Yes, Italian-style slaw is definitely superior to a "creamy" slaw.

BBQ/grilling/smoking tips are a really good idea. I've got a good handle on it now, but it has taken me 15 years to get there - and I still have so much to learn.

Me too!

Yes! We do really well smoking and grilling. I have some great tips on dry rubs and brines for every cut of pork or poultry. My man makes some awesome burgers. The only thing I need help with actually is seafood. I always over cook shrimp and fish on the grill.

That's why Italian style is better. When you take dairy and mayo out of cold salads, there is slower bacteria growth rate. The vinegar and oil keeps so much better.

My dad taught me a really cool grilling tip for meat:

Take the tongs and squeeze the meat. Feel the muscle in the web of your thumb. You can then feel how well done the meat is by how your muscle feels there.

Anyone ever do grilled asparagus? Coat with butter when it's done, let it melt. It's amazing how the taste changes!

Yumm!

Can you further explain the meat thing? How can you tell it is done? Is it that the muscle is tensed up when the meat isn't done enough?

Yeah, I am really not good at cooking meat. I don't know if it just takes a lot more skill than I give it credit for or it's because of a subconscious mechanism cause I'm not crazy about meat. But as I've gotten older, I have a greater appreciation for it because I'm no longer eating cheap, poor cuts or only unhealthy red meat.

I think it's really a preference thing after you cook the outside of it. The mushier the meat, the more rare it is. If it's firm, then it's well-done.

I do a similar thing with feeling the texture to see whether red meat (always venison for me) is done, but I learned it from trial and error. I too tend to use my finger.

Cooking poultry and pork is different, I go low and slow for bone-in poultry and pork but can speed the process up with a higher temperature for boneless. Unlike red meat, you usually want the poultry or pork to separate from the bone, and cooking it at a high temperature will char the outside of the meat before the meat next to the bone gets done. Boneless is easier to control at a higher temperature since the inside will get done just as the outside gets a bit of char on it. Flipping frequently decreases the chance of charring as well, as does not applying sauce to the poultry or pork until it is ready to come off the grill.

Fish is still different. First off, there is a very good chance it will fall apart as you flip it, so you'll want to do so just once. Oiling the fish AND the grill will decrease the chances of it getting stuck. Usually having a very hot grill to start with will make food not stick to it, but it doesn't seem to matter much with fish. I cook my fish over medium to high heat depending on the thickness of the steak or fillet (medium for thick, high for thin). You, of course, want the fish to get done, but you want some slightly crispy spots on the fish as well (or else you wouldn't be doing it on a grill in the first place). I flip my fish when top of the fillet near the edges begins to turn whitish, then take it off when the fish no longer feels "gelatinous" in the middle or thickest spot. This should be in a bit less time than you had the first side down toward the flame.

Smoking meat is always done low and slow, btw. Keeping your smoker around 250 degrees F is best, and getting a thermometer to tell you when it has reached its proper internal temperature is much more important than with grilling.