In another life, Elias Cairo—a 45-year-old charcuterie expert and the owner of Olympia Provisions, a groundbreaking restaurant and sausage-making operation in Portland, Oregon—was on a path to becoming a professional snowboarder. He was raised in Sandy, Utah, about 15 miles from Alta, and his go-for-it attitude landed him a Burton sponsorship.

Life, however, has a way of derailing plans. When Cairo was 15, his father, John “Yannis” Cairo, passed away. John had emigrated from Greece in 1962, still in his twenties, and his dream was to carve out a life in the U.S. while drawing on the customs of his native country. To that end, he created a Greek-inspired agricultural oasis in the middle of Utah.

“We raised our own meat, had gardens, preserved everything, had beehives, and made our own wine and liquor,” Cairo says. “Growing up, I was just with my dad—if he was cooking, I was cooking. If he was gardening, I was gardening.” They also hunted to help fill the family larder. His parents owned two Greek-American restaurants: Queen One and Queen Two, both in the town of Murray, just south of Salt Lake City.

A few years after losing his dad, Cairo told his mother, Karen, that he was through with snowboarding and wanted to be a chef. Culinary school wasn’t an option—too expensive—but an apprenticeship was. With help from an aunt, Cairo was put in touch with Annegret Schlumpf, the chef of Stump’s Alpenrose Hotel in Wildhaus, Switzerland. Schlumpf had one question for Cairo: How soon can you get here?

Cairo sold his snowboard and Subaru, then went to the library to learn everything he could about the Alpine village of Wildhaus. He discovered that it’s famous for cheese, charcuterie, and skiing. Within two weeks, he was standing at the front door of the picturesque hotel, partway up the slopes of the Gamsalp Mountain ski resort. He didn’t speak the local languages, but that didn’t matter: he was industrious, eager to learn, and ready to work.

The surprises started coming fast. On Cairo’s first day, he walked into the cooler and saw a huge ibex hanging there. “I was like, What in the world is going on here?” he says. The restaurant, it turned out, processed wild game—ibex, marmot, chamois, rabbit, and more—for valley residents.

Cairo already knew how to field-dress game, including elk, deer, and pheasant. But the precision and skill demonstrated by the Alpenrose butchers were pure artistry, and the craftsmanship fascinated him. A transition began when he was temporarily assigned to the butcher station after injuring his hand in the kitchen. “I got to hang out with all the butchers, and I thought, This is so fun,” he recalls. “It was better than cooking.”

Cairo still had to complete his kitchen apprenticeship, but he found ways to work with the butchers on the side. He spent just shy of five years at the Alpenrose, apprenticing under chef Schlumpf. During that time, he learned to speak Swiss German and came away with expertise he probably wouldn’t have picked up in the U.S. When he returned home in 2003, he saw an opportunity. He imagined a restaurant with a USDA-approved meat plant next door; his sister, Michelle, believed in his vision and became an investor.

Cairo opened Olympia Provisions in 2009, and it has since expanded to five restaurants in Portland, with a much larger facility processing more than a million pounds of pork a year—everything from pĂątĂ© to pancetta. He’s a passionate advocate for a better and more humane meat industry, and for teaching both providers and consumers that good food doesn’t happen fast.

“If you make something special, you can’t rush it,” he says. “The American meat industry is built on margin and speed. There’s nothing special or quality about it.”

To underscore his point, Cairo often refers to a story about Bueger Stump, a co-owner of Stump’s Alpenglow, who has become a close friend. Mounted in Stump’s home are 12 sets of antlers, collected from a single elk he brought down after observing it for more than a decade. That, says Cairo, is the very definition of respect.

Ethical hunting remains a touchstone for Cairo. He heads for the field or forest when he needs to recharge and reset, and hunting serves as a reminder of how close we can and should get to our food to adequately appreciate it as a gift from nature.

Cairo brings this same spirit to The Game Show. Over the course of six episodes, he combines his love of hunting and the outdoors with techniques for cooking wild game. He teaches viewers about rabbit, duck, quail, wild turkey, and venison—how to break them down, and how best to utilize these meats in savory dishes that can be cooked over an open fire or on the grill. For viewers who don’t hunt or can’t buy game, Cairo offers alternatives, like substituting a whole chicken in a recipe for rabbit cacciatore.

The key is to find beauty. For Cairo that was once snowboarding; then it was immersing himself in the culture of the Swiss Alps. Now it’s making and enjoying the highest quality meats. One thing’s for sure: whatever he’s doing comes back to the nourishing simplicity of hands-on fun.

