What's Your Go-To Grilling Book?
What's Your "Go-To" Grilling Book?
A. The Barbecue! Bible, by Steven Raichlen
B. Boy Meets Grill, by Bobby Flay
C. The Thrill of the Grill, by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby
D. Born to Grill, by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison
E. Other
With my weeklong working vacation coming to a close, I started thinking about the things I am going to miss when I go back home: hanging out with my wife on our screen porch reading the newspaper, regular tennis games, beautiful Quansoo Beach, Mrs. Blake's strawberry-rhubarb pie, fried clams from John's Fish Market and the Bite, driving down sandy, unpaved roads surrounded by water and wildlife, and leafing through and rereading my go-to grilling book, The Thrill of the Grill, by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby. Some people will swear by Steven Raichlen's Barbecue! Bible, others will pledge allegiance to Boy Meets Grill by Bobby Flay, but for sheer reading pleasure, terrific original recipes, and essential grilling information entertainingly conveyed, I don't think you can beat Thrill of the Grill.
There are recipes in the book that I'll make over and over again, like Grilled Tuna Steak with Nectarine-Red Onion Relish and Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Corn-Bacon Relish and Pear-Blueberry Crisp. Others, like Grilled Marinated Beef Heart in the Peruvian Style and Sake-Marinated Grilled Frogs' Legs with Japanese-Flavored Barbecue Sauce, I will never make, but they sure make for some fine reading.
The best thing about Thrill of the Grill is that Schlesinger and Willoughby don't take themselves too seriously. They have the right attitude. That's why you'll find recipes like Pasta from Hell and Expensive Mushrooms on Texas Toast in the book. These guys know how to grill, they know what delicious is, and they know how to laugh at themselves. 'Nuff said.
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4 Comments:
E - My choices are Weber's Book of Grilling and for charcoal grilling Weber's Charcoal Grilling, by Jamie Purviance.
daveg227 at 10:56AM on 08/24/07
What about Mastering the Grill by Andrew Schloss and David Joachim? A barbecuing classic.
jaybee at 11:41AM on 08/24/07
I like the Jamison's The Big Book of Outdoor Cooking & Entertaining. I find myself flipping through this book most of the time, although I do occasionally reference The Barbecue! Bible.
cookjones at 11:44AM on 08/24/07
I like all the books Ed listed, but Thrill of the Grill is my favorite too.
Years ago, Chris was doing a cooking demo at the Union Square greenmarket. I told him I was nervous about doing whole fish on the grill and he gave me a few tips that helped me achieve grilled fish nirvana.
Cathy at 12:16PM on 08/24/07