Knives, fire, meat, beer...what's not to love about grilling? That is, until your girlfriend gags on a raw piece of chicken and leaves you for a man who knows his way around a Weber. All guys need to know how to grill, and who better to ask for advice than Steven Raichlen, the man Oprah dubbed "the Gladiator of Grilling." The author of the best-selling and award-winning books The Barbecue Bible and How To Grill, and the new Beer Can Chicken, Raichlen teaches "Barbecue Boot Camp" and "Barbecue University" courses in the mountainous Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia. Playboy.com asked the Gladiator to take a break from the smoke pit to lay down the law about barbecue.

1. Be organized

Have everything you need for grilling at the grillside before you start: tongs, marinades, base, oil, wire brush, platters. "A lot of guys get started and then they realize they forgot this or that," Raichlen says. "And then stuff burns."

2. Gauge your fuel

Make sure you have enough charcoal or gas. "There is nothing worse than getting halfway through a porterhouse steak and running out of gas," Raichlen says.

3. Know indirect from direct grilling

In direct grilling, the food is directly over the fire. It's used for cooking steaks, chops, vegetables, chicken breasts, fish filets and things that need high heat. It's quick. In indirect grilling, the food is next to but not over the fire, and you keep the grill covered. That's good for whole chicken, ribs, briskets.

4. Know how to grill a steak

For direct grilling, start with a steak. "It's easy. Just season on both sides with salt and pepper and then grill. It's high heat on both sides for four to six minutes," Raichlen says. Pick the right kind of steak, Raichlen advises. "The biggest trick to cooking steak that people don't know about is choosing a relatively tender cut of meat," Raichlen says. "New York strip is a classic, a ribeye, filet mignon. I'm not a big filet fan because I think it's kinda dry." Chopped steak is too tough for grilling.

5. Start it off hot

Preheat the grill properly. "My rule of thumb for gas grills is to preheat to the manufacturers recommendation, and then walk away for another 10 minutes to get it really hot," Raichlen says. "For charcoal, make sure the flame has died down, the coals are glowing an even orange and are just beginning to ash over." Usually, that takes about 20 to 30 minutes from ignition.

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