Customer Reviews

The Barbecue! Bible

5 star:		(113)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I live near the ballpark and before games people come over for BBQs. I got this book as a present and I can't give it enough accolades. Everything that I have tried in it has gotten me rave reviews. The first recipe scared me because the maranade looked like this green scary stuff, but after cooking the Jamaican Jerk Pork it was gone in ten minutes and they were asking for more. This book has more than just great dishes like the Steak from Hell and the Bulgarian Burgers (which are excellent and suguest you try), but it has a plethora of tremendous sauces and dips from the miso sauce for the eggplants to the Oxsana guacamole. I never really cooked vegetables on the grill before this but now I do all sorts of things. The recipes are easy to follow too because I'm a single guy and have no clue on cooking. This is definitely a necessity for anyone who BBQs.

Among the hosts of books out there claiming to be some kind of bible or another, The Barbecue Bible, by James-Beard-winning author Steven Raichlen is one that lives up to the name. The product of years of travel--over 150,000 miles through five continents--this phonebook-thick study of fire-cooked foods is part travel diary, part history book, part cookbook, and part anthropological study. Notwithstanding the difficulty in defining exactly what cooking styles the term "barbeque" encompases, (the author uses the broadest definition) this book is primarily about grilling. Packed with over 500 recipes including sauces, rubs, side dishes, desserts and exotic drinks from around the world, Raichlen's first hand experience and pithy, "how to" lessons on technique make for easy preparation and a thoroughly interesting read. Covering nearly every posible style imagianble--from Jamaican Jerk to Indonesian Saté to North Carolina pulled pork--you'll find yourself skimming the recipes for content alone. But then, how many cook books feature recipes that begin with phrases like "The Berbers are a rugged, rug-weaving people who live in Morocco's Atlas Mountains" (when introducing a Berber marinade). The layout is clean and easy to follow, with minimal reliance on photographs, so you won't find the standard "prettier than I could ever make at home" images you see in most cookbooks. The relatively few photos that are used serve to connect recipes and techniques to there cultural origins--like images of a real South American pit barbeque, or a North African market. In all, this startlingly comprehensive book offers a wealth of knowledge and is a must have for anyone interested in improving their flare on the grill.

I received this book as a Christmas gift from my husband, and it is one of my favorite cookbooks! It has everything from appetizers, drinks, salads, main dishes and even desserts! My absolute favorite dish is the Grilled Pork with Fiery Salsa. It takes a bit of work, but the results are worth it! If you don't like your salsa so fiery-use a chile such as jalapeno instead of the habarenos as the recipe suggests-we have tried it both ways, and it turns out great everytime! (We are fire eaters though). The North Carolina Vinegar Sauce is just as good as I have had in the Carolinas. The variety of barbecue sauce recipes is an appealing part of this book as well. Many recipes are preceded by little vignettes about their origin-it is a combination travel book as well as a cookbook. With this book your taste buds can go from Jakarta to Greece and on to Morocco in one week if you wish. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves to cook, eat or just read about the different foods of the world.

Let's face it, in our gender-stereotyped world, grilling is usually for the guys. Burgers, chicken, an occasional steak. Before I discovered the "Barbeque Bible," my cooking repetoire consisted of baked pizza, tacos, and hamburgers. Now I'm impressing guests with Grilled Pizza, Jamaican Jerk Chicken, Memphis Style Ribs, Thai Sates, Bahamian Chicken, and even authentic grilled Indian food. I'm actually able to "hang with" my wife in the cooking department, and can outgrill most men. This book provides authentic recipes so that you can make everything from scratch. After a few recipes, you may never use prepackaged seasoning and sauces. What I like most is the excellent index; if you are feeling like something from the islands, there are dozens of recipes. In the mood for Asian? Take your pick of many excellent and exotic recipes. In short, this book can be the way to move to a "higher plane" of grilling; you will probably become a "grill snob" in only a few short weeks! Hamburgers? You've got to be kidding!

