Marinades, Rubs, Brines, Cures and Glazes: 400 Recipes for Poultry, Meat, Seafood, and Vegetables [A Cookbook]

I bought this for my dad for xmas two years ago, and after eating many delicious items that he noted were recipes from this book, I had to buy it for myself as well....This is an excellent addition to my cookbook collection!

I used to just grab whatever was in the fridge and spice rack and make up stuff when I grilled, but this book has much better ideas. There are rubs and brines of every sort in this book and it is organized by cuisine type, (Mediterranean, Asian, etc) which makes it easy to match flavors with the rest of the meal.

While grill chefs will be very happy with this book, it has a broad appeal for all cooks. Take poultry. Poultry is actually more difficult to cook well then most beginning cooks realize. It is easy to overcook and dry out chicken, undercook and deliver unplesantly bloody chicken or just end up with bland results. This book provides the key to solve those problems through .....marinades, rubs, brines, cures and glazes. All of these methods can be used prior to or in conjunction with standard indoor cooking techniques. Try a brine before preparing your next pork chop in any manner What I particularly appreciate it that the author takes the time to explain the reason the techniques work. He clarifies what can and cannot be expected from each technique clearing up much confusion on these top ics.The presentation of this material is easy to understand and informative. People who enjoy Alton Brown will enjoy this aspect of the book. If you like, however, you can skip this material and go directly to the recipes. The recipe section is full of spice and herb combinations that are novel and imaginative, and that is coming from someoe who owns nearly 100 cookbooks. Darn good buy.

I have ALL the Raichlen books and quite a few other BBQ and grilling classics / how-to's etc. Jim is not only a fascinating read from a food history / science point of view, but his recipes are very do-able, and delicious. Granted, I'm the kind of BBQ geek that reads these books cover-to-cover like a novel. But even the most avid BBQ addict falls into a rut, relying on the same old batch of rub and tried-and-true classics. Tarantino's book inspires you to want to try new things. It would serve a newbie outdoor (or even indoor) chef well, but I recommend it most to the seasoned Griller / BBQer who has become lazy and needs some fresh ideas.

This is a great informational book on what each ingredient (spices , seasonings and jucies) does to the meat and taste. Has an abundance of great recipes. Has a lot of info on cook times and how different meats should be cooked. I'm a BBQ fanatic and consider myself a grill specialist (not quite a Master yet). I think this book will give me the knowledge to push my grilling to a competitive level. "Watch out for DIGGLER'S Meat"