Barbecue Books

I bought this as a Father's Day gift, and my dad has grilled out every saturday since! The book kills two birds with one stone with its great cooking techniques and recipes. The pictures are great and very helpful, and the directions are very simple and easy to understand. The food tastes great! Some of the recipes take a good hour or two to prep though, so make sure to read through the whole procedure before starting.

This a a great book for creative grill masters. One caveat: if you own an 18 inch weber kettle, be sure to adapt the coal amounts for your smaller grill. Otherwise you will fry your food faster than a hyper-active pyro. The author never bothers to mention how much fuel to use for various sizes of charcoal grills. Not once in the entire book. So, be carefull grill-jockeys and adjust down or up as needed. Otherwise, yum.

Exciting, excellent, effective. If you like cooking, learning how to do things, or are just visual by nature (most people are) you will most certainly enjoy this one. I have perused all of this authors books and have enjoyed his commentary; this book takes the cake (and has a double layer of frosting on top). If the new version of the Barbecue Bible was illustrated even semi-close to this book Stephen would have another huge hit.

"How to Grill" is more than just a fantastic cookbook. It is packed with information about grills, smokers, cooking tools, and other things of interest to those who want to know how to grill and smoke good food. As for the "recipe section," Raichlen gives great tips on technique, i.e., how to prepare the food for the grill, and to present it upon completion. He covers seasoning the food, sauces, rubs, and marinades. It is just a fantastic book for people of all levels of experience in grilling. It should be on every grillers book shelf.

This book is a must have for any serious griller. It has just about anything that you need to know about grilling.

I have to bow down to this book as the best grilling book EVER. We've tried many of the recipes and never been disappointed. Plus, it's entertaining to read with great pictures. Can't ask for much more than that.

Excellent book on grilling, I wanted a book on Charcoal but found this book full of good information that can be used by both gas and woodl

Fantastic book with lots of great grill instructions and recipies. Wished that every recipie had a picture but it does'nt.

I received this book as a gift,all have benefited! We've tried about half of the recipes, each is easy to follow with simple ingredients, and delicious.

Here we have one of those rare culinary volumes which is actually helpful, and inside, you'll discover a treasure of grilling knowledge. Clearly, this is the bible for outdoor chefs.

I sort of specialize in gourmet outdoor cooking effecting all techniques including (but not limited to) grilling, smoking, dutch oven, cooking on a spit, and open campfire, utilizing many different woods and devices to achieve my ends. I don't limit my outdoor cooking to meats and barbeque -- I do Chinese, desserts, seafood and all manner of side dishes. You can access many of my recipes here: http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes.php?chef=196369

This book contains very excellent rubs, sauces, and meal recipes that you'll find are difficult to beat -- the methods are quite clear and the book is as useful for the grilling veteran as it is for the newcomer to these skills. I know of no better work on this topic.

Highly recommended!

We love this cookbook. We have tried at leat 15 recipes and have been pleasantly surprised by all. We have never had such a wonderful and reliable cookbook.

Great book which weighs too much because the publisher chose very expensive HEAVY paper which makes it hard to hold and the pages must be forced down to read the recipe. Better done with a spiral binder and lighter weight paper.

Very informative, haven't had a bad meal yet. Price of book was very good compared to retail and shipping was reasonable.

This is the best cookbook i have ever used. Many of the recipes are easy to follow but it is also a grill exclusive cookbook. Now you may be thinking - so you can make chicken or steak - great cookbook right? Wrong, you can cook vegetables, starches and desserts in addition to every meat under the sun. Every recipe has a beautiful picture - the drawback is you are competing to make yours look that good and it makes you hungry to make everything in it. Overall an incredible buy.

This is an awesome recipe book. Every recipe has a color photo, with excellent instructions. Every recipe we have tried is as mouth watering as it looks! I used to let my husband do all the grilling, but now I am hooked. There are great tips on how to grill just about everything.

I bought this book because a food blogger mentioned it in a post and boy am I glad I did. Every recipe sounds incredible and has given me ideas to keep cooking for months. Meatloaf, chicken, fish, beef - and then the side dishes -- and desserts! It is really an all around great cookbook. I can't wait to start making the recipes.

