Outdoor Cooking Inspiration Is Here
Hugh Mangum and his new cookbook Barbecue
Hugh Mangum is one of our favorite people. When Elizabeth opened Hill Country Barbecue Market in New York City, New Yorkers couldn’t get enough barbecue. And that included fine dining chefs. Not only did these chefs want to eat barbecue but they also wanted to learn how to make it. One such chef was Hugh Mangum. But it wasn’t far-fetched for Hugh. His father was a Texan whose hobby was barbecue, and after he passed, Hugh took his recipes and taught himself how to barbecue. Hugh has always been a refined pit master who incorporated his knowledge of French cuisine, his respect for topnotch ingredients, and his interest in international food so it is no surprise that his new cookbook reaches across the globe into all the different live-fire cultures.
It’s a terrific book and it’s likely that you don’t have recipes like these, no matter how many grilling and barbecue cookbooks you own! And, spoiler alert: We will be giving one away to a lucky subscriber this week!!
EK: Hugh had already mastered pulled pork the first time I met him when Pizza on the Grill was being photographed, and we needed pulled pork for our photo shoot. He was local to the town where the shoot was held, and the photographer ordered it from him. Hugh hand-delivered a hotel pan of picture-perfect, delicious authentic pit-cooked pulled pork (for our Pulled-Pork Pizza) and one bite made me think that I would be seeing him again sometime soon!
A few years later, he opened his own restaurant in New York City called Mighty Quinn’s. It was a sleek cafeteria-style service with top-quality barbecue and delicious sides. Along the way, we saw each other at festivals and fundraisers and as the pandemic was waning, we both worked with Anthony on the infomercial for Ninja ….
AU: Yes! It was like a fun reunion of NYC Barbecue Royalty! I think the early aughts were definitely PRIME BBQ TIME in New York City. It seemed like the hospitality scene was teeming with great-quality barbecue at every turn.
EK: That’s so true! So when Hugh asked me to contribute a recipe to his barbecue tome, Barbecue: Smoked & Grilled Recipes From Across the Globe, I was excited to be a part of it. I figured that he would have everything “American barbecue” covered but since it is an international book, he didn’t have a recipe—yet—for Beer-Can Chicken.
Since I think Beer-can Chicken is the best way to roast chicken in the USA, I immediately offered up my Beer-Can Chicken recipe dressed up with my favorite meat condiment of all times, My Roasted Garlic and Shallot Jam from Soaked, Slathered and Seasoned.
AU: Soaked, Slathered, and Seasoned is one of my most-used cookbooks, and I have a feeling that Hugh’s new book will be right up there with it!
EK: Since we have already written about Beer-Can Chicken, I decided to focus on the homemade Roasted Shallot and Garlic Jam. It is the heady, savory version of jam that tastes like the best meat candy minus the meat. That’s why I love to spread it on any grilled meat, or if I don’t have grilled meat, a warm baguette with butter, cheese or a lil’ taste straight from a spoon.
AU: I looooooove this with goat cheese! It instantly elevates a homemade cheese board!
EK: It’s so good with Goat Cheese and Homemade Buttermilk Ricotta too! I will admit that it takes a little time to make, but it’s mostly hands-off and you will learn two new prep tricks in the process.
The two main ingredients are shallots and garlic. If you buy peeled shallots and garlic, you can skip ahead! If you don’t buy them already peeled, I’ve got 2 great tips for you.
Shallots: This recipe takes 2 pounds of shallots and that is a lot of shallots to peel. If you soak them in hot water for a few minutes and leave them in the hot water as you peel them, it makes the job super easy. I snipped the ragged tops off the shallots with a pair of kitchen scissors.
Peeling Garlic: A number of years ago, Our friend, Todd Coleman popularized/pioneered shaking garlic in a bowl (click the link for his original video). At that time, he put a head of garlic in a big bowl, topped it with another big stainless-steel bowl and shook it until the garlic was peeled—he said it took less than 10 seconds. It took me a little longer than that and I start with the whole head of garlic instead of smashing it with my hand.
EK: The two big bowls never worked for me because my arms aren’t as long as Todd’s, but what does work is 2 small (6-inch) stainless-steel bowls. I peeled 5 heads of garlic this way—easy, peasy!!
AU: We should probably warn people that it makes a lot of noise, so be warned if you have pets that are sensitive to loud sounds.
EK: True…it’s also a good lil’ workout! Once you have the peeled shallots and garlic, the rest of the process is mostly time. You will be roasting the olive-oil rubbed shallots on a rack set into a sheet pan to facilitate air flow, and depending on the size of the shallots, it will take 30-60 minutes. My shallots were large so it took me about an hour. The garlic will get a bit of olive oil and salt and will roast and steam alongside in a foil packet.
Meanwhile, you put the vinegars, sugar, salt, honey, thyme, Cognac and water in a heavy-duty pot and warm the liquids until the salt and sugar are melted.
Once the shallots and garlic are roasted, you will simmer them in the liquid slowly until the jam thickens and caramelizes to your liking. You can remove the jam when it is light in color or wait as I did until it is deeply caramelized. Sometimes I am feeling golden, and this week, I was feeling like I wanted a deeper color and flavor. Once the jam is cooked, season to taste and add a bit more vinegar and Cognac if you like. Place in jars and let cool before storing in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
GIVEAWAY: Hugh Mangum’s BARBECUE
Want to spend the Summer cooking global recipes from this incredible book? We are giving away a copy to one lucky paid subscriber!* Details below!
EK: In addition to this contributor recipe, there are so many recipes that we can’t wait to try. If you are looking for a new brownie recipe, I suggest turning up the heat with Hugh’s Mocha Brownie made in a cast-iron skillet.
AU: Or try these incredible Argentinian Short Ribs (aka tira de asado) which use flanken-style short ribs so they cook up in just 8-10 minutes!
*Paid subscribers will automatically be entered into the Book Giveaway. If you’re not a paid subscriber, hit the button below by Monday June 2, 2025 at 11:59pm PT (Continental U.S. only; Void where prohibited).