Customer Reviews

The Great Ribs Book

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a true rib lover's treasure. The first 33 pages (nicely photo-illustrated) have everything you need to know about types of ribs, meat preparation techniques and cooking methods. After that, it's nothin' but ribs baby!

Be ready to make a tough decision though - which recipe to do first. There are mouth-watering pictures of almost every recipe, and so far, we have not found one we didn't like. This is a cookbook that rib lovers will want to work their way through from cover to cover this summer.

My family's favorite so far is the Carolina Barbecued Ribs (bottom photo - back cover). These have both a rub and a mop and will take you to straight to "Hog Heaven". (If you have little ones or don't like spicy, cut back on the chili powder for this one. It's pretty hot.)

I own LOTS of rib recipe books and this one is by far the best. It's packed with at least one full summer of the best rib-tasting you'll ever enjoy, but you'll return to the recipes in this book again and again.

I become skeptical when I see a word such as "Great" in the title of a book. It is either immodesty or exaggeration. I am happy to report that, in this case, the word fits very well.

Each recipe is complete unto itself. It includes the rib type, rib preparation, recommended cooking technique, a rub, the mop, sauces, serving suggestion, etc. The recipes are simple and easy to follow. Kudos to the the kitchen testing staff. Of note is that most recipes can be done simply in an oven, and do not not require a smoker.

This is a good example of a cookbook that focuses on only one subject. It does a very good and very thorough job covering its subject.

My complaint here is that the book will not lay open flat in the kitchen when you are doing the recipes.

The recipes are reliable, and you will love the flavors. Highly recommended.

I took a cooking class from Hugh based on this book and learned how to make ribs cooked in an oven taste almost as good as ones from a outdoor grill. My husband refuses to cook outdoors due to mosquitos and humidity. Hugh's recipes are fabulous, so good that I bought the book to get more. You won't believe the different ways to cook scrumptious ribs.

We try a new recipe each week out of this book and haven't found a bad one yet -- they're GREAT! The marinades are equally good on chicken and pork tenderloin.

This is a unique and revolutionary approach to the "rib cuisine". The variety of techniques for cooking and the unique flavors employed bogle the mind. It is sophisticated in results, but very easily accomplished by all levels of people with various cooking skills. Highly recommended.

Terrific book with a specific focus. The attractiveness of the recipes is exceeded only by the photography. The technical sections are informative and thorough. This is the first book by Carptenter & Sandison that I've purchased; but far from the last.

greg leaf glorieta, new mexico

If you want a book that will show you how to make great Memphis-style ribs like you might find at Interstate BBQ or even Corky's, you're barking up the wrong tree. If you are a wealthy chardonnay sipping Californian who wants to impress his friends with exotic Asian or Mediterranean style ribs, this book might be for you. I was disappointed to find that the "Great Ribs Book" didn't devote any pages to good old fashioned all-American ribs. The book would be much better if it offered at least three or four recipes for authentic southern-style ribs like those folks go out of their way to find at run down old BBQ dives.

This is not the worst cook book I've ever seen. It has lots of pretty pictures and I don't doubt that many of the recipes would produce good results if I were ever inclined to spend an afternoon smoking some funky oriental ribs. But of course, I'm more into the kind of ribs that go good with beer, beans and blues music.

The first thirty or so pages are worth reading and are the only reason I give this book any stars. In these pages you will find good solid instructions on how to select and prep your ribs for cooking. You will also learn the basics on grilling, broiling, braising and smoking. You are steered away from committing such sins as parboiling your ribs before tossing them on the grill. These pages are good, but not worth the price of the book.

Consequently, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone except perhaps someone who aleady knows how to make awesome ribs but wants to try something new and completely different.

I ordered this book because I borrowed a copy from a friend. I prepared ribs using one of the recipes in the book and it turned out fabulous. It was difficult to pick out a single recipe because a lot of them sounded so good. Anyway, I placed my order for a used copy. When I received the book I was pleasantly surprised to find it in a "like new" condition. I received my order very quickly and was very pleased with the condition of the book.

This is my go-to book for ribs, doesn't matter what kind: baby back, spare ribs, country style, it has it all. This book makes it very easy to serve up great tasting ribs. Very informative book regarding rib types, cooking methods, and sauces/rubs. You don't have to have a grill or fancy smoker to make the ribs in this book, just an oven or stove top for braising. An added bonus is the glossary of ingredients, there are so many brands this is very helpful. I don't agree with one of the reviewers that this book doesn't have the types of rib recipes that you can eat with beer, beans and blues music...totally untrue, plus I find it surprising that he/she gives a review without trying one recipe, his/her loss. My favorites are the Chinese Baby Back Ribs (I used spareribs for this recipe and it was fabulous) and the Country Style Ribs Braised with Way-Down-South Sauce....ymmmm finger-licking good.

I got this book mainly because I love ribs, but its really not the all-inclusive Everything Ribs book that it first appears. Try Steve Raichlen's ribs book for a rib encyclopedia if that's what you want.

Don't get me wrong, there are several dozen marinade and basting sauce recipes for asian, caribbean, latin, mediterranean and american style basts, sauces, and marinades, but all the cooking instructions, without exception, are exactly the same from recipe to recipe. There is a short but informative section at the front describing cooking methods, including oven roasting, grilling, and indirect heat, and descriptions of different types of ribs.

But, the drawback to this book is that all the types of cooking aren't necessarily suitable for all the types of marinades or sauces, since all the recipes describe the exact same preparation, you don't really know if the sauce is better served on the side, as a baste, or as a marinade; therefore I think many of these recipes are geared toward oven roasting rather than grilling or smoky barbecue-type preparations.