The Cook's Illustrated Guide To Grilling And Barbecue

by Cook's Illustrated, John Burgoyne, Carl Tremblay (Photographer)

The definitive grilling encyclopedia for novices and experts alike

The Cook’s Illustrated Guide to Grilling and Barbecue is a comprehensive nuts and bolts volume that thoroughly examines outdoor cooking—starting with the basics. The 12-page introduction to grilling, "Outdoor Cooking 101," walks you step-by-step through the essentials of grilling, grill-roasting, and barbecuing using both charcoal and gas grills. And since outdoor cooking requires just the right tools and equipment, the editors of Cook's Illustrated share the results of their product tests in an extensive buyers guide where charcoal grills, gas grills, grill brushes, tongs, instant-read thermometers, and more are rated. At a glance, you will know which brands we recommend (and why) and which to avoid. Armed with the right equipment and instructions, you’ll be ready to tackle just about any recipe from a simple and perfectly cooked burger to succulent pulled pork and restaurant-perfect grilled tuna. You’ll find more than 450 recipes for all your favorites—steak tips, ribs, and barbecued chicken as well as some that will expand your repertoire—from Thai-Grilled Chicken and Skirt Steak Tacos to Grilled Corn with Spicy Chili Butter and Bruschetta with Fresh Herbs.

The Cook’s Illustrated Guide to Grilling and Barbecue also contains more than 300 step-by-step illustrations that walk you through the basics of food preparation, such as how to cut beef for kebabs, trim beef tenderloin, and grill-roast a turkey. Whether you’re a novice outdoor cook or aspiring grill-master, this encyclopedic examination of one of America’s favorite pastimes will be your guide to foolproof grilling and barbecuing.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Reference, Food, Nonfiction

432 pages, Hardcover

First published May 30, 2005

Reviews

[Marvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily the best book on outdoor cooking I've ever seen.

Cook's Illustrated books are the OCD books of cooking. Their books are more on technique rather than ingredients, although that is important too. They brag about things like cooking 400 pounds of beef in order to find the perfect burger recipe. This guide to grilling and barbecue is no different. Every aspect of grilling is covered. The recipes are practically foolproof. I've yet to find a bad recipe and even simple grilling items have been improved by using this book. My favorite find is a brining technique that makes the toughest London Broil tender and delicious. Highly recommended to any grilling aficionado.

[Sesopenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is my BBQ bible and I haven't been able to find anything better on the subject. It discusses techniques as well as recipes and is my go-to reference every spring when the snow thaws and I buy my first bag of charcoal for the season.

The book was basically written by "researchers" who experimented with different techniques and recipes, sharing what worked and what didn't for each recipe. They also go into great lengths detailing extra information such what makes each cut of beef different and an awesome way to butterfly a lamb leg!

My only criticism for the book would be the cooking times and the charcoal/briquette quantity recommendations. I'm pretty sure they operated in a warm climate and here in Canada, even our late spring and early summer days can be quite chilly. They also describe a method for measuring grill temperature that involves holding your hand over the grill and judging it that way. I just couldn't understand what they meant by "medium" because everybody's tolerance for heat is difference. It would have been nice if they had described exact cooking temperatures and what the temperatures were at as time went on.

In all it's an excellent book and if you own either a propane or charcoal bbq definitely add this to your bookshelf. Mine's already looking well worn and I've only had it for 2 years.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

First I need to admit I was just looking for new summertime grilling ideas so I did not cook anything out of this book. While this comprehensive book would be great for someone with limited cooking experience as it is very detailed, I was disappointed. First off, it does not include any colored photographs in the text, but instead placed them in two center inserts which makes the recipes and photographs far apart. The book does include excellent sketches demonstrating how to cut meat and vegetables, and how to use the grill. The first three-quarters of the book is devoted to the meat course and covers everything from beef, pork, poultry including chicken, turkey, squabs, and ducks,and a long list of fish and seafood. The last quarter has rubs (for meat), pizza and bruschetta, a small section to vegetables, tiny section on fruits and then salad and accompaniments which generally have nothing to do with the grill and sometimes even require use of your oven. Most of the recipes are classic American food for the grill and there are few new ideas or interesting ethnic recipes.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spells out the gas and charcoal preparation and procedure for grilling anything you can think of.

Also explains the trial and error process of what didn't work for each.

Along with the narrative, includes diagrams and charts to explain how to chop/slice, etc, temperatures and lots of other useful information.

Includes a lot of recipes, especially with seasonings and ingredients you should have on hand anyways.

For example - it will tell you how to grill asparagus, both on charcoal and gas, what they tried that didn't work. How to prep the asparagus. Then give a handful of recipes with various ways to coat the asparagus, all easy to follow. Repeat for every item of food you can think of.

[Aod · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably the best cookbook for outdoor cooking. Although, I must admit that I only have made the burgers so far. My brother said that the "beer can chicken" is very good.