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In “The Game Show,” the new cooking series from șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű, chef and butcher Elias Cairo combines his love of the outdoors with cooking wild game—often over an open fire. From rabbit and quail to venison and turkey, he clearly explains butchery and whole-animal cooking where nothing goes to waste.

Based in Portland, Oregon, Cairo grew up in a Greek family outside Salt Lake City. His dad, who immigrated from Greece when he was in his twenties, brought his Old World lifestyle with him. “My dad did his darndest to turn his property and house into a green village,” Cairo explains. “We raised all of our own meats, had gardens, preserved everything, kept bee hives, harvested glue, made our own wine and liquor, and had two restaurants” And they would venture into the surrounding mountains and hunt and fish.

Some might call Cairo a maker or a man who lives close to the land. Cairo would say he’s just following in his late dad’s footsteps. “I grew up with what people now call DIY; most folks like my dad just called it ‘life,’” he writes in the introduction to , the cookbook that serves as an ode to Cairo’s .

Cooking as a Way of Life

Everything Cairo learned about food and the land came from how he grew up. When his father was cooking or gardening or hunting or fishing, Cairo was right by his side. His father passed away when Cairo was 15 but he has chased and honored his legacy ever since. This is something Cairo is especially aware of when he ventures into the wild to hunt and fish. “I realized hunting is just a pastime for some people, but it was in my dad so deep.” And for Cairo, it isn’t just the end result, it’s the experience and the time spent in the woods, the grasslands, and the open air. “It’s physically demanding and there’s the solace and peace of mind that comes from nature,” he explains.

Cairo, who learned the art of charcuterie when he apprenticed and worked in Switzerland, has since become the face of American salumi. He is also a huge proponent of hunting and cooking wild game. Case in point, in 2018, he appeared in a video series with Bon AppĂ©tit detailing a pheasant hunt, complete with animal butchery and cookery. “It was the first time the magazine had ever shown what it really means to have meat on a plate,” he says.

If this sounds potentially chest-thumping and testosterone-infused, you’re wrong. Cairo is down-to-earth, knowledgeable, and even funny. The reverence for the animals he hunts and subsequently cooks and eats, is front and center, and that deep respect informs his meat-eating philosophy. “As a meat maker that owns a meat company. I think the vegetarians are right: The current way we make meat on a mass scale is horrible,” he explains. But when it comes to hunting, “it’s very hard to find a more positive impact than getting a year’s worth of meat from an animal like an elk. And your only carbon footprint is getting to and from the hunting ground.”

During the course of “The Game Show” the show, Cairo offers readers tips and tricks—try serving whipped cream over stew instead of sour cream; insert your knife here for an easy cut; use duck fat instead of butter or oil for a natural, delicious, and keto- and paleo-friendly alternative, for example. Most importantly Cairo wants you to get outdoors, cook something new, and lean into the process. “Every time I get the opportunity to cook outside, ”he says with his characteristic smile, “I kinda get to cheat because I know ambience is one of the best flavors in the world.”

With small exception, recipes on “The Game Show” are simple, and even if you’re not the hunting or butchering type, you can still make many of the dishes with store-bought proteins. Or better yet, befriend someone who is a hunter and promise that, if they share a little bit of the wealth, you’ll make them an Elias Cairo-approved dinner.

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Over the last couple of months, we’ve talked to a collection of chefs and cookbook authors about grilling tips and barbecuing. Each conversation has yielded several nuggets of advice, and rather than gatekeeping them (and only upping our own game), we’re spreading the word. Behold, the pros’ insights when they fire up the grill or build a cooking fire.

As Aaron Franklin’s cowriter on the three , Jordan Mackay has become a barbecue expert in his own right. Along the way, from becoming a wine writer to Franklin’s wordsmith, he’s encourages everyone to pick up the following habits:

1. Salt and dry-cure your proteins at least a day before cooking. [At this point] I almost feel terrible if I get caught cooking a chicken without brining for a day. 
2. I’ve been gravitating toward slower and steadier cooking, even for steaks. It’s a huge thing that you should put steaks in a hot pan to sear, but I like to start with them cold and cook them longer. I think [the meat] gets more exposure to the cooking surface.
3. I’ve fallen in love with practicing the most primitive style of cooking: using a fire’s passive coals and ashes. It’s really cool that you can create a side [dish] by wrapping them in foil (unless they have a tough skin) and putting stuff in the coals. They don’t tend to get smoky and they cook in their own water, it’s such a cool way to cook and you don’t have to run back and forth from the kitchen to the grill.

