Table of contents for June-July 2013 in SAVEUR

Deeply charred ground beef dripping juice onto a soft bun, melted cheese oozing over the edges—I'm obsessed with the American cheeseburger. At the culinary lab I run in Seattle, we decided to pay it a scientist's tribute. After researching the chemistry behind the deliciousness of every component—the meat, cheese, bun, sauce—we uncovered methods for making the ultimate backyard burger, no weird science required. It starts with grinding the meat ourselves and ends with a special sauce that puts ketchup to shame. —Nathan Myhrvold, co-author of Modernist Cuisine (The Cooking Lab, 2011) My colleagues and I developed our “M.C. Special Sauce” in the lab to accompany a different recipe. When I tasted it, I thought, That's McDonald's special sauce! It's fantastic on a burger. Although I prefer my burgers without it,…

I spend a lot of time cooking indoors in restaurant kitchens, but I relish any chance I get to be outside grilling over an open fire. The sun and fresh air, the aroma, the flames—it's a hard activity to beat. When I'm using a leaner cut like a rib eye, I like to cook my steak in a slightly unconventional way: After a sear over a super-hot fire, I move it away from the hottest coals and baste it in rendered dry-aged beef fat, which adds incomparable depth of flavor. I then finish with another last-minute sear for a beautifully charred crust. —Craig Koketsu, chef-partner of New York City's Quality Meats Next time you're at the butcher, ask for leftover fat scraps trimmed from dry-aged beef, then render the fat…

In countries surrounding Eurasia's Caucasus Mountains, people have been cooking their meat on swords, sticks, and skewers over an open fire for eight centuries. My Russian family keeps the tradition alive each summer, balancing skewers of marinated lamb shoulder and onions over coals on a mangal, a grateless grill. We serve them traditionally, slathered in salty, tangy sauces, which perfectly complement the richness of the meat. Thick slices of onion do double duty: When raw in the marinade, they lend sharp flavor to the meat; threaded on the skewer with the lamb, they add sweet, crunchy contrast. Reserve the marinade, cook it down, and use it to baste kebabs as they grill. As the marinade caramelizes on the meat's surface, it creates a flavorful crust. Fatty cuts of meat are…

Visit Steven Raichlen's favorite grilling spots: El Príncipe Tutul-Xiu, Calle 26, No. 208, Colonia Centro, Mani, Yucatán (997/978-4257; restauranteselprincipetutul-xiu.blogspot.com); Andres Carne de Res, Calle 3, No. 11-56, Chia, Cundinamarca, Colombia (57/1/861-2233; andrescarnederes.com/es/); Churrascaria Galpão Crioulo, Parque da Harmonia, Porto Alegre, Brazil (55/513-226-8194; churrascariagalpaocrioulo.com.br); La Bouvette, Moulin Du Morinand, Le Bois-Plage, France (5/4609-2987); Elckerlijc, Kraailokerkweg 17, Maldegem, Belgium (050-715-263; www.peterdeclercq.be); Haxnbauer, Sparkassenstrasse 6, Munich, Germany (089-216-6540; kuffler.de); Avazi, 54 Haetzel St, Shchunat Hatikva, Tel Aviv, Israel (972/3687-9918); Die Strandloper, Langebaan, South Africa (27/227-722-490; strandloper.com); Karim's, Jama Masjid, Gali Kababian, Old Delhi, Delhi, India (91/112-326-4981; karimhoteldelhi.com); Warung Ibu Oka, Jalan Suweta, Tegal Sari No. 2, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia; Lac Canh, 44 D Nguyen Binh Khiem, Cai River area, Nha Trang, Vietnam (58/821-391); Lydia's Lechon Restaurant, SM Food Court, Concepion Street, at the…

