Customer Reviews

Mastering Barbecue: Tons of Recipes, Hot Tips, Neat Techniques, and Indispensable Know How

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've read and reviewed a lot of books on barbecue. Everything from the books by well-known chefs and TV personalities to the small-press regional titles and everything in between. Mastering Barbecue from Ten Speed Press isn't the biggest, it isn't the prettiest, but it is, simply, one of the best books on barbecue that I have ever read. Many barbecue books will give you the basics on different grill types and methods but Mastering Barbecue goes into great depth on these subjects as well as BBQ terminology, food prep, cleanup and maintenance, cooking times and temperatures, types of wood to use, smoking, and much, much more.

Mastering Barbecue isn't lavishly illustrated with color photographs on slick, glossy paper. This is strictly a no-frills book that goes for punch over pizzazz and succeeds on all counts. The strength of this book lies with its vast selection of recipes for rubs, marinades and sauces. All told there are over 160 recipes for these staples of Barbecue cooking. This is particularly noteworthy as far as the rubs which is the first step in preparing any meat for great barbecue. Most cookbooks may provide just a handful of rub recipes but Mastering Barbecue gives you over 60 culled from a variety of different regions both domestic an abroad. For example you'll find the Simple South Texas Rub, a Phoenix Rub, Kansas City Rub and a Latin American Rub.

Marinades are another item that usually get short-changed in a lot of cookbooks but this book has over 50 great marinades and mop sauces, all designed to add great flavor to your food. Like it hot? Then try the Habanero Hot Sauce marinade. There's also the North Carolina Vinegar mop and the Spicy Beer Marinade.

The sauces are my favorite part of the book with over 50 great sauce recipes again taken from various regions to lend some authenticity to you food and also allow you to try different meats done in different regional styles. There's a great Spicy Texas sauce with jalapeno peppers, fresh lime and beer; The Citrus BBQ Sauce features a variety of fruit juices including lemon, lime, and orange along with smoky chipotle peppers. Or try the Kentucky Black Sauce made with a liberal amount of Kentucky bourbon, Worcestershire and soy sauces. No matter what your taste you are sure to find several sauces you'll love.

The book then goes on with chapters on beef, poultry, pork, ribs, seafood and veggies. They all include helpful advice on buying these items, preparation, cooking, as well as the best woods to use to enhance the flavor. I highly recommend the Mesquite grilled chicken breasts with citrus sauce. The recipes here are not the kind of executive chef-created dishes that will have you scouring gourmet food stores to locate ingredients and requiring advanced techniques. These are good, everyday recipes with ingredients that can be found at your local market and that can be made by even novice barbecue cooks. The book is well-written and informative and includes an excellent cross-referenced index. This is one that stands apart in a sea of Barbecue cookbooks. Highly recommended!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

This book is well done. With very good layout on tips and information, leading to a successful learnig experience for your barbecue and grilling chores in the back yard. Chef Mike, adds loads of recipes.

The book covers everything from tools, tips, cooking times and plenty of information for you increase your knowledge in this cooking art.

Book covers alot of grilling info, not all about smoking, but still a good book.

Hey why do you buy a recipe book. The recipes! This has them... Bunches of them.

Sure sometimes a picture is good to show you how a fancy dish is to be presented, but hey we all know how to present a slab of ribs - right!

Great list of rubs, sauces and short explanations. The only BBQ book you'll ever need. Wish I would have bought this one first. It will be the last bbq recipe book I'll ever need.

I checked this book out from the library for my husband and purchased it a few days later. The book has all the how-to's to learn to smoke meats to perfection. Its wonderful step by step instructions and clever hints have elevated our summer BBQ from hamburgers and hot dogs to great smoked pork and ribs. I highly recommend it.

When I first purchased my smoker grill I found I needed plenty of ideas for seasonings for various types of meat. The price was right, it had good reviews and I found it helpful for my needs.

This is the best BBQ book on the market! No fluff; just tons of receipes and BBQ information. I have a dozen BBQ and grilling books (the more popular titles and authors); this book is the best!! A must have book for any BBQ/griller! Get the lump coal, and kettle grill ready because you'll want to grill everyday!!!

This book has a ton of recipes, not too many for smokers, mostly for grills.

Looking at the recipe for honey mustard sauce, it's just 2 cups of each ingredient. Seems a little suspect. I tried it in a smaller quantity and it's terrible. And I like honey mustard.

2 stars for giving an overview of types of BBQ by region.

Book arrived ahead of schedule in great condition and contained the info that I needed.

Not well organized, to detailed for the average backyard barbequer. Needs more recipes and less blather.

Not for me!