It's officially grilling season and to celebrate all things barbecue, we’ve compiled five recipes from some of the nation's top grilling experts. Get ready for rockin' recipes from Bobby Flay (Food Network chef/author/restaurateur), Stephen Raichlen (author of The Barbecue Bible and host of Barbecue University), Elizabeth Karmel, executive chef of NYC’s hot Hill Country Barbecue; and Stephen Barber, executive chef of Memphis-style BarBersQ in Napa--and don't forget plenty of napkins! —Karen Palmer

STEPHEN RAICHLEN: STEAK FROM HELL



Stephen says, "This recipe literally is a 'steak from hell.' It comes from an unassuming steakhouse in Juarez, Mexico, called Mitla, and mitla is the Nahuatl Indian word for 'hell.' Mitla's steaks owe their extraordinary flavor to the fact that they're cooked over blazing mesquite logs. You can approximate the flavor by tossing mesquite chips on the grill. I call for grilling the tomatoes used in the salsa on a stovetop burner. This is done while the barbecue grill is heating up and allows for the salsa to be prepared in advance."
Serves 4

2 to 4 chiles de arbol or other dried hot red chiles
2 large, fresh, ripe tomatoes
1/3 medium onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, sliced
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 sirloin or T-bone beefsteaks (each about 1/2 inch thick)
4 large or 8 small flour tortillas, for serving
Special Equipment: 2 cups mesquite wood chips, soaked for 1 hour in cold water to cover and drained (optional)

Preheat the grill to high. If using a gas grill, add the wood chips (if using) to the smoker box before preheating.

Soak the chiles in a bowl of warm water until pliable, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, set each tomato directly on a stove burner and roast over high heat until the skins are charred and blistered on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool. Drain the chiles and remove the seeds if you prefer a milder salsa. Place the chiles in a blender with the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and cilantro. Process to a coarse paste. Add the lime juice and salt and pepper to taste; the salsa should be highly seasoned. Transfer to a serving bowl.

When ready to cook, if using charcoal, toss the wood chips on the coals. For both gas and charcoal, oil the grill grate. Salt the steaks generously on one side. Place on the hot grate, salt side down, and grill, turning once with tongs, until cooked to taste, 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Remove the steaks to a platter and let stand for 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, arrange the tortillas on the grate and grill until soft, pliable, but not browned, about 20 seconds per side. Serve the steaks with the tortillas and the salsa on the side.


BOBBY FLAY: GRILLED SPICE-RUBBED SHRIMP “NICOISE” SALAD


Flay says, "I think I’ve made my love of the Nicoise salad pretty clear by this point. And while the original is fantastic, I think the components of this fresh and beautiful French salad are really fun to play around with by creating new arrangements and adding new star ingredients. Here, I substitute spice rubbed shrimp for the traditional tuna. Instead of laying out anchovy filets as a part of the salad itself, I incorporate their rich salinity into the vinaigrette for super-flavorful dressing. Grilling the potatoes gives extra visual appeal and extra flavor. Put it all together, golden grilled potatoes, fresh yellow and green beans, slivers of purple onion, rosy shrimp, green herbs…it’s a thing of beauty."
Serves 4

Vinaigrette
¼ cup white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
Salt and freshly ground pepper
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Whisk together vinegar, garlic and anchovy paste and season with salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and set aside.

Salad
¼ pound fresh wax beans
¼ pound fresh green beans
1 pound fingerling potatoes
Kosher salt
Olive oil
Red & Yellow sweet 100 tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
Fresh basil and flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

Prepare a large bowl with ice water and set aside.

Bring a medium pot of cold water to a boil then season with a tablespoon of salt. Add the beans and cook for approximately 3 to 4 minutes or until just crisp tender. Drain and immediately plunge into the ice water to stop the cooking. Let sit in the ice water for a few minutes, and then drain well.

Place potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water and season with 1 tablespoon of salt and cook until almost cooked through (a knife or skewer inserted into the center goes in with a little resistance). Drain well and place on a baking sheet to cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, slice potatoes lengthwise, brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the grill, cut-side down and cook until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes, turn over and grill until just cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Place cooked beans, grilled potatoes, tomatoes, onions, basil and parsley in a large bowl, add the vinaigrette and gently toss to combine, season with salt and pepper. Cover and let sit at room temperature while you prepare the shrimp.