I can't believe some of the criticism this book has provoked. Too many ingredients per recipe? Has 'no direction'? Skips the basics? Bah! It's best to keep in mind what Raichlen is aiming for: an accurate description of different grilling techniques the world over. He draws his recipes from virtually every reach of the earth, including Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East -- obscure recipes that otherwise may not have been available without this wonderful, all-inclusive compendium. I find it hard to believe that 'all the recipes taste the same', when a Guadeloupean Crayfish in a Curry Beure Blanche is about as similar to an Iranian Saffron and Lemon Chicken as, well, fish is to fowl. (Both, by the way, are delicious...)

As far as covering the basics, he goes into concise and complete detail on all manner of technique -- everything from how to cook your basic hamburger, to how to properly segment a chicken, to how to arrange the coals in your grill. At the beginning of every major chapter, he describes how different foods should be cooked. If you look at each individual recipe that includes chicken breast, it will not include a description on how to cook chicken breast: it was covered earlier! Read the book!

In short, this book comprises an eclectic range of tasty grill recipes, all explained in detail. There is also a great deal of food history included, as well as some very helpful glossaries. This is an essential book for any griller, whether you want to learn how to get your steaks just right, or want to branch out into less familiar territory.

The Barbecue! Bible is a great grilling and barbecueing reference and cookbook, suitable for cooks at any expereince level. The first great quality of this book is its breadth. In addition to hundreds of recipes it covers some of the basics such as, how to grill the perfect steak, temperature guides, and equipment suggestions.

Second, the recipes cover the most simple (The Great American Hamburger) to some truly exotic dishes from the many cultures of the Pacific rim, to the spice of Latin America, to the classic tastes of Europe.

Third, it is easy to use. Categorized by course (starters, salads, entrees) and by protein type (or vegetable), the book is easily navigable.

I received this book as gift nearly two years ago. It remains one of my most frequently used cookbooks and has provided many, many crowd pleasing meals.

This book includes not only some of the most interesting methods of cooking and preparing food for the grill, but also a thorough introduction to preparing the grill, the methods of cooking the dish, and in some cases a description of how to make the side dish. I have given this book as a gift to several others, and recommend it highly. The Beer Can Chicken is a sure conversation starter -- at least until everyone starts eating it and they all shut up cause the Meat is the best you have ever tasted. The best thing is that Steve gets us beyond the typical American grilled fare -- and tells us how to create exotic dishes cooked over an open flame (the Balinese chicken stands ou here)

This book is the best. I was a grilling idiot before I got this book - I could do a steak pretty well, but that was it. This book breaks down basic grilling techniques in easy-to-understand steps, and will provide you with a solid foundation in barbecue 101. Charcoal or gas, direct or indirect cooking, wood chips or wood fires, the book covers it all. Oh, and it has lots of really great tasting receipes and sauces.

My boyfriend and I have had The Barbecue! Bible for a year...and soon we may have to buy another, since it's so spattered with chili seeds and barbecue sauce! Hands down the best cookbook we have -- so many great recipes! Jamaican Jerk Chicken, Brazilian Garlic Marinade, Memphis Ribs -- just a few of our favorites. And if you like spicy -- I mean SPICY -- food, you won't be disappointed, as there are lots of recipes calling for scotch bonnet chiles.

At a glance I found The Barbcue Bible to be a bit intimidating. At first, the long lists of ingredients turned me off - but once I read through some of the recipes I found them quite easy to make(often as easy as blending everything together). After I made my first Barbecue meal - the Jamaican Jerk Chicken - I was hooked. Recipes come out tasting very authentic - each barbecue is like being in a different exotic location! Barbecues no longer mean only steak, chicken and baked potatoes. Suddenly I found so many more uses for my barbecue - pizza, quesadillas, and "themed" meals have made our barbecues so much more interesting. The Barbecue! Bible has become a sort of party planner for me - I plan my menus based on the recipes from the various locations, add the libations and the festive music and it becomes an instant barbecue party! I highly recommend this fun, authentic, festive barbecue book!