From fashion to home design to food, trends seem to come in cycles. While we’re not quite sure if we’ve circled all the way back from wide legs to mom jeans and back to skinny jeans again (please clue us in if you know!), one thing we know for sure: bbq charcoal grill is never going to go out of style.
Scientists estimate that humans have been grilling for more than 780,000 years. Back then, cooks relied on it to make protein safer to consume, as well as more delicious. All of these centuries later, grilling recipes, as well as the tools, techniques, and ingredients we use to get them on the table, are about that and so much more.
Cooking and eating food made over live fire delivers “primal pleasure and satisfaction,” says Jude Parra-Sickels, regional executive chef at Majordōmo in Los Angeles, California.
“We have a saying in Greek: Anyone can learn to cook, but one is born to grill,” adds Diane Kochilas, Mediterranean cuisine expert and the author of The Ikaria Way.
Personalizing and modernizing your grilled grub is what “adds to the cache of this ancient and primal form of cooking,” Kochilas says. (This evolution is also what makes your meals even more delicious and fun to whip up and devour.)
Last year’s grills and smokers trends were all about digitization, unique ways with mayo, plant-based fare, and more. We connected with 12 chefs and cookbook authors from coast to coast to help us pinpoint what’s hot in the world of grills and smokers, as well as what grills and smokers trends might be going up in smoke.
“Fans of the best outdoor grill smoker, and of food in general, are constantly looking for new ways to infuse and create new flavors,” Rose says. “What better way to do that, than on the offset bbq smoker?”
Outdoor smoker flavor lends a very nice bittersweet savory note as it is, and a smoker ups the ante by concentrating the irreplaceable smoky quality.
Yes, you can smoke food even if you don’t own a smoker! Here’s how to retrofit any grill to tackle the task. Or invest in McHugh’s new favorite trendy toy: a smoking tube, which is “a great, affordable alternative if you don’t have a smoker at home.”
As you experiment with outdoor smoker, McHugh suggests trying smoked cheese, while Rose predicts that smoked dips, smoked chilis and stews, and smoked cocktail ingredients will continue to grow in popularity. Prefer to stick with—or at least start with—the classics? Try our Smoked Beef Brisket, Maple-Smoked Salmon Fillets, or Smoked Mole-Inspired Turkey.