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Charcoal: New Ways to Cook with Fire: A Cookbook
California-cool grilling wisdom from one of the most renowned chefs in Los Angeles.
Josiah Citrin is one of the biggest names in the L.A. food world and his restaurant, Mélisse, is a temple for fine dining. But his hot new restaurant, Charcoal Venice, is devoted to the kind of cooking he does at home for his friends and family--backyard cookouts where a pile of coals and seasonal ingredients are all a home cook needs to create an unforgettable meal. In Charcoal , Citrin presents completely fresh ways to cook with fire and charcoal, not only grilling over the coals, but cooking inside them and finding inventive methods for searing and smoking.
Whether Citrin's grilling barbecue classics like J1-Marinated Skirt Steak and Salt-Baked Whole Maine Lobster or West Coast-inspired vegetable sides like his signature Cabbage Baked in Embers, charcoal is the dynamic center of this cookbook. Unlike other grilling books, vegetables get equal billing with meat. For Citrin, the color, texture, and flavors of vegetables are endlessly inspiring. With almost 100 recipes for savory main dishes and sides, as well as desserts and even cocktails, Charcoal shows that the satisfaction of smoky flavor and a good char knows no bounds. It is a celebration of the universal human craving to gather together and cook over a live fire.
Josiah Citrin is one of the biggest names in the L.A. food world and his restaurant, Mélisse, is a temple for fine dining. But his hot new restaurant, Charcoal Venice, is devoted to the kind of cooking he does at home for his friends and family--backyard cookouts where a pile of coals and seasonal ingredients are all a home cook needs to create an unforgettable meal. In Charcoal , Citrin presents completely fresh ways to cook with fire and charcoal, not only grilling over the coals, but cooking inside them and finding inventive methods for searing and smoking.
Whether Citrin's grilling barbecue classics like J1-Marinated Skirt Steak and Salt-Baked Whole Maine Lobster or West Coast-inspired vegetable sides like his signature Cabbage Baked in Embers, charcoal is the dynamic center of this cookbook. Unlike other grilling books, vegetables get equal billing with meat. For Citrin, the color, texture, and flavors of vegetables are endlessly inspiring. With almost 100 recipes for savory main dishes and sides, as well as desserts and even cocktails, Charcoal shows that the satisfaction of smoky flavor and a good char knows no bounds. It is a celebration of the universal human craving to gather together and cook over a live fire.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published May 14, 2019
37 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 4, 2019
It was a good book but I'm not so much into the French style of prepping food so it wasn't a great book for me but there were some good recipes.
October 27, 2019
For the adventurous, experienced cooks
I have cooked, smoked and built an outdoor wood-fired oven; this is a wonderful, inspiring cookbook for people like me.
I have cooked, smoked and built an outdoor wood-fired oven; this is a wonderful, inspiring cookbook for people like me.
September 20, 2021
Some interesting charcoal cooking ideas.
April 17, 2022
This is the ultimate freak show
Eggs Black Benedict
If you can imagine a black jelly-like mass from space
oozing a yellow infection, this is it
It's right out of the Outer Limits episode
'The Mice'
with Henry Silva
It's the most surreal, hideous, dish around
and i'm sure you could do a 1970 Television Special with the Amazing Criswell about it
iu The World of the Weird and Strange!
---
'smoky, jet-block charcoal hollandaise was the answer...'
'just a heads-up, the charcoal hollandaise will likely leave a residual black outline on your, and your guests' lips - which thankfully isn't permanent'
---
thick-cut ham steak - country bread - extra-virgin olive oil
egg yolks - activated charcoal powder - lemon juice
unsalted butter - sea salt - cayenne
eggs - white vinegar - black pepper - chives
charred tomato sauce
---
charred tomato sauce
heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes
extra-virgin olive oil - flat-leaf parsley
basil leaves - thyme sprigs
white anchovy fillet (boquerone) - castelvetrano olives
red wine vinegar - garlic
sea salt -red pepper flakes
---
you dont know what you're getting into
overall not a bad book
if you can get over him trying too hard to be innovative
but it might be one of the most successful versions of 'trying too hard to be different' that i own for cookbooks
---
Cabbage baked in embers with Yogurt, Sumac and Lemon Zest
green cabbage - extra-virgin olive oil - sea salt
whole milk yogurt - chives - sumac
lemon zest - lemon juice
(strangely enough people picked out the cabbage and yoghurt recipe for showing off the book on amazon, so it's not just me that said this one really stands out)
and why did they choose it?
(it's the most popular thing on the menu!!?!)
'Who would have thought that the most popular dish on the Charcoal menu would be cabbage?! We bury a whole head of plain ol’ green cabbage and cook it in blistering coals until the outer leaves are caramelized and give way to a soft, steamed interior.
'Because of its size and density, cabbage lends itself well to the smoldering embers of the fire, where it transforms and emerges juicy, smoky, and meaty.
'Trust me, even people who think they don’t like cabbage—they’ve only had watery coleslaw or bland cabbage soup—go nuts for this addictive starter dish.'