Click here for Jordan Mackay’s barbecue know-how.

This Los Angeles-based chef and restaurateur is riding the wave of her new book , being on the cover of , and appearing on shows like the . Mexican barbecues might be Lopez’s love language, but her grilling tips are universal. 

1. Make sure you’re grilling on high heat. Skirt, flat, and flanken steaks take high heat—about 6 minutes each side.
2. When marinating meat, don’t be afraid of salt. I do 1 tablespoon per pound of meat. I like to use sea salt.
3. When doing wood pellets or wood chips, use mesquite, always mesquite.
4. Season your grill grates with a half an onion. It cleans it [onions are antimicrobial] and adds flavor.

Click here for Bricia Lopez’s ultimate asada recipe.

Rodney Scott literally grew up tending the smoker and stirring the sauce at his family’s barbecue spot in Hemingway, South Carolina. To say he knows a thing or two about BBQ is an understatement. Here are his grilling tips:

1. Food safety first. Don’t leave anything out too long. Stay mindful of what you’re doing as you handle it. There are gauges and thermometers for a reason.
2. Don’t grill too close to the house and walk away. Things can happen [Scott can attest to this: His family’s roadside barbecue spot burned to the ground in 2014 and his Charleston location had a pit fire in 2017.] I like to make sure the grill is away from the house. If it is close, get a grill mat to avoid sparks getting on the floor boards.
3. Have fun. Don’t let the pressure of that critical visitor steal the joy out of what you’re preparing. You’ve got your music going, you’re outside grilling, you’re having fun. Even if you’re burning it, it’s fun—just add extra sauce.

Click here for Rodney Scott’s barbecue-sauce gospel.

Top Chef alum, , and owner of and in New York City, Leah Cohen leans on her Filipino roots for grilling inspiration.

1. Add ! Allow enough time to marinate your meat and use ingredients that add deep, rich flavor that go beyond the traditional barbecue flavors like oyster sauce (my preferred brand is Lee Kum Kee) to add umami and sweetness.
2. Make sure you’re using the right temperature when grilling. Either low and slow or super high. If you’re choosing to go the super high route, close the lid so the heat doesn’t escape.
3. Oil, oil, oil! Make sure whatever you’re grilling is oiled so it doesn’t stick to the grill when you’re cooking it and use oils like pure sesame oil or chili crisp oil, to add bold flavor to grilled dishes!

Click here for Leah Cohen’s grilled cabbage recipe. 

Celeb chef, YouTube star, and expert outdoorsman Brad Leone is usually off-the-cuff and verbose. But when it comes to grilling tips and rules, he’s succinct. Short and sweet, just as we like it: 

1. Get the best ingredients you can. 
2. Don’t be scared to use steel or cast-Iron on fire or coals. 
3. Get a flat top grill.

Click here for Brad Leone’s tried-and-true grilling tools.

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For chef Leah Cohen, summer equals cooking outdoors. The Top Chef alumn, , and current judge on the PBS show has lived on the East Coast all her life, which means, she laughs, “it’s definitely not grilling season year-round.” Cohen, who owns the restaurants and in New York City, maximizes the time on her home grill when she can, not only because it takes her outside, but because the grill brings natural char and flavor to foods. “I think grilling is a healthier cooking application than sautĂ©ing or frying, without compromising on flavor,” she explains. “To me, that’s really important because I try to eat healthy.”

Cohen’s cooking career began when she was a child and was tasked with helping her mother make chicken adobo and lumpia for the family table. Eventually she was entrusted to make rice. In her Filipino household (her mother is Filipino and her father is Romanian-Jewish), rice was a staple and was expected to be cooked perfectly. Cohen continues to draw inspiration from her heritage and extensive travels through Southeast Asia when cooking at her restaurants and at home. “My go-to Filipino marinade is made using a combination of soy sauce (my preferred brand is Lee Kum Kee), sesame oil, oyster sauce, brown sugar, banana ketchup, and vinegar.

What Does Leah Cohen Like to Grill?

On Cohen’s grill, it’s not unusual to find shishito peppers, a variety of mushrooms, ears of corn, heads of cauliflower, or halved cabbage.

What Is the Perfect Grilling Temperature?

