Barbecue / BBQ / Bar-B-Q books

[Lilija]

Heh, besides those, I learned a lot from (I might be dating myself here...) the barbecue chapter of "Frugal Gourmet Cooks American" or something like that.

Still, at least take a look at the USA one, then, there's an entire chapter on beans alone. I have both, and I don't feel that they overlap much.

[Slamdunkpro]

Raichlen's books are more grilling books vs. true BBQ books. Big difference.

Edited June 7, 2007 by Slamdunkpro (log)

[snowangel]

Any chance you can get to the library and check out any of the books you are considering? It's an excellent way to make sure, in advance, that you'll use and enjoy the book. Not long ago, I was at Half Price Books and saw a book on BBQ (can't remember the name). Upon opening it to a random page, when I saw that they recommended bringing the butt to room temp and slapping it on a 350 degree smoker, I ran (not walked) way. Honestly, I was tempted to buy the book and spare an unsuspecting customer from such blasphemy!

And, don't forget to check out these topics on eGullet:

Behold My Butt

Smokin' Brisket

Ribs - Baby Back and Spare

Baked Beans

The collective wisdom and advice in these topics is invaluable and quite a compendium. When it comes to the ribs, butt and brisket topic, almost every problem is addressed, as it doing the meat on a wide variety of smokers and grills.

[infernooo]

Hi snowangel!

Thanks for the advice... unfortunately the libraries here stock very little internationally produced cookbooks, and I have never seen a Barbecue book (barbecue in the USA sense of the word, not the AU sense).

However, I have been looking through Amazon where you can look inside some books, but there are still so many of them :-).

p.s. yes have read all of those threads and bookmarked specific posts - I'm the kind of person where I can never have too much information on a topic :-).

Thanks again!

[Daddy-A]

Here are the books I use most often for reference:

Barbecue Secrets by Canadian BBQ champion, Rockin' Ronnie Shewchuck.

A good all round reference book, with some excellent recipes for sides, sauces and slaws.

Cooks Illustrated Guide to Grilling and Barbecue

You can't go wrong with CI. All the basics are covered. If I had to suggest one book, this would probably be it

Barbecuing, Grilling & Smoking from the California Culinary Academy

My favorite resource for brines and cooking temperatures. I reference this one all the time

The best reference is of course, your own notes. You are taking notes, right? When you smoke that perfect rack of ribs, you'll have all the information documented, and will be much more likely to repeat.

A.

[Mikeb19]

Championship Barbeque by Paul Kirk

Without a doubt the best barbeque book I've come across.

[moosnsqrl]

Championship Barbeque by Paul Kirk

Without a doubt the best barbeque book I've come across.

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I was going to say that, too. And he has a sauce book as well. Disclosure: he's a local 'boy' and an acquaintance, and a director of the KCBS.

Another Raichlen, How to Grill, is more fundamental.

Also, if you're interested, The Gas Grill Gourmet is the non-charcoal bible at our house. I know, I know, it's blasphemy, but on weeknights we DO use the gas grill. Guilty as charred - er charged.

[dsquare]

Backyard BBQ: The Art of Smokology by Richard McPeake

A very good book ranging from the fundamentals to advanced Q.

[troyml]

Hi snowangel!

Thanks for the advice... unfortunately the libraries here stock very little internationally produced cookbooks, and I have never seen a Barbecue book (barbecue in the USA sense of the word, not the AU sense).

However, I have been looking through Amazon where you can look inside some books, but there are still so many of them :-).

p.s. yes have read all of those threads and bookmarked specific posts - I'm the kind of person where I can never have too much information on a topic :-).

Thanks again!

←

[Darren72]

Raichlen's books are more grilling books vs. true BBQ books. Big difference.

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This is true, but many of his books also talk about BBQ to one degree or another.

See "The Barbecue! Bible," "How to Grill," and "Ribs, Ribs, Ribs," for example.

Another idea is "Where There's Smoke," by Richard Langer, which is specifically about using a weber (or similar home grill) as a smoker.

[Dr. Teeth]

Another vote for Paul Kirk. Only book that teaches you how to cook barbecue rather than just being a collection of recipies.

[maher]

there is a good story in yesterdays LA Times on newer books.

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo...-headlines-food

I particularly like the sound of this one:

Extreme Barbecue: Smokin' Rigs and Real Good Recipes," by Dan Hunter and Lisa Grace Lednicer

[maher]

if anyone wants to buy any of the books in this post, can i suggest they read the following thread:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=103475

it shows you how to buy from amazon and give Egullet a contribution all at once.

[Keith Orr]

I also like the Paul Kirk books.

