Summertime is barbecue time, and this year Mainers have a record four barbecue competitions to look forward to – three of them sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society.

Teams from Maine and the rest of the country will be competing for thousands of dollars in cash prizes and the right to enter one of the national competitions as a Maine state barbecue champion.

Barbecue is getting hotter every day, but is just now starting to catch on in Maine. The Kansas City Barbecue Society, the largest organization of its kind, saw a 22 percent increase in membership last year.

If you’re a fan of “BBQ Pitmasters” on TLC, here’s your chance to score Myron Mixon’s award-winning recipes and get his advice on everything from choosing the right wood to keeping meat moist for serving. “Smokin’ with Myron Mixon: Recipes Made Simple From the Winningest Man in Barbecue” (Ballantine Books, $22) will teach you the […]

Inside a 100-year-old sporting lodge on the shores of Moosehead Lake, venison and trout are off the menu, replaced by tofu and vegetables. Welcome to The Vegan at Tomhegan. The first vegan health retreat in Maine, it’s run by osteopathic doctor and orthopedic surgeon John Herzog, who practices in Falmouth. “It’s really casual,” Herzog said. […]