In the vast kitchen of İmam Çağda, a kebab restaurant in the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep, Burhan Çadaş, the 51-year-old owner, looked on as his staff of 20 labored in perfect harmony. At one counter, a crew worked ground meat and eggplant onto metal skewers. Another cadre stood at a long grill, deftly rotating skewers of various meats and vegetables over glowing oak charcoal. In a corner, a half dozen men reduced cuts of lamb to a fine crimson paste with scimitar-like blades known as zırh, their rhythmic chopping reverberating like thunder. Hand chopping, explained Burhan, gives his cooks complete control over the texture of the meat, which should hold together on the skewer but crumble under the fork. Besides, he said, “Meat ground by machine has no soul.”…

I've met cooks all over the globe who have rhapsodized over the primal pleasure of eating ribs, holding them in hand and eating the charred meat straight off the bone. Ribs take as many forms as there are places where they're cooked, and it's easy to replicate lots of them at home: Blast a rack of baby backs with garlic and fish sauce and they'll taste just like ones you'd find in Cambodia; marinate a lamb rib with ginger and yogurt and it takes on an Indian tandoori flavor. What a delectable way to keep such an ancient way of eating alive. —Steven Raichlen, author of Best Ribs Ever (Workman Publishing, 2012) Baby back ribs, from the pork loin, cook quickly, are generously marbled, and are easy to handle. Spare…

While fire is the essence of grilling, flare-ups—when flames surge out of the grill and burn food—can impart undesirable, bitter flavors. Since flare-ups are caused by oil dripping onto the coals and catching fire, prevent them by trimming off extra fat, and using a paper towel to pat off excess marinade before putting food on the grill. If you do experience a flare-up, there are three things you can do: Move the food immediately to a cooler section of the grill; close the lid and vents of the grill briefly to cut off the fire's oxygen supply; or spritz the flames with water to douse them. Brushing food with a marinade or sauce as it cooks creates a browning effect as proteins and sugars both caramelize, building a rich, flavorful…

With its sweet flavor, just-picked summer corn is sublime on its own. But grilling—either in the husk or shucked—gives the kernels a nutty taste that makes each ear perfect for flavored compound butters, sauces, and glazes. More mature corn, which is slightly starchier, is my preferred kind to grill because the sturdy kernels can withstand the heat. —Elizabeth Karmel, author of Soaked, Slathered, and Seasoned (Wiley, 2009) Cooking corn in the husk keeps kernels juicy and gives them a mellow toasty flavor, making them a neutral base for herbal compound butters or spreads like aïoli. Before grilling, soak unhusked ears of corn in water for 30 minutes. The moisture will steam the corn as it grills and prevent the husks from burning. When grilled, shucked corn chars deeply and develops…

I always do two things when grilling chicken: I flatten the bird, which helps it cook evenly, and marinate it. Marinating is a technique Latin American cooks inherited from medieval Spain. In Cuba, where I'm from, we marinate everything under the sun in an aromatic paste called adobo that combines garlic, cumin, oregano, and lots of fresh citrus. For even more punch, I add ground ají molido chiles, paprika, and lemon; a bath in this mouth-puckering concoction provides a basic underpinning of flavor that blossoms and evolves while the bird cooks. —Maricel E. Presilla, author of Gran Cocina Latina (W.W. Norton, 2012) Rubbing marinade or seasonings under the chicken's skin helps keep the meat succulent and flavorful as it cooks. Cooking on a plancha, a flat grill-top griddle, gives an…

Nothing completes a cookout like an icy cold drink. But when you're grilling with friends, it's nearly impossible to find the time to mix individual cocktails, so we prefer to make large-batch tipples by the pitcherful. Packed with the season's flavors of fresh fruit and herbs, these libations are colorful, fun, and perfect foils to the heat and smoke of flame-kissed foods. (See page 108 for hard-to-find ingredients.) SERVES 4–6 This version of a Spanish sangria is ripe with summer fruit; its light, crisp flavors complement seafood and poultry. To make, boil 1/3 cup honey, 1 stick cinnamon, 1/2 vanilla bean, and 1 1/2 cups sparkling blood orange soda in a 4-qt. saucepan; let cool. Stir in 4 cups rosé wine and 1/2 cup brandy. In a pitcher, layer 3…