There is also an excellent website dedicated to Weber Bullets that has excellent BBQ tips and recipes and an online BBQ course. http://virtualweberbullet.com/

Practice, Practice, Practice! Even your lesser efforts will be better than 99% of what you can buy.

[ericthered]

I concur on the above suggestion regarding the www.virtualweberbullet.com web page. It has detailed recipes for smoking ribs, pork shoulder, and brisket . . . including some helpful videos. I've smoked all three and all turned out excellent. If you don't have a Weber bullet smoker, the web site has a section on using their popular kettle grills as a smoking device.

-EP

[carpetbagger, esq.]

i'd also recommend bbq usa. i've used it everytime i do a pork butt because it has tons of sauce recipes, and since i'm always preparing my bbq for a group, it pays off to make 3 or 4 different kinds of sauces to please different tastes.

i'm currently reading peace, love & bbq, and that might be another book worth checking out.

[Jaymes]

I love Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook by Robb Walsh.

Full of stories, recipes, tips, hints and legends. I think you can't go wrong.

[FlourPower]

I love Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook by Robb Walsh.

Full of stories, recipes, tips, hints and legends.  I think you can't go wrong.

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Have you tried the Grapefruit Chipotle sauce out of that book yet? I make that every summer at least once.

Nth-ing the Paul Kirk recommendation.

I've seen the Extreme Barbecue book. It's half narrative and half recipes. Some of the contraptions are pretty amazing. It'll appeal to barbecuers but I wouldn't make it the first book I buy on the topic. I'd get Paul Kirk or the Jameson's first.

[JimH]

The Smoke Ring Forum also has a lot of information on BBQ. There's a nice mix of contest competitors & caterers who are happy to share their experience.

http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/index.php

[jmcgrath]

The Smoke Ring Forum also has a lot of information on BBQ.  There's a nice mix of contest competitors & caterers who are happy to share their experience.

http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/index.php

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Yes, that and The BBQ Forum.

Barbecue folks generally don't share recipes, but are usually very generous in sharing techniques.

Jim

[Magictofu]

I am in the process of buying myself a new BBQ and feel it is time to learn a bit more about grilling and smoking. I am looking for a book (or a few) covereing most major BBQ traditions around the world and offering a good number of recipes using a variety of ingredient (e.g. not just beef and pork).

Reading this topic, it appears that many appreciate Steven Raichlen and that the BBQ Bible might be a good place to start.

I would love to find a book that covers things like kalbi, grilled octopus, cochonita pibil and a number of seafood and veggie ideas. Would Raichlen's book fit the bill? Are there other options available?

[OliverB]

you also might want to check out Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way by Francis Mallmann, especially if you're building your own fire kitchen. Might be fun to build it so some of these techniques can be used (like fire below and above the food). I just put the book on my wish list and I wish I could eat there someday..

I also like the Weber Charcoal Grilling book and The Ultimate Barbecue Cookbook that Barenes and Noble published a while ago. One of those bargain books not written by any one in particular. Some nice stuff in it.

Oliver

[FlourPower]

I am in the process of buying myself a new BBQ and feel it is time to learn a bit more about grilling and smoking. I am looking for a book (or a few) covereing most major BBQ traditions around the world and offering a good number of recipes using a variety of ingredient (e.g. not just beef and pork).

Reading this topic, it appears that many appreciate Steven Raichlen and that the BBQ Bible might be a good place to start.

I would love to find a book that covers things like kalbi, grilled octopus, cochonita pibil and a number of seafood and veggie ideas. Would Raichlen's book fit the bill? Are there other options available?

←

If you have absolutely no grilling books in your library, Raichlen's a great one to start with.

That said, Rick Browne's Best Barbecue in the World might come a little closer to what you're looking for. He's got a handful of grill-friendly recipes from around the world -- not just mains but sides and desserts too -- but it's a little text-heavy.

[FlourPower]

Forgot to mention -- if you're into regional Mexican cooking and grilling, check out Mayan Cuisine, which has lots of recado-based recipes.

[jogoode]

I worked on a barbecue/grilling book with Adam Perry Lang, which just came out last week and was featured on Oprah! Here's the book on Amazon.

His thing is that he used to work with Daniel Boulud and others big-time chefs before he gave all that up to focus on barbecuing whole hogs and pork shoulders. He opened Daisy May's BBQ USA in NYC, won some big-time competitions, and started buying and aging ridiculously good beef at Batali's Vegas steakhouse, Carnevino. Now he's working on a grilling/barbecue-related restaurant project with Jamie Oliver. Sorry for the self-promotion, but it's a cool book. Really nice photos, obsessively tested recipes.

Robb Walsh's book is a great read. Anything Robb Walsh writes seems to be a great read.