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Summary: BBQ is in my veins now!!!
Review: This book has colorful pictures and excellent tips to start grilling. Although I do not use charcoal, propane works just as well and the book contains how to cook with propane step by step.I have tried several marinades, pork, tuna, and steak- all most tasty when following recipes in the Big Book. Definitely worth the money to invest in this book if you want to do more with the grill.
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Summary: Love my Weber grill, love this book!
Review: I got a new bar-b-que grill last Fall and have been experimenting. It's a Weber Genesis Silver B grill and I love it! So far I have grilled lamb on it for Easter, strip steaks with garlic butter, chicken halves with a dry-rub spice mixture, hamburgers of course, and last night we grilled some marinated skirt steaks for my favorite Mexican food: fajitas! Mmm...
So, this review is about a book that I bought this Spring in conjunction with the new grill called Weber's Big Book of Grilling. I thought I knew how to grill meat before -- it's easy, right? Just slap the chicken or burgers or steak on the hot grill and cook 'til you think it's done. That's OK for your average schmo who's satisfied with burnt-raw chicken or hockey-puck burgers. But there is an "art" to grilling foods if you want to do it right. And this book certainly explains how to do it right.
Selecting the best meat is certainly near the top of the list. I bought some cheap strip steaks on sale at a local market and followed the book's instructions on how to grill them right. They looked and smelled delicious - but were as tough as shoeleather. Now I learned that you generally get what you pay for -- good quality meat costs more. Last night's skirt steaks (USDA Choice, this time!), marinated in a lime juice, oil and herb mixture for a day (OK, I cheated and added some Tequila that wasn't in the recipe!), grilled on direct high heat for only about 6 minutes, made the best fajitas I have had - rivaling some of the best ones I've had at restaurants. The marinade recipe, how to prepare and grill the meat, even a recipe for pico de gallo -- they're all in the book.
I learned through the book how to cook hickory-smoked pork ribs, slowly by indirect heat, on the gas grill. The tangy "basting/dipping sauce" recipe they include with the grilling instructions is excellent -- I never would have thought of any of that on my own.
There is good information about how to select meats (all kinds: beef, pork, poultry, fish), how to prepare them, recipes for sauces and marinades, even sections on grilling vegetables and desserts! The writing is easy to follow, with a sense of humor throughout. There are also some entertaining stories about the origins of Weber and grilling.
Get yourself a good grill, get this book, select top-quality meat, use kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, pour your beer into an iced lager glass, and you're in business!
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