Cheater BBQ: Barbecue Anytime, Anywhere, in Any Weather [Paperback]

Mindy Merrell (Author), R. B. Quinn (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 9, 2008

Barbecue fans relax! With more than 125 terrific recipes for indoor cooking, Cheater BBQ makes it easy to serve up pit-style barbecue classics year-round.

Cheater BBQ is the first cookbook to bring the outdoor grilling pit into the weeknight kitchen using little more than a slow cooker or an oven, a roll of foil, a few everyday ingredients, and some all-natural liquid smoke. Anyone can make great cheater barbecue.

The recipes in Cheater BBQ cover smoky barbecue classics: pulled pork, chicken, ribs, brisket, rubs, and regional sauces. Starters and sides include Smoked Paprika Pimiento Cheese, Boston Crocked Beans, Packet Potato Salad, and Loaded Cornbread, as well as drinks and desserts.

From Super Bowl celebrations to March madness get-togethers to simple meals with family, Cheater BBQ delivers barbecue taste year-round—without lighting a match.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The authors confess to “an acute case of obsessive barbecue syndrome,” but they realize that not everyone has the time to use soaked wood chips or the means to build a smokehouse. The secret ingredient to “cheater BBQ” is liquid smoke, which isn’t synthetic but rather made from actual water condensed from smoking processes. That and a handful of simple sauce recipes and rub mixtures are just about all that one needs for great barbecue at home. As with most slow cooking, the recipes are easy to follow (combine ingredients, cook until delicious, eat), and each one is introduced by pithy explanations of common problems or helpful tips. Not surprisingly, the ample recipe section devotes whole chapters to pulled pork and rib recipes, but there’s also a grouping of “cheater sides” as well as ways to reuse leftovers. This book offers sound proof that you don’t need fancy grills, stainless-steel outdoor kitchens, or even accommodating weather to make great-tasting food, and as the authors point out, great barbecue is as much about the relaxing as it is the cooking. --Ian Chipman

Review

“Dazzling restaurant fare with a wonderful down-home flavor. This clever cookbook and these recipes will allow you to savor what I think is the best barbecue and fixings around.”
--Anne Byrn, The Cake Mix Doctor®

“If you think great BBQ requires splitting hardwood logs and sleepless nights stoking fires, Mindy Merrell and R.B. Quinn deliver the good news: killer 'cue needs nothing more than an oven or a slow-cooker.
So put down the axe and rest assured that flavor never gets short- changed in these recipes--from baby back ribs, to pulled chicken, to smoke-tinged desserts. And Cheater BBQ is brimming with kitchen- smarts, the cooking tips that make entertaining for a crowd a real joy. Nobody writing cookbooks today has more fun in the kitchen than this team!”
--Matt Lee and Ted Lee, authors of The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter (September 9, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767927680
• ISBN-13: 978-0767927680
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.6 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #147,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Booyah for Cheater BBQ October 8, 2008

By Robert B. Smithers

Format:Paperback

Thank you thank you thank you! We love to entertain with BBQ and good eats year round. Now I can do so without suffering outdoors through a cold New England winter.

The recipes in this book are fun to read and easy to follow. My wife and I have been working through the various Interstate BBQ sauces (I-20 is to die for!) and the rubs. We've been making creations we never thought possible. It's easy, hassle free and very, very tasty.

Finally we can cook up BBQ anytime with little fuss and enjoy the party ourselves. I'm proud to say that I am officially and forever more a Cheater!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very satisfied with first recipe September 13, 2008

By Craig M. Strid

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I made the recipe for the Country Ribs. I used the basic rub and added brown sugar as instructed. I also prepared the oven roasted potatoes using the basic rub. I made a coleslaw of my own and the meal was very good served with hot rolls. The closest bbq restaurant is 100 miles from my residence so with elated enthusiasm I look forward to the next recipe. I would very much like to slow smoke barbecue outside but time does not allow it and now I have found light at the end of a short tunnel. I cooked the ribs for a little more than the suggested hour and the meat pulled off the bones. The only regret is that I didn't make more ribs for rib meat sandwiches.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, East 'Q at Home. September 16, 2008

