2/3 cup canned red chili sauce (about 1/2 of a 10-oz. can) 1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste 3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar 1 teaspoon dry mustard 3 cans (15 oz. each) pinquito beans

1. In a 4- to 5-quart pan over high heat, frequently stir bacon until crisp, about 4 minutes. Lift out the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on towels. Discard all but 1 teaspoon of the drippings from pan.

2. Add onions and garlic to pan. Stir often until onion is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add green pepper, chili sauce, tomato paste, sugar, mustard, beans, and bacon. Stir often until boiling, then reduce heat and simmer 5 to 10 minutes to blend flavors.

Per serving: 167 cal., 19% (32 cal.) from fat; 7.4 g protein; 3.5, g fat (1 g sat.); 28 g carbo (5 g fiber); 645 mg sodium; 3.6 mg chol.

Fresh Salsa

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 10 minutes

MAKES: 8 to 10 servings

1 cup thinly sliced green onions 1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilies 2 firm-ripe tomatoes (1 lb. total), rinsed, cored, and chopped 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar Salt Fresh-ground pepper

In a bowl, mix green onions, chilies, tomatoes, and vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Per serving: 15 cal., 12% (1.8 cal.) from fat; 0.6 g protein; 0.2 g fat (0 g sat.); 3.4 g carbo (0.9 g fiber); 75 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

Bangkok Birds

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 1/2 hours

NOTES: In Bangkok and across Southeast Asia, skewered, grilled chickens are sold by street vendors. This recipe, from August 1990, is served with a Thai chili sauce from September 1982.

MAKES: 4 servings

2 chickens (3 to 3 1/2 lb. each) 1/4 cup chopped garlic 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon coarse-ground pepper 1/4 cup Asian fish sauce (nuoc mam or nam pla) or soy sauce Thai chili sauce (recipe follows)