Black pepper

Three ingredients. Infinite technique. The Roman pasta that humbles every chef who underestimates it.

Boston butt, 12-hour smoke at 225F, apple wood. Bark is mandatory. Internal temp 203F and a rest in butcher paper makes it pull apart perfectly.

3-2-1 method: 3 hours smoke, 2 hours wrapped, 1 hour sauced. Fall-off-the-bone but with bite. Competition ribs don't actually fall off the bone.

A Mexican celebration soup: pork, hominy, and a deep red chile broth. Topped at the table with shredded cabbage, radish, lime, and oregano.

No sauce. Heavier on the paprika and cayenne in the rub. Memphis style is smoke and spice without glaze.

Gochujang and sesame in the rub, kimchi slaw instead of coleslaw. The same smoking technique with a Korean BBQ finish.

Finish smoked thighs with a hot sauce and butter glaze instead of the white sauce. Best of both worlds.

Cashew cream and nutritional yeast replace the Pecorino. Skeptical? So was I. Now it's my weeknight go-to.

Gochujang and soy sauce glaze replaces BBQ sauce in the final phase. Serve with pickled daikon and steamed rice.

Green version with tomatillos, pepitas, and chicken. Brighter, more acidic, completely different soul. Serve both at your next gathering.

Pecan-wood chicken thighs. The Alabama white sauce on the side is not optional. Competition circuit secret: scrape off the rubbery smoked skin and replace with a butter-basted finish.

One egg yolk added per serving makes the sauce richer and helps with emulsification. Somewhere between carbonara and cacio e pepe.