By Stephen Cellar

Format:Paperback

Cheater BBQ: Barbecue Anytime, Anywhere, in Any Weather has definitely changed my life forever. There aren't any decent BBQ places around here, and I am so sick of wasting money on bland, overcooked ribs. Cheater BBQ has revolutionized food for me! We had everything we needed in less than 30 minutes at Publix. We started with the Cheater Oven Smoked Salmon (which easily became two-timer salmon salad the next day), and of course, the mother load; Ultimate Cheater Pulled Pork. It couldn't taste any better unless it came from RB himself. Went excellent with Mustardy Cheater Sauce and Cornbread - and has been providing us countless leftovers.

Finally, real BBQ at home. It couldn't be any easier than cutting, a little seasoning, and a bit of liquid smoke - set the crock and come back 6 hours later. Perfect for starving artists and college students who are tired of Chinese take-out, or just miss good ol'fashion, home cooked Q.

Worth every penny, and then some.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the BBQ Book I've been waiting for. September 26, 2008

By David Martindale

Format:Paperback

This is the BBQ book I have been waiting for. It brings real BBQ taste and then some into your very own kitchen. It is a great read with the tried and true recipies from two passionate BBQ affectionados. It is a real treat to come home from work and have what are the best meals ever prepared (and soon to be eaten) waiting for you. This book is a must have for everyone that loves great meals and enjoys having fun with meal preparation with minimal work and maximum enjoyment.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for condo living November 24, 2008

By Spencer Moore

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

We love this book. We live in a San Francisco high-rise condo. Instead of a big backyard, we have a narrow 18 square foot patio that, frankly, we didn't want to clutter up with a grill. One day, I pulled out a crock pot my mother gave me years ago. I'd never used until I saw these authors on an afternoon TV show. We bought the book and have been experimenting with it ever since. We've had several people over to watch college football (Mizzou-RAH!) and have had chicken wings and thighs, beef brisket and more. Who knew all you needed was a crock pot and some liquid smoke?!?!? We got friends interested and are going to get them each a book for Christmas. The book is easy. We especially like it because it's not fancy -- it includes ingredients we can get at Safeway!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The recipes are fantastic! November 26, 2009

By V. Reed

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I first heard of this book in an article in my local newspaper's weekly food column. I tested one of the recipes and knew I had to buy the book. I've tried only a few so far, but they're fabulous! I worked as a sensory analyst (food taster) for nine years, and they truly taste like they were smoked all day on the grill. There are recipes for rubs, sauces, side dishes, and desserts, as well as all types of meats. I'm a little skeptical of desserts with liquid smoke in them, but I intend to try most of the others.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy! Easy! Easy! Good! Good! Good! December 2, 2008

By Travis H. Redman Jr.

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I first heard about Cheater BBQ while listening to NPR's "The Splendid Table." It sounded too good to be true, but I ran back into town to get a 6-pound Boston butt roast. I took out our slow cooker, rubbed the roast with basic Cheater rub, poured 1/2 cup of Colgin's Liquid Smoke and set the cooker on high for 6 hours. OMG... what great pulled pork on rolls with little bbq sauce. I ordered the book a couple of weeks ago, then last weekend we tried bbq ribs... equally as good.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Cheater BBQ August 15, 2009

By Nancy B. Mann

Format:Paperback

This is a great alternative to the you-have-to-be-an-expert cult of BBQ cooking and many of the cookbooks of the same ilk with which this book competes. If you take the direction of the authors it is often possible to make a remarkable dish with little effort and less than six ingredients. They take themselves and their subject just seriously enough, but not enough to make you feel like you are gambling on an uncertain outcome. Their sense of humor and the war stories are both engaging. This book offers restaurant-quality results with so little effort, it is amazing.

Buck Mann
Denver, ColoradoCheater BBQ: Barbecue Anytime, Anywhere, in Any Weather