I grew up in central NY state and went to college at Syracuse University in the '90s, when Dinosaur BBQ was already a hugely popular restaurant. I still like to go there every time I'm in town. I bought this book recently and cooked an all-Dino 4th of July feast that was delicious. I cooked the Asparagus, Red pepper & Potato salad, bbq chicken (I used skinless, boneless breasts) and their most DELICIOUS bbq baked beans. The beans were a lot of work but completely worth it! (I found the Zatarain's mustard in Gelson's & used their brand of italian turkey sausage to cut the fat). I must admit I used the pre-made Dino sauces that you can purchase in the stores back in NYS, and I don't plan on every making my own sauces from scratch, but I think it's great they provide the full recipes! I did prepare my own spice rubs, though, and it was simple (though I found the red rub for the chicken a bit too salty). There are still plenty of recipes I plan on trying, and many look extremely simple, though the smoked meats look like a lot of work. I doubt I'll attempt my own pulled pork, for instance, which is my FAVORITE item at the restaurant. Visiting Dinosaur in person is definitely a must for any fans out there, since their meats are slow-cooked and the best ever, but in lieu of that, this book is pretty good!

One of the best cookbooks I've ever used. All the recipies are from their restaurant and the food tastes amazing. If you want to make restaurant style barbeque this is the book for you.Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: An American Roadhouse

Great Place to eat. The book is great. Very well written.
Eat there alot. Great atmosphere. The BEST BBQ . Great family place.

I wasn't aware that this bar and grill even existed. While In Syracuse NY we stopped and had lunch. WOW!!!! It was awesome..... Esp liked the sweet potatoe pie. If you buy it for just the recipe (pie) you'll love it.Would recommend this book!!

The recipes are honest and simple enough for every level of BBQ er's. Have used a few recipes so far. My husband, with his new super grill, and I are both extremely happy with this item.
We are going to purchase additional copies for family and friends. Experts or not.

I can't speak highly enough about the book content & the writing. Robb did a great job of allowing the culture of Texas barbecue to come through. And, for anyone passionate about learning new techniques & recipes for brisket, ribs or any barbecue, buy this book!

Years ago I visited Texas and learned learned how delicious BBQ is.

Unfortunately there are no BBQ restaurants in Germany, so I have to cook the food for myself. With this book its no problem to cook authentic BBQ, the book tells you everything you have to know...

I'm a Texan living in CA and it made me homesick. Beautifully designed and well written. Many BBQ books are full of impossible recipes but this book seems mangeable. I love the history he explains, which I didn't know, and I'm a BBQ nut! Thoroughly recommended.

I expected a lot from this book, but it fell well short of my expectations.

The author does a fairly decent job covering BBQ from a historical standpoint, and he gives a decent overview of the main regional styles (other than just Texas), and it's liberally seasoned with nostalgic historical photos ... but nostalgia alone doesn't fill one's belly. I was expecting considerably more practical information on things like nitty gritty how-to details on meat butchery and working with the sort of smoking rigs available to most home cooks - things like bullet-shaped water smokers (ex: weber smokey mountain), drum-shaped offset dry-smokers, electric smokers, hardcore information in the type of cuts and the cooking times for each of the various types of rigs, etc.

Swing and a miss.

In any case, I give it 3 stars because the book contains some historical information I didn't already know, and it succeeded in convincing me that the author truly enjoys the subject matter - and it made me hungry too. A book on food that makes you hungry is doing something right. Props to the author for that.

I'm not much of a meat eater, but wanted to be able to cook really good meat when I grill. This book may make me a meat lover! Each recipe is very educational as they explain many of the methods they tried before determining the best method for grilling a particular item. I've tried four recipes so far and they have all been absolutely perfect. I grilled burgers for a crowd on the 4th of July and throughout the meal everyone kept commenting on how good the burgers were. Seems that burgers should be simple, but now I know how to make a perfectly cooked juicy burger! The pork tenderloin recipe was also superb; tender and juicy. I won't be looking for any other grilling or barbeque cookbook.

