Make Your Own Basting Brush

For two weeks, we’ve got top chefs sharing their little-known tricks for backyard cooking.

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Photo credit: Simon Wheeler

There exists a quick, easy, and, frankly, cool-looking way to get flavor into your grilled meats. It was devised by Adam Perry Lang.

You haven’t heard about Adam Perry Lang? He opened the uber-famous Daisy May’s BBQ in New York City, won Grand Champion at the World Pork Expo, and took home first place for his pork shoulder at the Kansas City American Royal, “The World Series of BBQ.” Sooooooo yeah. Our grilling series wouldn’t be complete with a tip from Adam Perry Lang.

In his third book, “Charred & Scruffed,” he writes: “Rather than using an ordinary basting brush, I prefer to make my own by securing a bunch of herb sprigs (rosemary, sage, or thyme, or a combination, or other herbs, depending on what you are cooking) to a dowel, the handle of a wooden spoon, or a long-handled carving fork. The herb brush flavors the baste, releases oils into the crust as it builds, and eventually becomes a garnish. Plus, it looks really cool and makes people think ‘Food!’ when they see you using it.”

To that we simply say: DO IT.

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Excerpted from Charred & Scruffed by Adam Perry Lang. (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2012. Photographs by Simon Wheeler.