Good basic book on charcoal grilling?

[JaclynM]

I'm getting married in July, and since my fiance has a nice wooden deck on the back of his house, we've been thinking about getting an outdoor grill. Based on what I've read on these boards about the pros and cons of gas vs. charcoal, I think I'd like to use a charcoal grill. But I've never done any grilling before - I've only watched my mom do some grilling, and hers is gas. Can anyone recommend a book that covers all the basics - choosing charcoal, lighting it, cooking techniques, cleanup, etc.? I'd like to have some more information about what I'm getting into, if we should decide to get a charcoal grill.

[jsolomon]

Hmm... there have been a lot of questions about this lately.

Is there an eGCI course on grilling in the works?

There is a Virtual Weber site on the web, just type "virtual weber" in your favorite search engine, and that site should come up. That should be a reasonable first help.

[russ parsons]

check out any of chris schlesinger and doc willoughby's bbq/grilling books. good recipes and basic info. also, steve raichlen.

[Jean Blanchard]

I like Steve Raichlen also and the Weber Grilling cookbooks has nice recipes with lots of instructions.

[Daddy-A]

I'm a big fan of the Cooks Illustrated Guide to Grilling & BBQ. Excellent cross-section of cooking styles, and it focusses on charcoal (although there are optional gas-related tips). You just have to forego the glossy pictures of the Weber book (which I also have).

A.

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

There's a book called Cooking with Fire and Smoke by Phillip Stephen Schulz that is no longer in print buy can be bought on half.com, that is excellent. I highly recommend it. (It has a "search inside" on amazon if you're interested.)