This is a very good book if you want to learn how to grill. I don't think that this is the best recipes book, but if you're looking to learn the techniques to grill to perfection beef, chicken, etc. this is the right guide.

Everything you ever wanted to know about grilling is in this book. It is fantastic.

I purchased this book after reading a review and sample recipe in a local newspaper - this is one of the best cookbooks I've purchased. I am an avid CHARCOAL griller and this book has all the best tips (they do include separate instructions for gas grillers). I've made several of the recipes in the book and they have all received rave reviews - especially the brisket. The best part of this book (and other Cooks Illustrated books) is that they don't just hand you a bunch of recipes - they actually walk you through their testing methodology and explain how they came up with the final prep and cooking methods. Highly recommended!

I love this book! I received it as a Christmas gift, but I had checked it out at the library multiple times before. In addition to the excellent recipes, it also includes explanations as to why you should buy a certain cut of meat over another, why you should let meat rest after you take it off the grill, etc. The filet mignon and pulled pork were especially good. Highly recommended!

I have all of the other weber grill books and I find this one even better. I really liked the begining of the book with the discussion of different types of charcoal and what to expect from them. It really is a grilling 101 course. I also loved the parts were they detail cooking right on or right next to the coals. Never used this technic and adds a great favor.

This is a nice informative book on charcoal grilling. Has alot of the basics, and also has a nice selection of recipes, and tips on how to get the best results. I would recommend this book to anyone with a new charcoal grill

I think this is a must have tool for any BBQ fan, regardless if you have a Weber grill or not.

I bought this book after acquiring a Weber Performer. Like the Art of the Grill, also put out by Weber and written by Jamie Purviance, this book is nicely illustrated and the recipes are great. The author really knows what he is talking about. This book falls slightly short of perfection for two reasons. First, it is difficult to navigate if the reader is looking for a specific recipe. A more complete table of contents would help. To illustrate, to find a recipe for a roast chicken the current table of contents sends you to a section on poultry, then you have to leaf through all of the chapter to find what you want. This format is fine for a lazy day, but not ideal for busy people who need to get dinner going.

The other shortfall has to do with the subject of when to cook with the lid on, versus when better results can be obtained with the lid off. Author Purviance seems to fall into the trap of recommending that the lid be on as much as possible. This might be the holy grail according to Saint Weber, but alas it is urban legend. The lid is fine, I use mine all the time, but there are many times when the food tastes better if the lid stays off. For a better treatment of this subject, I recommend Cook's Illustrated new grilling book.

Weber's Charcoal Grilling is a must have for the recipes. It also has contributions from people other than the author that make the book more fun and more varied. This is an excellent book and it is highly recommended.

This book is the bible of barbeque. The true definition of barbeque has been lost over time due to convenient changes in grilling technology. It is really defined as: "a rack to hold meat for cooking over hot charcoal usually out of doors." It is important to note that it says "charcoal" and not propane!

This book delves deep into the world of charcoal and cooking with it. I purchased this book as a source of recipes for my charcoal grill. I found the beginning of the book has absolutely no recipes in it, but is the most valuable section of the book. It deals with how to cook with various types of charcoal, how to regulate heat, different methods of cooking, smoking, and other tips that are crucial to barbeque success. Like the title suggests, cooking with charcoal is an art!

I have found over the years that what separates a casual preparer of food and a good cook is having a handful of tips and tricks in the kitchen. This book is packed with patio tips and tricks for the BBQ artist in training. Do you know how to deal with rubs that contain mostly sugar? What if the rub is completely dry? When do I apply my BBQ sauce? How can I avoid drying out my meat when cooking it? How can I get different temperatures on my charcoal grill? Am I marinating too long?