To ensure perfection every time, she recommends grilling veggies over high heat, and lightly oiling and salting them for both flavor and to prevent sticking.

Does Size Matter When Grilling?

Pay close attention to the size of your vegetables. If an ingredient like, for example, mushrooms, are small enough to fall through the grates, use a grill basket.

Ready to put these grilling tips to use? Try following Cohen’s Grilled Cabbage with Yuzu Juice and Brown Butter.

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Two words: grilled cabbage. Top Chef alum adds a soy brown butter hollandaise sauce that not only adds flavor, but also gives this hearty and humble vegetable the entrĂ©e treatment. This dish is a fan favorite at , Cohen’s restaurant in New York City.

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It’s not hyperbole to say that Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texas, is the biggest name in the business. The man behind the  brand—Aaron Franklin—has become a celebrity in his own right after doing the unthinkable: giving away his recipe for perfect brisket in his first book ($29.99, Ten Speed Press, 2015). In doing so, he fundamentally changed the reach of barbecue in this country.

’s barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn says: “When the most famous brisket cook the world has ever seen tells you exactly how to replicate his cash cow, enterprising pitmasters are going to do exactly that,” he wrote in 2021. “Much of our current glut of superlative smoked brisket comes from barbecue joints that opened in the post-Franklin barbecue world
a whole lot of Texas brisket tastes like we’re eating a cover song. Granted, it’s a cover of the greatest barbecue tune ever written.”

His second book, , details the glory of steak. And in  May, his third book was released: , and no doubt, it too will become a bestseller. But where Aaron Franklin has the know-how, it’s the trilogy’s co-author Jordan Mackay, a wine writer since turned barbecue fanatic, who brings Franklin’s wisdom and technique to the page. We sat down with Mackay to talk about the book, the difference between barbecuing and grilling, the importance of smoke, and a favorite recipe.

șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű: Tell us about this new book, the third in the Franklin trilogy.

Jordan Mackay: This one is more of a cookbook. The first one is about what Aaron does at Franklin Barbecue. It’s very classically based around the staples of central Texas barbecue. The second book is a super deep dive on steak—ranching, quality of beef, dry aging, cutting, preparing, grilling. I don’t think that’s been done before and I’m really proud of it. This third one is an intersection of grilling and smoking. The aim is to get the most use of the fire from beginning to end, and get some of the smoke qualities and things we love about barbecue with the fast action of grilling.

șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű: Many people use the terms “barbecuing” and “grilling” interchangeably, but they’re not the same. Can you help define each?

Jordan Mackay: Barbecuing is very different than putting pork chops on a deck grill. Grilling is fast cooking and it requires certain ingredients and cuts of meat that cook quickly. Flavors are largely born of—in the case of a gas grill—the vaporization of juices hitting a hot surface and emanating back up to coat the food. Barbecuing is slow and what we really love is cooking with wood and [the flavor of] wood smoke. When you cook over wood coals, it’s different from gas or charcoal in that you get the best out of grilling and you get the most out of the smoke action.

șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű: There’s good smoke and bad smoke, yes?

Jordan Mackay: It’s so crucial to get good smoke versus bad smoke. [For the record, the best, most flavorful smoke is faintly blue and a result of your fire being 650°F-700°F.] Some chefs really get into ‘I can smoke this and that,’ and they’ll put coals in a hotel pan and cover it. Often that’s not good smoke, it’s acrid. As much as Aaron and I represent the existence of smoke–we also caution against it. We’re not into doing everything with smoke. We treat it like a seasoning.

șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű: This book is first and foremost about fire—building it, tending to it, eking out every bit of its heat and magic. According to Aaron, there are six stages of fire—ignition, white smoke, flame, coals, embers, and ash—and each can and should be used for cooking.

Jordan Mackay: If you’re going to create a fire, it takes a lot of effort and resources. It’s a lifestyle choice for that day or night and you don’t want to waste it. Cooking over fire makes everything better. It’s like when you go camping, my mom used to say that when we went backpacking— even when we were adding water to freeze-dried meals that we got at REI—that eating and cooking outside is better.

șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű: Of the many recipes in the book, one that gave me a double take was Jordan’s Perfect Green Salad. There are just five ingredients (of which one is “restraint”) but it’s two pages long, three with the photo. Tell me about this.

