Desideria wrote:
> Y'all know I'm a grilling newbie, and I purchased Steven Raichlen's
> "How to Grill" book because it was my impression that his books are
> highly recommended.
>
> I'll agree that his how-to techniques are helpful. But does anyone
> else find his recipes a bit over-fussed-with?
>
> For instance, the first thing I made with his recipes was hamburgers
> with garlic butter inside, so you've got a fat burger with something
> in the center. Admittedly, my garlic butter was only about
> half-frozen, but when I put them on the grill I had terrible flareups,
> to the point where the outsides were black and the insides were still
> raw--and that was quite a bit after the time that Steven said to cook
> them on each side.
>
> Today I tried his basic (?) chicken breast recipe. Calls for
> sprinkling sea or kosher salt, cracked peppercorns and hot pepper
> flakes on both sides of each breast, then pressing chopped garlic and
> chopped rosemary onto each, then marinating them for 30 to 60 minutes
> in lemon juice and olive oil.
>
> Again, I made a mistake in cooking them today instead of yesterday, so
> they marinated for a bit less than 24 hours--but until now, I always
> found that the more marinating, the better. I grilled the breasts and
> tried some, and I can't even taste the chicken, much less the
> smoke!!!! The flavor is so intense that I have to eat slices of the
> breasts in salad to be able to handle them.
>
> What's the opinion here? Am I causing these problems myself, or are
> Raichlen's recipes too zesty for even a zest-lover like myself?
>
> Thanks,
>
>
> Desideria

I've never had any problems with his recipes, but understand he does go
all over the world to come up with stuff, so some of the flavors can be
a bit intense.

I think the key any time you make a new recipe is to follow it to the
letter the first go and then adjust to fit your taste.

Keep on cooking, you'll develop a style and feel for what works for you.

But yes, marinades that stay on too long can be a bit much.

Take a look at his brined Buccaneer chicken - lost of flavors but not
too overwhelming (in BBQ Bible)

http://www.bbqu.net/season2/205_4.html

Or his iced tea chicken:

http://www.bbqu.net/season2/208_4.html#iced_tea_chicken