Star Ups the Bar BBQ Oasis

If anyone should be consulted for a new barbecue- themed restaurant, it’s Steven Raichlen. A household name to cookbook devotees, he’s authored a whopping 31 cookbooks — you gotta love a chef who pens a tome called The Brisket Chronicles — and hosts television programs like PBS’s Project Fire. Windstar Cruises nabbed this global grilling authority to develop Star Grill by Steven Raichlen. The alfresco lunch and dinner time eatery launches on Star Breeze, and then rolls out to Star Legend and Star Pride. Onboard chefs lean deep into rotisserie-, grill-, and smokercooking techniques, employing Raichlen’s modern twists. My mouth’s already watering for shrimp on sugarcane, tea-smoked duck, and smoked prime rib, paired with custom- designed cocktails that flaunt breezy summertime vibes like Strawberry + Basil Smash or Pineapple & Coconut Slushy.

Devotees on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas beeline to Portside BBQ, the line’s first specialty restaurant devoted to slow- cooked smoked meats. Chefs use combination oven- smokers and hickory wood chips to infuse food with just the right balance of smoky flavor. They smoke in small batches, so every dish tastes artisan-fresh. Like authentic barbecue joints ashore, Portside BBQ’s menu is available only until lunch or dinner items run out. That smoked jumbo turkey leg — its skin crispy, and meat so moist — is a crowdwowser. Choosing which sammie, a bun stuffed with smoked turkey, hand- pulled pork, or Texas brisket, proves hard; they all look and smell so good. Many rave about the smoked chicken wings, St. Louis– style spareribs, sausage links, and those burnt brisket ends so beloved by barbecue aficionados. Order a bourbon- splashed Portside Spiked Palmer to wash it down, and a Brookie — a decadent cross between a brownie and a cookie — for dessert. A warning for sweets fans: those Brookies can be addictive!