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Barbecue
Buddies and Pithy Bits from the Pits
Summer
Must-Reads for 'Cue and Grill Fiends
It’s
the season when guys around the country strap on aprons,
roll up their shirt sleeves and get down and dirty
in backyards over their grills. No food is more American
or more quintessentially summer than barbecue. We’ve
rounded up the latest publishing efforts from old
school ‘cue legends like Mike Mills to young
celeb chefs like Bobby Flay to compare what they’ve
got to say about the pits.
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Mike
“The Legend” Mills eats barbecue wherever
he travels, a habit that paid off for Peace,
Love, and Barbecue: Recipes, Secrets, Tall Tales
(Rodale Books, 2005). Mills went around the entire
country chatting with fellow pitmasters about their
shared passion for succulent smoky meat to cook up this
part memoir, part travelogue with recipes. Written in
a chatty, stick-to-your ribs tone, “Peace, Love,
and Barbecue” illuminates how ‘cue is a
way of life that Mills says “soothes the soul”
for Americans all over. It’s not so much mouthwatering
for its recipes (although it does include brilliant
dry rubs, juicy marinades and all manner of regional
‘cue preparations), but it does make us hungry
for the road and the barbecue spots great and small
that stud our nation. It’s a fine book, this down-home
homage to Mills’ barbecue buddies and good eats. |
Co-authored
by the biggest name in grilling, Weber's
Real Grilling (Sunset Publishing, 2005) tells
"the story of how we Americans grill today.”
Jamie Purveillance's latest effort is best summed
up in two words: extremely useful. Every delicious,
straight-forward item in this book makes
use of ingredients, Purveillance says, you can find
in any well-stocked supermarket. If you’re already
a pro, just skip the illustrated explanations on how
to pick a grill, cut a whole chicken or make your
fish fillets not stick to the grill and move on to
the 200 recipes like lamb burgers, pizza, Bourbon-barbecued
steaks, scallop kebabs and Mexican chicken thighs. |
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If
you buy your cookbooks for the pictures, then save your
money. But if you’re interested in a no-frills
barbecue book that passes along numerous recipes and
solid information, then check out Mastering
Barbecue (Ten Speed Press, 2005) by Michael
H. Stines. A journalist and chef, Stines knows how to
talk to the beginner cook and entice the more-experienced
barbecue lover. You'll encounter useful information,
such as ways to gauge the temperature of your grill
and the difference between nine types of chiles. The
recipes are not labor-intensive; mostly you mix ingredients
together and then get grilling. But watch for the mentions
of brands that can’t be found at regular grocery
stores. Even our Tennessean hadn’t heard of the
Tennessee Gourmet products that showed up in seven recipes
over six pages. |
| These
new efforts are also worth checking out: |
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Get
Grilling (Food Network Kitchens, 2005):
The staff of the Food Network shares “Recipes,
Tips, And Techniques For Terrific Food And Big Fun
In The Great Outdoors.” It’s indeed
fun, festive and beautifully illustrated.
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