These are questions you may be asking or SHOULD be asking yourself. This book answers them all and much more. On to the other 90% of the book: the recipes. The recipes are complete, detailed, and mind-blowing. You will find that many great barbeque recipes are simple, but a couple gourmet touches and techniques set them apart. Each recipe will carefully tell you how to prepare the food and most importantly how to cook it. These recipes are not simply: "rub with these spices, throw on grill for 5 minutes per side." It tells you how to deal with different sized cuts of meat, temperature of the grill, and everything that goes into making it right. You will be even more impressed when you try some of the DESSERTS in this book!

The pictures in this book are amazing. Do not torture a loved one by purchasing this book for them to celebrate a winter holiday knowing they cannot possibly barbeque in that weather. You can't even get past the instructional section on how to arrange charcoal without firing up your grill and tasting one of these delicious looking recipes.

The only criticism of this book is that it may lack a volume of recipes. This is due to the full page color picture that normally accompanies a recipe. Personally, I feel this is the right amount of recipes. Barbeque is a specific cooking method which is the focus of this cookbook. This "art" is so well covered that any recipe you may already have for outdoor grilling will be enhanced by this book. This book has a section on rubs and sauces that can be applied to numerous meats, multiplying your possibilities. Even propane grillers can benefit from the recipes in the book. (Although, they may exchange their grilling equipment because of it.)

This book is a manual on barbeque that takes the form of a visually appealing cookbook.

God, I loved this book! At times fascinating (why is pork eschewed rather than chewed by millions of muslims and jews?), funny (the stuffing of sausage), and evocative (virtually every description of a meal well set), I was enthralled by this most excellent jaunt through the porcine world. Kaminsky pulls off a difficult balance: making us admire and care for the pigs even as we long to eat them as soon as we can apply some of the author's recipes. He makes a valid argument that we must eat them in order to save them, offers a call to arms to take back pork production from the industrial torture chambers that pass as 'agriculture' and return to a more humane and respectful treatment of this remarkable animal.

I am a lover of all pork products. This book presents the history of pigs, ham, and how it has evolved to what we know today. The author has an entertaining style, and his love of ham shines through. I was moved to buy a Kentucky Country Ham, just after I had finished the first third of the book. My knowledge on the history, raising, breeding, and processing of hogs has increased dramatically from this book. An interesting look into the present and future of pigs is given. This brings back memories of Fast Food Nation, and its description of the cattle industry.

real informative book on how to raise a pig the old and real way.raising world class hams

This book is brilliant. The author keeps the readers engaged from cover to cover. It is definitely a book for foodies, particularly those of us who are obsessed with pork, but it would be an entertaining read for most anyone.

Most ham is the U.S. is barely edible. There are exceptional country hams put up in the South, but these are seldom available to the casual shopper. If you do love ham, you just have to try the Pure Bellota Iberian ham from Spain.

Now what this book does is illustrate, educate, and sharpen you taste buds for the incredible delight of eating great ham. There are taste matches made by the Creator: Iberian Pure Bellota ham with an ice-cold glass of Fino Sherry is one of them.

This book has it all,what can I say :"It Sizzles"
Fantastic recipes,great tips and directions for the not so seasoned outdoor chef,it will bring grilling and outdoor cooking to a whole new level for you,you'll love it.

Finally a barbeque book with gorgeous pictures that actually look like the food coming off the grill. Simple recipes with a New Zealand twist make for a perfect barbeque. Now I look forward to firing up the Weber...

Crab Cakes! Bruschetta! Even Pancakes! OK, I always thought I was decent on the BBQ. But that was with the basics. These recipes put a whole new twist on what you can cook on the BBQ. I would have never thought to make Bruschetta or Garlic Bread on the grill. Some personal favorites include Crab Cakes w/Cambodian Dressing, Asparagus Prosciutto Wraps, Pots of Gold, Devilled Chicken Wings, Coconut Fish Cakes, Mussels in Lemon Grass Broth, Breakfast Tomatoes and my number one favorite, Blueberry Pancakes! The BBQ tips section is very useful. Truly unique ways of cooking on the BBQ.

If you believe you eat first with our eyes... then you will consider "SIZZLE - Sensational Barbecue Food ", by Julie Biuso a virtual feast. The photography alone is worth the price of this book! If you're a fan of the simple, easy to prepare, yet delicious recipes found in the Barefoot Contessa series of cookbooks by Ina Garten, then you need to order SIZZLE today.

