You Say It's Your Birthday....

...Happy Birthday To You!

Today is Adam Perry Lang's birthday. Happy Birthday buddy! Many more to you.

To you who haven't paid attention, Adam is one of the icons of competition barbecue. He's a classically trained chef who worked in some of the top restaurants in the world, but discovered barbecue when he watched some cowboys in New Mexico barbecue some meat. Adam is the proprietor of the highly successful Daisy May's BBQ in New York City and occasionally competes in the KCBS competition circuit. He's also a friend.

Adam's also written a fantastic book, Serious Barbecue. It's a serious book which deserves a serious review, but until then here's a teaser recipe. Enjoy.

Serious Barbecue: Smoke, Char, Baste & Brush Your Way to Great Outdoor Cooking

by Adam Perry Lang (Hyperion)

Grilled Shrimp Cocktail from Serious Barbecue

Serves 8

After these plump up from a quick brine, and cook in their shells, they'll eat more like peel-and-eat lobster tails than plain old shrimp. Serve this alongside grilled steak, and it'll be not only a great respite from the meat's richness, but it'll give you a surf-and-turf experience, which for me was one of the most exciting things to get at a restaurant when I was little.

Brine
8 cups water
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 lemons
4 garlic cloves, peeled, and grated on a Microplane grater
3 cups ice

Twenty-four 8 to 12 count unpeeled shrimp (this means shrimp that come 8 to 12 to a pound)
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup minced chives
Kosher salt
Freshly ground coarse black pepper
Cocktail Sauce

2 lemons, each cut into 4 wedges

1. Combine all of the brine ingredients in a large bowl and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. Cut the lemons in half, squeeze the juice into the brine, and add the whole lemons as well. Stir in the garlic, followed by the ice.

For each of the shrimp, using a paring knife, cut along the curve of the back of the shrimp, and remove the vein, keeping the shells intact. Clip the feet off with a small pair of scissors.

Place the shrimp in the brine and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. Preheat all grates of a well--oiled charcoal or gas grill to medium.

3. Remove the shrimp from the brine and lightly pat dry with paper towels.

In a bowl, toss the shrimp in the canola oil.

In a separate bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, and chives. Set aside.

4. Place the shrimp on the grate, close the lid, and grill for 4 minutes. Flip to the second side and grill for 4 minutes.

5. Remove from the grill and immediately place in the bowl with the olive oil mixture, tossing to coat. Season with salt and pepper and serve with cocktail sauce and lemon wedges on the side.

From Serious Barbecue by Adam Perry Lang. Copyright © 2009. Published by Hyperion. All Rights Reserved. Photograph courtesy of Hyperion.