How do you turn a backyard cookout into party to remember? At Ricks place, you raise the stakes and get the guests involved in the cooking. Joined by a crowd of friends in his outdoor kitchen, Rick prepares classic Carne Asada, thinly sliced grilled rib steak (plus a version with Tuna steaks with all the traditional trimmings, including a potful of creamy Charro Beans simmered with bacon; a brightly flavored Salad of Grilled Cactus Paddles, a colorful Salsa Mexicana made with heirloom tomatoes and fresh serrano chiles; and chunky Guacamole that comes with three words of advice: keep it simple. As the party preparations proceed, we follow Rick across the border for a visit to a Mexico City restaurant that specializes in wood-grilled beef steaks, some pointed remarks in a cactus patch and a crash course in avocados in Oaxaca. It all comes together in a lively outdoor buffetproof positive that when friends share the work, theres no such thing as too many cooks."
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