There's a world of grilled food out there, and Steven Raichlen seems to have wandered through all of it the State Department deemed "safe." No Afghanistan, for instance. No Iraq. But not to worry. Any decent conflict produces refugees, and nothing travels quite so easily as your own way with food. So Raichlen availed himself of restaurant cooks in this country where and when he had to--all to get right down to the meat of it.
"Barbecue," as Raichlen points out, is a confusing word in the U.S. because it means so many things, up to and including slow-cooked barbecue with its smoky aroma and succulent charm. The word stands in for the tool itself. It's an event. It's food. It's the style of cooking.
To set the record straight, 90 percent of Raichlen's recipes (there are more than 500, from drinks to appetizers to main courses, salads, and desserts, not to mention sauces and dry rubs) are for grilled foods--and that can mean cooked on a hot grill, a moderately hot grill, a relatively cool grill, or an indirectly heated grill (which is more like an oven than a grill, but that's another story). Raichlen gets into some barbecue recipes: pork ribs, for example, or beef brisket, or chicken. But the reader would be better advised to look elsewhere for instruction specific to barbecue (cooking for long periods of time with smoke at low heat). The results will be more appealing.
But grilling. Well, Steven Raichlen has a lock on grilling. This book is absolutely overwhelming it is so deep, so comprehensive, so far-reaching, so all-encompassing. This isn't one of those chefs with taste memories from a grill in Barbados, now let's try to jazz it up and be clever kind of books. No. This is a book by an author who squatted in the market in Vietnam eating whole grilled eggs dipped in a special sauce, and he gives you the recipe and the technique. You could go set up your own egg-grilling stand in a Vietnamese market with this book. You could open shop in Central or South America. Or North Africa. Or the Middle East. Or Korea. Anywhere food is grilled--be that meat, poultry, seafood, or vegetables--Raichlen's been there and brought home the goods. The real goods.
But there's another angle, too. Raichlen freely shares his travel experiences with you, making this a valuable travel book. And he freely shares his techniques, too, telling you exactly how he learned and all about who taught him. His book is worth it just for the section on salads and sauces. Start there and work your way from cover to cover. Hey, take all summer trying. You won't regret it. Your life will never be the same. You'll probably find yourself thinking that if one grill in the backyard is good, two is no doubt better. See? You're already on your way. Let Steven Raichlen be your guide. --Schuyler Ingle
Not great for the British Market (Rating 2 of 5)
» Mrs. C. Smith
We have purchased MANY barbecue books over the last few months, and had really high hopes for this title based on the reviews. Sadly the book is very much geared to the American Market (and why shouldn't it be - the author is American himself) and I feel does not measure up well to our homegrown barbecue manuals.
There are LOADS of recipes, but I feel that we will only try a few.
Everyone should have this book (Rating 5 of 5)
» Samantha Street
My boyfriend hates this book as it means we can never have a simple BBQ - I get going the day before marinading and make a total mess of the kitchen. The recipes are fantastic - the courgette salad is amazing, everything is easy to follow and it's attractively laid out. You won't need any other BBQ book but this one (I do have the rubs and marinades book but due to English weather have only tried a quarter of the recipes here, perhaps you need both books if you live somewhere the sun shines for more than a couple of weeks in the year)
Top quality garden cooking!! (Rating 5 of 5)
» spoon_lamp
. This book is packed with fantastic recipes from all around the world and must have been an absolute joy to research! It has hundreds of recipes, all easily explained with wit and sometimes a little history too. I've only tried a handful, (will I ever get through them all?!) but all I get is compliment after compliment! Exotic sauces which may be difficult to come by are all given a local substitute making the most experimental dishes fun and easy. I highly recommend Steven Raichlen's other BBQ book about 'Sauces, Rubs and Marinades' for the die hard garden chef!! Excellent stuff!
My Favorite Barbeque Reference! (Rating 5 of 5)
»
Steven Raichlen is truly the "guru of barbeque". I have tried many unique preparations from around the world that were never too difficult to follow. Additionally, I appreciate the history and humor that accompanies the many recipes. I would also like to recommend the author's new book called "Barbeque USA". If you enjoy grilling, any of Raichlen's book would be a welcome addition to you cookbook shelf.
Cook the World (Rating 5 of 5)
» c viola
Wow this is a very exciting book BBQ recipes from around the world that work! You can try Afgahan Style game hens or Thai Chicken Sates served in lettice leaves it is as close as you can get to sex
(Rating 2 of 5)
(Rating 5 of 5)