Jordan Mackay: First, [the salad] is really the perfect antidote to barbecue and grilled meats. But as much as this is a recipe book, we’re not into recipes, we’re into technique. We’re geeks about technique. I can pretty much take any recipe, including a salad, and spin it out into 2 to 3 pages. When you learn the underpinnings of why something works, then you can add your own twist. As much as there are more recipes [in this book], they’re meant to be inspirations and templates to cooking on your own.

șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű: OK, recipe or not, name one of your favorites in the book.

Jordan Mackay: The pork shoulder steaks. They’re a commitment but worth it.

Pork Shoulder Steaks Recipe Here

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I’m calling it now: (Abrams, $40, April 2023) by and Javier Cabral is the cookbook of the summer. Pick it up, read it cover to cover (yes, really), and step up to the grill.

In Spanish, the word “asada” simply means “grilled”, and it extends far beyond the skirt or flank steak (typical cuts for carne asada) you likely associate it with. Lopez, whose restaurant  is an L.A. Oaxacan staple, includes recipes for those cuts, of course, but also for chicken, pork, fish, and veggies. But the book covers so much more: Asada conveys a lifestyle.

“Asada is gathering, it’s entertaining for a crowd, it’s 100 percent the essence of friendship and family,” Lopez explains. And isn’t that what summer—and the backyard—is for?

Envision a big table with a tantalizing spread that includes platters of grilled meat and veggies, pots of slow-cooked beans, bowls of fresh salsas and fluffy rice, and piles of warm tortillas. At its core, it’s the ultimate taco bar. “It’s familiar,” Lopez says. “Asada is chill, it’s not fine dining. It’s super approachable.”

There are a few hard and fast rules, though:

1. No pre-shredded cheese should ever grace the table. “It’s never worth it,” Lopez says. Instead, check out her quick guide to Mexican dairy, which runs from the versatile queso fresco to the lesser known, ricotta-esque requesón.

2. No asada is complete without charred green onions. “They are the MVP of asada,” she declares. “They are sweet, charred, smoky—they add bite to any meat you have. Chopped up, they’re almost like a condiment.”

3. Mexican limes are the way to go—if you can find them. “They’re very small and round and I like them because of their acidity,” Lopez explains. “They’re very sharp but with a hint of sweetness.”

4. Your local carniceria is your BFF. Don’t have time to marinate that steak or chicken? Or suddenly have more people coming over than you thought? “Visit the carniceria! My book is for everyone to create their own flavor but you can also go to carniceria and grab cuts of meat,” Lopez says with a smile. “It’s about being forgiving with yourself.”

5. Sparkling mezcal water is the holy grail. “We’re living in a time where you go to any restaurant and the cocktail menu has a lot going on with a lot of ingredients,” Lopez says. “I think people forget that all you need is a little acidity and a little salt. Lime and salt enhances mezcal—stick to the basics.”

On that note, Lopez says that if you don’t have time or the wherewithal for a full scale asada with dozens of guests and just as many dishes, she recommends concentrating on these three elements: “You need tortillas, a protein (the clásica is probably my favorite recipe, but the arrachera verde is so good), and salsa (any of them!).” Pair all that with sparkling mezcal water—and poof, you’ve got a backyard bash.

Get the Arrachera Verde recipe here

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If you Google baked oatmeal, dozens of recipes pop up. I’m sure they’re all delicious, but I’m willing to bet they don’t produce the same Pavlovian response as the recipe below. You see, in our house, when a pan of baked oatmeal goes into the oven, it means adventure awaits.

My husband and I first began eating baked oatmeal 20 years ago when we were dating. Every so often we would spend a weekend at the Savory Inn, then a bed-and-breakfast in Vail, Colorado. Crafted from huge logs, the inn was cozy and rustic, the perfect mountain getaway. It was also home of the Vail Cooking School so the food, as you might imagine, was chef worthy.

Each morning, on our way out the door to ski, hike, mountain bike, or trail run, we’d peruse the breakfast table. At the center of the spread that included fruit, yogurt, muffins, to-order omelets and multigrain pancakes, was an enormous bowl of baked oatmeal. The fluffy mixture looked like the airy crumb of a muffin (and nothing like gloppy porridge), and filling our bowls with this toss of oats, apples, raisins, shredded coconut, cinnamon, and brown sugar, was surefire fuel for the day ahead. We loved the mixture so much that on one visit, the smiling innkeeper handed us the recipe upon checkout.

Now, two kids later, the Savory Inn’s baked oatmeal remains a staple in our household—but it’s not something I always have on hand. Instead, I only make it when we’re heading out for summer camping trips and winter hut trips—adventures that require sustained (and delicious) energy. So, when baked oatmeal hits the breakfast table, it comes with an unwritten code: get ready!

