Mastering the Grill: The Owner's Manual for Outdoor Cooking

I have two dozen Grilling cookbooks, and this is by far the best. The book is well written and the recipes are great. The chapters on grilling science provide you with the information you need to be an expert griller. Once you read them, you will realize that any great grilling you did in the past was an accident; you can't consistently grill well until you fully understand the science of grilling. The only thing better than the book is the hands-on grilling class that the authors offer several times per year at COPIA: The American Center for Wine Food & the Arts in Napa, CA. I attended the 5-day hands-on grilling class in 2007 and was among the first to earn the Certified Grill Master designation. If you can't swing the cost of the hands-on grilling class in Napa, the book is the next best thing. If you can afford the class, sign up. The class is intense and will be the best grilling experience you'll ever have. And it includes a copy of the book.

Do you like to cook on the grill? I mean REALLY get down and dirty barbecuing like you were born to do it. Oh yeah, baby! Then THIS is the book for you. Authors Andrew Schloss and David Joachim don't play around and mean serious business with this hands-on grilling cookbook. With vibrant photos of their sensational BBQ recipes, each page of this book provides helpful hints about how to maximize your grill to make the perfect dish. Temperature recommendations, full ingredients listing, cooking directions, estimated preparation/grilling time, and recommended grilling equipment is provided for each recipe. Fire up the grill and let this book help you become the BBQ king in your neighborhood!

Before I explain how great this book is, I want to mention my credentials. I have worked in Technical Support for 9 years, and I am constantly looking at technical documentation. The price range of equipment I support spans a gap bookmarked by $7,000, and $30 Million, and it is produced in various nations, mostly: the US, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, England, Check Republic, and Taiwan. I say all of this to explain my familiarity with the range of quality one may see in technical documentation. It is a big range, and the best documentation really helps me do my job well. The worst, well it is really useless. . . . . Now moving away from work and onto fun . . . After a long week at the job there is nothing better than spending time with friends, grilling and relaxing at each other's homes. That is where this book comes in. "Mastering the Grill" is the best documentation I have ever seen on grilling. It is written in an academic, yet totally understandable style. It covers things one doesn't even realize they need to know, but they do. It thoroughly covers subjects such as Grilling equipment, grilling techniques, ingredients, what flavors go well together, and many recipes. I particularly like the ingredients section, which goes over all of the cuts from Beef, Veal, Pork, Lamb, Poultry, and Fish, as well as Produce, Cheese, and Bread. The meat section is very detailed and shows you where on the animal the cuts come from, and what each cut is best used for among other details. This book is Awesome . . . When you buy one of these, you will want to get them for all of the guys you need to buy gifts for. I have already purchased 1 for a friend, 1 for me, and I plan on buying about 5 more for friends and family this Christmas.

I never grilled before, and really wanted to learn. By chance, I heard one of the authors on the WHYY radio show, A Chef's Table. What I heard from the author on that show impressed me, and so I got the book two days before July 4th. This book is as thorough and consistent as an academic textbook. Recipes are detailed, consistently presented, and are appropriate for gas or charcoal grills. There are useful how-to's scattered throughout the book (such as "How to butterfly meat") that are invaluable to a novice like me. At the start of the book is an expansive section on all the different cuts of meat and their properties, and the chemistry behind grilling. Over the course of 3 days, I tried 10 of the recipes, and they were all huge hits. The burger recipes were amazing and especially simple to prepare. This book has a good mix of grilling 'staples', like burgers, wings, and steaks, as well as some great exotic dishes, such as vietnamese pork lettuce wraps and tandoori chicken. This is the best cookbook I've ever bought. Do your guests a favor and pick up a copy!

It opens with a great educational section that breaks down EVERYTHING pertaining to outdoor grilling. From various meats, what each cut is good for.. how to prepare each cut (for all major meat types..seafood, beef, pork, poultry, and even veggies/fruits)....... spices (what works with what and why).... technical information on types of grills and ways to get the most performance out of your grill. THEN it dives into the recipes. Each of the 300+ recipes is very well laid out with detailed instructions on how to use each type of grill (gas, charcoal, or open fire/smoker) including details like how to arrange coals, where to position meat, etc. It not only tells you how to prepare each dish, but explains in clear easy-to-understand language why things are done the way they are...often down to scientific levels discussion protein chains and whatnot. Very educational. The recipes themselves are remarkably diverse.. they include gorgeous full color photos of many of the dishes. They have sections on beef, poultry, seafood, pork, veggies, desserts...etc.... plus a large section loaded with dozens of various rubs, marinades, brines,etc that are used within the book (always clearly referenced within a recipe). Can't recommend it highly enough for everyone from the casual griller to even more hardcore folks.