Steven Raichlen
Steven Raichlen writes cookbooks, hosts public television shows, and teaches fans how to grill and smoke food, drawing on barbecue traditions from around the world.
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Latest
Steven’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus his backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Book
BookOverview
- Work
- Cookbook author, journalist, television host, and cooking teacher
- Grew up
- Baltimore, Maryland
- Education
- French literature at Reed College; medieval cooking research in Europe on a Watson Fellowship
- Breakout
- The Barbecue! Bible, published in 1998
- Teaching
- Founder of Barbecue University, now held at Alisal Ranch in California
Mini bio
Before the barbecue trail.
Raised in Baltimore, Steven studied French literature at Reed College and went to Europe on a Watson Fellowship to research medieval cooking. His early career included restaurant criticism for Boston Magazine and books about healthy cooking.
The book that changed his direction.
In November 1994, at home in Miami, he had an idea: travel the world to document how different cultures grill. The Barbecue! Bible took four years to write and grew to more than 500 recipes. Published in 1998, it became an international bestseller and set the direction for his work in global grilling.
Making the techniques approachable.
Books such as How to Grill and Project Smoke turn that research into practical lessons for home cooks. On television, he has hosted Project Smoke, Project Fire, Primal Grill, and Planet Barbecue, which launched in 2023. He also teaches in person at Barbecue University and has presented shows in French and Italian.
The story behind the recipes.
His 2025 book Project Griddle explores flattop cooking. In October 2026, he published Man on Fire, a memoir connecting his life in literature, travel, writing, and television with 25 recipes.
Creditschronological, newest first
Books
- 2026Man on FireAuthor
- 2025Project GriddleAuthor
- 2016Project SmokeAuthor
- 2001How to GrillAuthor
- 1998The Barbecue! BibleAuthor
Television
- 2023Steven Raichlen’s Planet BarbecueHost
- 2015Steven Raichlen’s Project SmokeCreator and host
Awards
Quotes
I like to say that I didn’t find barbecue. Barbecue called me.Steven Raichlen, Crowd Cow Q&A
In an October 2021 interview, he recalled the 1994 idea that sent him around the world researching grilling traditions.
Trivia
- He originally wanted to call The Barbecue! Bible Barbacoa. He later gave that name to his sailboat.
- He still dislikes the exclamation mark in The Barbecue! Bible, an idea from publisher Peter Workman.
- He wrote four High-Flavor, Low-Fat cookbooks while researching The Barbecue! Bible to help fund the project.
- Asked to choose just one barbecue dish for the rest of his life, he picked brisket with salt, pepper, and hardwood smoke.
Find Steven
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