The Barbecue! Bible

There is way too much here to ever get to, but every time I cook baby back ribs on the grill, I have to thank Raichlen for his recipe for the Memphis rub I use. This book is also a pretty good overview of barbecue around the world. Raichlen is a lot better writer and a lot smarter than you might expect of someone who has dedicated his life to barbecue....

There are so many more uses for these seasoning mixes than just barbecuing meats. I like to keep at least three different spice mixes in airtight containers in the cupboard at any given time. I sprinkle them on meats, add them to omelets and fried eggs, mix them into grains and rice, use them to give zing to casseroles, soups and beans, and more. No longer do you have to juggle a dozen spices, not sure how to get the balance of flavors just right–simply pick a mix you believe will complement the flavor of what you’re making and add a pinch or a teaspoon.

If you truly want to go crazy, however, you don’t have to stick to the wonderful mixes Mr. Raichlen provides here. He includes instructions for building your own barbecue sauce, show more going over all the different categories of ingredients and the possible flavorings you might use.

As if this weren’t enough, Mr. Raichlen also includes plenty of instructional material to go with his recipes–equipment suggestions, barbecuing guidelines, food safety tips, and more. If you’ve never barbecued before, or only have a minimal background, you’ll find quite a bit of value in this book. Even if you don’t barbecue, however, see past the title to the greater usefulness of this book. There’s no reason you can’t spice-rub a piece of meat and pan-sear it in cast iron, for example.

The flavors, however, are the best part. One of my favorite spice mixes involves, of all things, lemonade drink mix. I never would have thought to try something like that on my own, and yet it’s absolutely fantastic. You’ll find everything from the tried and true to the wildly outlandish (blueberry barbecue sauce!). Even those recipes I haven’t been wowed by have struck me as being of the not-my-taste variety, rather than in any way “bad”. The recipes are fairly simple, since most of what you’re doing is combining spices. The layout is simple and fairly easy-to-read–not the most beautiful I’ve seen, but it doesn’t in any way detract from the utility of the cookbook.

Full review at ErrantDreams show less

A lovely master class all about spices, rubs, sauces, salsas, and meat. My favorite, and always a go-to for barbeque time!

What a great reference book! A wonderful collection of recipes for direct fire from around the world.

Well, I guess you can call what Rachlin mostly discusses BBQ. Down South we call most of this grilling (though some of it really is BBQ - cooked low and slow). For real 'Cue cookbooks see THE LEGENDS OF TEXAS BARBECUE by Robb Walsh and SOUTHERN FOOD, AT HOME, ON THE ROAD, IN HISTORY by John Egerton, and I guess lots of others.

Loads of great recipes. Also has a lot of information about basic BBQ techniques for beginners.

Jeremy's go-to cookbook. I don't care for it.