Savory Inn Apple Baked Oatmeal

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In Anna Hezel’s newly released cookbook (Chronicle Books, $24.95, 2023), she champions all the ways we should be indulging in , or tinned seafood. We’re taking it a step further and encouraging those headed outside to pack a tin or two for snacking.

“I love taking canned fish camping and hiking,” Hezel says. “It’s compact protein.” That it is, and small but mighty is the name of the game when your pack has limited space and your hunger runs deep. As Hezel writes in the book’s intro, because of conserva’s rich sources of protein and omega-3, many a tin has powered overseas voyages and treks up Mount Everest.

But first, the trend: We’re not talking about squatty cans of Starkist tuna here. Instead, think of luxury imports like and , both from Spain where conserva is a lifestyle and an art form (just check out ). “There are entire youTube channels, Instagram accounts, lines of merchandise, and subreddits dedicated to the topic of tinned seafood,” Hezel says.

Think of Tin to Table (which is itself gorgeous and compact like the tins it celebrates) as a field guide of sorts. Page by page, Hezel walks you through the basics of conserva and why it’s become such a desirable product and where and how to experience it. And, of course, there are recipes—more than 50 of them, ranging from salads and sandwiches to a happy hour trifecta of vermouth, thick-cut potato chips, and seafood straight from the tin.

But back to lunch or dinner on the trail, Hezel recommends bringing along a spectacular tin of olive oil-packed octopus for a delicious, completely out of the ordinary meal of lusty seafood marinated with chili powder and orange peel. Just don’t forget the baguette.

Of note, be mindful when heating seafood tins near the campfire, as you don’t want the cans’ linings getting too hot.

Octopus Marinated with Chili Powder and Orange Peel

Octopus packed in olive oil is one of the most luxurious treats you can buy in a tin for less than the cost of a glass of wine. The best tins contain perfectly portioned, bite-size pieces of tender, glossy purple octopus meat in a savory oil. These don’t need much tinkering to taste great, but I like to give them a quick warm bath in some garlicky, subtly spiced olive oil. The oil melds with the liquid from the can and a splash of fresh citrus and vinegar to create a broth you’ll want to eat by the spoonful, or at least sop up with the heel of a baguette.

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With Cinco de Mayo upon us, restaurants spin tales of towering piles of tacos and carafes of margaritas—and crowds. Tempting but
not when you can stay in for the win.

Settled into your backyard, the first order of business is a batch of margaritas. Forget the typical sugary, chemically, artificial-everything mixes and aim for fresh ingredients.

Our margarita musts:

– A good recipe. Sure, you can wing it, but when cocktails hinge on balance, why would you? Click here for our favorite margarita recipes.

– Stock up on limes. Look for firm but still slightly squeezable fruit—too firm indicates underipeness and less juice, too squishy signals that the citrus is past its prime. You can also scratch the lime’s skin to see if the fruit smells zesty and fresh. And, as with all citrus, choose fruit that feels heavy for its size (translation: there’s lots of juice inside).

– Fresh citrus juice. If you’re making just a few drinks, squeezing your own limes for margaritas is a snap. But if you’re filling pitchers you might want to use an electric juicer to get maximum squeeze in minimum time.

– Use variety. Change up your citrus by adding lime, lemon, orange, and grapefruit (again, click here for winning recipes).

– Use high-quality tequila. Aim for those made from 100 percent agave or a zero-proof spirit like .

– Don’t forget the salt! Go for big flakes like kosher or mix it up with , the limey, salty, spicy Mexican seasoning.

– Don’t sweat it. When all else fails (or you just don’t want to have to prep), bring in the pros like . Unlike run-of-the-mill mixers, these cold-pressed juices (they last 30 days in your fridge) contain no added sugars or preservatives. Twisted Alchemy also uses ugly fruit (the dented, bruised, or otherwise imperfect produce that often gets tossed) and composts 100 percent of the remaining rinds, seeds, and pulp.

Part two of the backyard Cinco de Mayo equation is homemade guacamole—and this extra-special version is made on the grill. The recipe, which walks you through the art of charring avocados (plus jalapeño, onion, and garlic) on a gas or charcoal grill appears in (America’s Test Kitchen, $29.99, April, 2023). The key is using ripe but firm avocados, otherwise you risk the fruit getting mushy.

Charred Guacamole

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