It's BBQ Season

That's one thing that was proved without a doubt over my week in the outer banks. From the standard burgers and dogs, to shrimp tacos, to sausages, to Kriston and Yglz's superb smoker adventures with pulled pork, ribs and brisket, to restaurant visits for North Carolina and Virginia BBQ, it was a delicious vacation. Now I'm back, and watching Jamie Oliver's new(ish) show Jamie At Home, and what's the topic? Barbecue, of course! He started off with an incredible bbq sauce recipe, and went through lots of amazing tips:

• Don't just do meat! Steam some leafy greens on the grill -- wrap them in tin foil, throw in some olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon. Let the bag steam for 5 minutes and voila!
  
• Also, score the top of a red onion. Stuff in romsemary, thyme, butter. Wrap it up in tin foil and throw it directly on the coals. It's a perfect accompaniment to bbq chicken.
  
• And when you're brushing sauce on your cooking meats, why not use a giant sprig of rosemary as your brush to add even more flavor? Brilliant.
  
• He also cooked his sauced up chicken, lamb and ribs in the oven for 1.5 hours at 350 before grilling, so that the meat is cooked perfectly and doesn't over-char.
  
• Oh one more thing: scale your coals so they're taller on one side, short on the other. So you've got control over the heat (it'll be hotter where there are more coals).
  

Oh, and the beach trip? Superb. Non-stop fun and laughter and eating and drinking and tanning and awesome people. Thanks Pygs and Sommer! I could recount the jillions of jokes that were born this week (Pancake Jones, Put Your Hand To Your Mouth Face, 20 Sexy Teens, Wreck The Destroyer, Outside Party, Bat Dad Wife Sharon, "Hi, is this the Internet company?", etc.), but they'd probably only amuse those of us that were there. So instead, enjoy some pictures.