SIZZLE was originally published in New Zealand. But when translated for the American market... it revealed the origins of "California Cuisine". Dishes prepared with the freshest of ingredients, simply prepared and seasoned with a veritable fragrance and spice tour of the Pacific Rim Nations.

This book celebrates the ideal of summer: friends and family gathering together to share sun filled days and warm nights delighting in the "chit-chat and laughter", while enjoying amazing food, with cold beverage in hand and a reminiscence of BBQ smoke lingering in the air. To quote Julie; "barbecuing should be fun". When done properly, barbecuing is the quintessential manifestation of fun with food. "SIZZLE" is now the barbecue handbook for my summer. Enjoy!

I absolutely cherish my new cookbook by Julie Biuso. My husband and I both love to barbeque and try new recipes. Julie has given us some of the easiest, yet tastiest recipes of all. To top it off, the book is immensely helpful in providing new ways to display the food--makes me look like a gourmet chef! This book is quite an achievement to say the least.
I read in the book that Julie received a World Cookbook award--ditto on that honor!!

This is an outstanding resource for plank grilling. It is exceptionally well written, and the recipes are simply incredible. If you want that "one special cookbook" as the foundation for your plank grilling, then this is "The Book" to have.

This book is written by 4 amateur cooks - 4 seemingly nice ladies that are doing this in their spare time. While the recipes are interesting, most seem to not achieve the harmonious "melding" of flavors that demonstrates a sure sign of a well tested recipe designed by a seasoned chef. A fair number are pretty bland. This is not a bad book to page through and perhaps get some ideas of your own but be prepared to test and modify most recipes before trying them out on others.

One other thing: there is another sure sign that this book was written by a group of 30-something women. Most recipes really emphasize the use of "healthy" ingredients. This is good for the overly health conscious people out there, but I never think preoccupation with one's health should be at the expense of flavor and enjoyment of the meal. Eat less if you have to, but don't skimp on the flavor. And frankly, sometimes one just wants a decadent, well seasoned, perfectly grilled rib-eye with a pat of burgundy butter...or the plank equivalent.

I have a couple of Plank Grilling cookbooks - but his one is the BEST!
It's got all of the do's, don't's and watch-out-for's you'd ever need to know about Plank Grilling! It also has some funny stories of 'what not to do' in it.
The recipes are great - I've modified some of them for my own tastes - which can be done easily.
This is a GREAT beginner book for first time Plank Grillers and a GREAT addition to your collection if you've been Plank Grilling for awhile.
I would highly recommend this product. Enjoy!!

Well thought and completely illustrative on how to achieve the best of flavor in your food creations. This book is truly a masterful work with a proven collection of recipes.

Perhaps like a lot of people I thought plank grilling was not difficult and there was not much to know. Buy a piece of wood, soak it in water, and then fire up the grill. Right? Well not exactly. Take a hard look at this book written by a group of people who really worked the project, challenged each other, and crafted a new art. You will not believe the food this book can help you to create. Awesome does not begin to describe it. It covers the gamut from techniques to recipes in a thorough and concisely clear manner. In spite of that there is one piece of advice that is missing. When you are going to plank grill, soak twice as many boards as you think you will need. That way if you screw up (like I do) and burn the first plank up, a spare is ready to hand and the cooking can commence. The authors caution that it takes experience to learn how to plank grill well. There is a candor to this book that is refreshing with a lot of side bars about things not going according to plan each and every time. This book is as much about the adventure of plank grilling as it is about the recipes.

The authors caution that plank grilling works best with a gas grill. Having both a gas and a charcoal grill, I, like all children, had to find out for myself. The authors are right of course. If the charcoal fire is not quite low, the plank will burn right up. If the charcoal fire is low, it takes forever for dinner to be ready. There is not one false step in this book as far as I can tell. It is up to you dear reader to follow the instructions. Men (or at least this man) seem to struggle with this concept. The book is good, real good.