The History Channel asked me to tell the story of backyard grilling for its series “The Food That Built America.” As an author still trying to promote “Smokelore,” I of course said yes. The episode, “Where There’s Smoke,” debuts this Sunday, June 11.

The producers flew me up to their studio in Newark late last summer. It seems like ages ago, at least in terms of the pandemic, because I had to pass a Covid test before they put me on the plane. Once at the studio, I wore a mask until the moment the cameras rolled.

We talked at length about the evolution of grills and the history of charcoal, diving deep into the Webers of Chicago and Henry Ford’s surprising contribution to backyard cooking (surprising because he was an on-again off-again vegetarian). Then, because they had a food historian from Atlanta, they asked me to talk about Chick-fil-A and the saga of franchise chicken. They used a little from me in that episode, “The Chicken Coup,” which first aired in March.

All in all, it was a great experience — even if my flight home did get canceled. I hope everyone enjoys the episode.