Spice Rubbed Shrimp
2 tablespoons fennel seeds, toasted and ground
2 teaspoons mustard seeds, toasted and ground
2 teaspoons coriander seeds, toasted and ground
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 lb large (21-24) shrimp, shelled and deveined
Olive oil

Heat the grill to high.

Combine the fennel, mustard, coriander, salt and pepper in a bowl.

Place shrimp in a large bowl and toss with the spice rub until evenly coated. Place the shrimp on the grates of the grill in an even layer and grill until golden brown and slightly charred, 1 ½ to 2 minutes. Turn the shrimp over and continue grilling until just cooked through, 45 seconds to 1 minute longer. Remove the shrimp to a platter

Arrange the vegetables on four large plates and top each with 5 to 6 shrimp.


ELIZABETH KARMEL: HILL COUNTRY SMOKED CHILI-RUBBED LAMB CHOPS


Serves 4

Chili Rub
8 teaspoons mustard powder
8 teaspoons granulated garlic
8 teaspoons onion powder
8 teaspoons paprika
8 teaspoons cayenne pepper
12 tablespoons chili powder
3 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup Sugar in the Raw
1 cup kosher salt
1 cup white granulated sugar
1 rack of lamb, frenched

Post oak or other favorite wood chips, soaked in water

Make the rub: Mix all ingredients in a bowl and sift through a strainer or flour sifter to make sure that there are no clumps of spice or sugar and insure that it is well mixed. Set ½ cup aside and reserve the rest for another use. The rub can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Using a sharp knife, cut the rack of lamb along the bones into individual chops—you’ll have about 7 chops. They should be small and resemble lamb “lollipops”.
Pour about ½ cup of the rub onto a piece of waxed paper. Holding each chop by the bone, dredge each side of the chop through the rub to coat the entire outside of each chop.

Add soaked wood chips to a gas or charcoal grill. Once they start to smoke, place the chops in the center of the cooking grate and smoke-cook for about 15 minutes for rosy rare or a little longer for medium (pink) rare. The chops are best cooked to rare, but cook to your preferred level of doneness.


STEPHEN BARBER: BARBERSQ GRILLED CK SONOMA MINI LAMB BURGERS WITH GRILLED SPRING ONION, TOMATO MARMALADE AND HERB SALAD
(pictured above)
Makes 8 mini burgers

Tomato Marmalade
3 pounds ripe tomatoes
1 cup sugar (granulated cane)
1/3 cup cider vinegar

Blanch tomatoes in boiling water and cool in ice water. Peel, cut in half and squeeze out seeds, the cut into small dice. In a non-reactive pot mix sugar, vinegar and tomatoes then bring to a simmer. Cook on low heat until most of the liquid has evaporated and the color is a deep red (about 30 minutes), then set aside in a bowl.


Fresh Herb Salad
¼ cup mint leaves
¼ cup cilantro leaves
¼ cup Italian parsley leaves
¼ cup chives, cut into one-inch segments
Juice from one lemon
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Make the herb salad: Pick all the herbs free of stems. Combine all the herbs in a bowl. Whisk lemon juice and olive oil together and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Drizzle lemon vinaigrette over the herbs and toss, then set aside.

Burgers
Mini hamburger buns (check with your local baker)
1 bunch spring onions (or green onions)
1 pound ground lamb (such as CK Ranch from Sonoma, California)
2 Teaspoons ground cumin
2 Teaspoons ground coriander
Kosher salt
Black pepper

Heat the grill to a medium heat. Mix lamb meat with the cumin and coriander. Form into 2 oz patties and season with salt and pepper.

Lightly toast the buns on the grill. Season the spring onions with olive oil, salt and pepper, then place on the grill and cook until slightly tender, then, one cooled, cut them into 3/8 inch pieces.

Grill the lamb burgers to medium rare, then place each burger on a toasted bun. Top each burger with the tomato marmalade and spring onions, and serve the herb salad on the side. The herb salad also tastes great on the burger!

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