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Grill-Off: Bittman Takes on America's Chefs

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Food writer Mark Bittman is a minimalist, a proponent of good food made simple. In his latest project, Bittman goes mano a mano -- or cleaver to cleaver -- against some of this country's top chefs.

It's all in good fun and it's all for a public television series, Bittman Takes on America's Chefs, which is also the name of his latest book.

Bittman, and Chris Schlesinger, owner of the East Coast Grill in Cambridge, Mass., join Melissa Block for a radio food fight (the men's disputes over cooking go back several years). Their culinary debate includes the basic grilling question: real-wood charcoal or gas? But they agree on one thing: the tastiness of Schlesinger's rib rub (featuring paprika, sugar and chili powder).

Below are some selected recipes from Bittman and Schlesinger.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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