Born to Grill: An American Celebration [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Cheryl Alters Jamison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 6, 2001

300 recipes, dozens of techniques, and heaps of amusing grilling lore.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

People have been grilling over open flames as long as there have been flames. But let's face it, roast mastodon doesn't sound half as good as Sage Rubbed Veal Chops with Jerky Sauce. Tastes have changed, and we have gotten a little better at grilling. Specifically, Americans have gotten better--since, after all, grilling is the quintessential American culinary art. Don't believe it? Try finding an order of grilled Mescal Magic Baby Back Ribs next time you're in Paris. Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison know this. It is the premise of their book Born To Grill. Make no mistake about it, this is a cookbook with attitude, and it practically swaggers when you read it. The title screams to be tattooed on a bicep underneath a little Weber kettle. The Jamisons show they are onto a good thing and argue for a back-to-basics, high-heat, open-air, open-flame approach. Serious meat needs serious heat, and grilling is the only surefire approach.

Once the book gets your attention, a few things are revealed. Grilling makes sense. It is simple, economical, and best of all, it tastes good. Grilling is not just about huge slabs of meat. Pizza, shellfish, vegetables, and even pasta have a place on the grill. And grilling is fun. Playing with fire under an open sky wins hands down over a broiler in the kitchen.

The Jamisons are no strangers to American regional cooking. Their earlier books include Sublime Smoke, Texas Home Cooking, and two James Beard Book award winners, The Border Cookbook and Smoke and Spice. They write with conviction and the kind of authority that convinces you that you are lucky--lucky enough to be born to grill. --Mark O. Howerton --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Here are three new titles to mark the arrival of prime grilling season. Bonanno, an 18-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department, is also the author of the best-selling The Healthy Firehouse Cookbook (Hearst, 1995). This time he offers recipes?both his own and from firefighters around the country?for healthy grilled entrees, along with (sometimes) more indulgent side dishes and desserts. The recipes are simple and the instructions clearly written. Recommended for collections where the first book was popular. Chesman has written half a dozen or so other cookbooks, not necessarily vegetarian, including Salad Suppers (LJ 6/15/97). Although she lives in Vermont, she grills even in the dead of winter, and she offers lots of recipes for Fire-Up Flatbreads and Pizzas, Kabobs and Other Compelling Combinations, Grilled Desserts, and more. Chesman has an engaging style, and she offers lots of handy tips with her appealing recipes; recommended for most collections. [BOMC Good Cook selection.] The Jamisons are authorities on "real" barbecue, with two titles on the subject (Smoke & Spice, LJ 4/15/94, and Sublime Smoke, LJ 5/15/96). Now they've moved on to "the open flame," with 300 recipes for all sorts of grilled goodies, from Happy-Hour Skewers and Spreads to Hot Burgers and Haute Dogs (they're fond of cutesy recipe names and cornball humor) to S'mores and More. They include many regional favorites and specialties, as well as grilling history, folklore, and other interesting tidbits, and their recipes are mouthwatering. Recommended for most collections. [BOMC Good Cook selection.]
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Common Press (February 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558321128
• ISBN-13: 978-1558321120
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,853,102 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Authors have obviously experienced each recipe;knowledgeable, April 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Born to Grill: An American Celebration (Hardcover)

What a delight to try the recipes that are tried and true leaving a novice like me to utilize them and immediately feel like the Jamison's were my personal teacher. While this "art" is not truly practiced among some circles, the authors convey the importance of having some background information to enhance the true meaning of grilling which makes each trial for me a meaningful experience. Every imaginable food that can be grilled is covered in this book and includes recipes for those who wish to watch the fat calories a bit. The Jamison's have really made grilling an integral part of the new millenium by publishing this book which is a "must" for anyone with a present or future desire to do the best in grilling.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding book for grill-lovers of all experience levels, April 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Born to Grill: An American Celebration (Hardcover)

I'm a novice griller and my husband is an experienced griller. We have both been enamoured with the book. The history and comments are entertaining and informative, and every recipe we've tried has been mouth-watering. We only need more time on the weekends to explore new recipes. The rubs consist of combinations we would never have considered adn the results have been delectable!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful BBQ companion, May 29, 2000

By 

Wonton Excess (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Born to Grill: An American Celebration (Hardcover)

I am not a great fan of these authors' smoker cookbook, but that has not had an impact on my appreciation of this volume. It has become very well marked up by splatterings of bbq sauce over many months of frequent use, as I'm sure it will be for anyone else who delves into the vast array of recipes it contains.