Joe Carroll

An espresso- and cumin-spiked rub (or brine) gives this smoked chicken impressive flavor.

Turn your favorite ribs into the ultimate barbecue dinner with this all-purpose recipe.

We use this rub on just about everything that we smoke at the restaurant, but you needn't follow the recipe exactly. Feel free to improvise on the ingredients and amounts, reducing the sugar for a less-sweet "bark" (crust), increasing the cayenne for a spicier one, and so on.

When coming up with a vinegar sauce for Fette Sau, I didn't want something that was too obviously connected to any specific regional barbecue. (North Carolina 'cue employs a sauce that's either vinegar and spices, in the eastern part of the state, or the same with the addition of tomato, in the west; South Carolina adds mustard to its vinegar sauce.) And I wanted a vinegar sauce that would work equally well with all kinds of smoked meat—not just the pork it's usually paired with. This sauce will add brightness to pulled pork, and it has enough depth to stand up to beef and lamb.