---
maybe the best artichoke recipe on the planet
artichokes - extra-virgin olive oil
fleur de sel - fine sea salt
shallot - garlic
fresh basil - flat-leaf parsley
red pepper flakes - black pepper
lemon aioli
lemon aioli
mayonnaise - dijon
lemon juice - flat-leaf parsley
garlic - extra-virgin olive oil
fine sea salt - piment d'espelette/cayenne (french basque espelette pepper like a fruity cayenne)
---
amazon review
by mister hungry i
Charcoal or the Gas Grill?
Great recipes, but this is not a cookbook to grab right before hitting the grill. It calls for lots of obscure ingredients and in general, a lot of time!
Great success with the Honey Chicken and chicken skewers, but the time and sheer number of ingredients involved in most of these recipes make this tough to give my full endorsement.
Mr. I
---
amazon 2
Not very innovative
Nothing special about the recipes, nothing new and putting a Prime NY strip directly on the coals is ridiculous.
Patrick Smith
---
amazon 3
Beautiful book with so much yumminess to be admired!
Mom of Two
---
Eggs Black Benedict
If you can imagine a black jelly-like mass from space
oozing a yellow infection, this is it
It's right out of the Outer Limits episode
'The Mice'
with Henry Silva
It's the most surreal, hideous, dish around
and i'm sure you could do a 1970 Television Special with the Amazing Criswell about it
iu The World of the Weird and Strange!
---
'smoky, jet-block charcoal hollandaise was the answer...'
'just a heads-up, the charcoal hollandaise will likely leave a residual black outline on your, and your guests' lips - which thankfully isn't permanent'
---
thick-cut ham steak - country bread - extra-virgin olive oil
egg yolks - activated charcoal powder - lemon juice
unsalted butter - sea salt - cayenne
eggs - white vinegar - black pepper - chives
charred tomato sauce
---
charred tomato sauce
heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes
extra-virgin olive oil - flat-leaf parsley
basil leaves - thyme sprigs
white anchovy fillet (boquerone) - castelvetrano olives
red wine vinegar - garlic
sea salt -red pepper flakes
---
you dont know what you're getting into
overall not a bad book
if you can get over him trying too hard to be innovative
but it might be one of the most successful versions of 'trying too hard to be different' that i own for cookbooks
---
Cabbage baked in embers with Yogurt, Sumac and Lemon Zest
green cabbage - extra-virgin olive oil - sea salt
whole milk yogurt - chives - sumac
lemon zest - lemon juice
(strangely enough people picked out the cabbage and yoghurt recipe for showing off the book on amazon, so it's not just me that said this one really stands out)
and why did they choose it?
(it's the most popular thing on the menu!!?!)
'Who would have thought that the most popular dish on the Charcoal menu would be cabbage?! We bury a whole head of plain ol’ green cabbage and cook it in blistering coals until the outer leaves are caramelized and give way to a soft, steamed interior.
'Because of its size and density, cabbage lends itself well to the smoldering embers of the fire, where it transforms and emerges juicy, smoky, and meaty.
'Trust me, even people who think they don’t like cabbage—they’ve only had watery coleslaw or bland cabbage soup—go nuts for this addictive starter dish.'
---
maybe the best artichoke recipe on the planet
artichokes - extra-virgin olive oil
fleur de sel - fine sea salt
shallot - garlic
fresh basil - flat-leaf parsley
red pepper flakes - black pepper
lemon aioli
lemon aioli
mayonnaise - dijon
lemon juice - flat-leaf parsley
garlic - extra-virgin olive oil
fine sea salt - piment d'espelette/cayenne (french basque espelette pepper like a fruity cayenne)
---
amazon review
by mister hungry i
Charcoal or the Gas Grill?
Great recipes, but this is not a cookbook to grab right before hitting the grill. It calls for lots of obscure ingredients and in general, a lot of time!
Great success with the Honey Chicken and chicken skewers, but the time and sheer number of ingredients involved in most of these recipes make this tough to give my full endorsement.
Mr. I
---
amazon 2
Not very innovative
Nothing special about the recipes, nothing new and putting a Prime NY strip directly on the coals is ridiculous.
Patrick Smith
---
amazon 3
Beautiful book with so much yumminess to be admired!
Mom of Two
---
July 12, 2019
My wife bought me this book after seeing P!nk post about it on Instagram! I'm only about 2/3 of the way through reading it and have only tried two recipes, but I know I will turn to this again and again. The pictures are amazing and that tiny tiny little paragraph tip about the green bit of garlic cloves is a game changer.
I'd really only thought about low and slow type of cooking for meat, but there is so much in here for direct cooking, veg, sides, and sauces as well. There are great notes about ingredients that you might not immediately recognize as well which makes this super accessible. A++ will grill again.
I'd really only thought about low and slow type of cooking for meat, but there is so much in here for direct cooking, veg, sides, and sauces as well. There are great notes about ingredients that you might not immediately recognize as well which makes this super accessible. A++ will grill again.
June 20, 2021
Great mix of veggies and meats (good for this vegan cook with a meat eating family). The sauces are amazing, the chimichurri is worth buying it just in it's own!!
June 22, 2024
My first recipe out of this book was the roasted carrots with the tops used to make a pesto. Super Fantastic recipe.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews