Rating: 
Summary: Great Guide...
Review: I just recently (within the last year or so) got into grilling and, even more recently, barbecuing. I started out simple--burgers, chicken, etc. Then, one day, I found Steve Raichlen's "How to Grill," and felt compelled to purchase it, which I did. I became immersed in that book, so much so that I went back and purchased "BBQ USA." Let me tell you, neither one of these books is disappointing. I soon found myself grilling steaks, pork loins, and then barbecuing pork shoulder and pork ribs. My interest in grilling and barbecuing now only seems to grow; within the past month, I have amassed seven books about grilling and/or barbecuing. Mr. Raichlen is a grilling/barbecuing genius, if you ask me...
Rating: 
Summary: Lots of info, but recipe layout could be improved
Review: "BBQ U.S.A." is an interesting book, no question about it. It offers a lot of information on all aspects of BBQ'ing, smoking and grilling, and is chock full of historical tidbits, helpful hints and anecdotes. Where the book suffers is in the layout of the recipes. These are divided into categories such as birds, pork, beef etc. However, the recipe pages are so loaded with sidebars, photographs of various BBQ masters and anecdotal stories that it becomes more difficult than it should be to flip through a section to find a recipe you're looking for, or to compare recipes within a section. A less-cluttered recipe area would have been helpful, or at least a recipe index at the beginning of every chapter so one could quickly locate a recipe.Still, if you're willing to overlook that, the book does offer a ton of helpful info and would certainly help improve any chef's BBQ skills.
Rating:
Summary: Great Barbeque Guide and Regional Recipe Book
Review: BBQ USA is an awesome guide to barbeque throughout the United States (and even a few places outside of the US). This book highlights what is similiar and what is different about how people barbeque in different regions. Organized by food type (ex. beef, poultry, fish, etc) the guide gives various examples of how a food would be handled in different areas. Ribs may be, for example, done with: dry rubs, marinades, smoked, rotisserie, boiled, or jerked, just depending on where you go. This by-food-type organization is a boon to the barbequer who may catch a good deal on a particular food at the store, but isn't sure what they want to do with it. The discussions of regional barbeque is fascinating. With some pictures thrown in of restaurants and barbeque stops around the country, this is not just a recipe book, but a tour of the US through a different lense. The fact that there are a whopping 425 recipes for barbeque from around the country will keep pit-masters busy for many weekends to come. With this book in hand, there will never again be reason for any ambitious barbequer's family to complain of food boredom! As a recipe book, this one is great. There is variety for every palate, great instructions, and helpful tips. The only thing that some may not like is that there are only a few pictures of the foods in the recipes. Given the size of this tome, with it's 425 recipes, this is understandable. For the new barbequer who needs pictures, or to those that just prefer them, a better book might be Steven Raichlens' "How to Grill", which gives awesome instructions in equipment, technique, and beautiful glossy photos on every page.
Rating:
Summary: Great Barbeque Guide and Regional Recipe Book
Review: BBQ USA is an awesome guide to barbeque throughout the United States (and even a few places outside of the US). This book highlights what is similiar and what is different about how people barbeque in different regions. Organized by food type (ex. beef, poultry, fish, etc) the guide gives various examples of how a food would be handled in different areas. Ribs may be, for example, done with: dry rubs, marinades, smoked, rotisserie, boiled, or jerked, just depending on where you go. This by-food-type organization is a boon to the barbequer who may catch a good deal on a particular food at the store, but isn't sure what they want to do with it. The discussions of regional barbeque is fascinating. With some pictures thrown in of restaurants and barbeque stops around the country, this is not just a recipe book, but a tour of the US through a different lense. The fact that there are a whopping 425 recipes for barbeque from around the country will keep pit-masters busy for many weekends to come. With this book in hand, there will never again be reason for any ambitious barbequer's family to complain of food boredom! As a recipe book, this one is great. There is variety for every palate, great instructions, and helpful tips. The only thing that some may not like is that there are only a few pictures of the foods in the recipes. Given the size of this tome, with it's 425 recipes, this is understandable. For the new barbequer who needs pictures, or to those that just prefer them, a better book might be Steven Raichlens' "How to Grill", which gives awesome instructions in equipment, technique, and beautiful glossy photos on every page.
Rating:
Summary: Whoa! It's Huge!
Review: I bought this for my husband in hopes of hinting to him to use the grill more often during the warmer months. It is so big and overwhelming that he hardly looked at it. He did use the grill and BBQ but not aided by this or the companion book.
Rating:
Summary: Whoa! It's Huge!
Review: I bought this for my husband in hopes of hinting to him to use the grill more often during the warmer months. It is so big and overwhelming that he hardly looked at it. He did use the grill and BBQ but not aided by this or the companion book.
Rating: 
Summary: Buy How to Grill Instead
Review: I love his other book (How to Grill)it's great I would give it 5 stars, but, this book does not compare. It's not that I didn't learn a few things from this book, I would just recommend that you buy a different book.
Rating: 
Summary: A Little Too Large and Jumbled
Review: I love the original "Barbeque Bible" and "Sauces, Rubs and Marinades" by Steve Raichlen so I thought this book would be great, but I'm disappointed. I've looked through the book twice so far and I'm overwhelmed by the layout of the stories/recipes. It's not that easy to follow. The graphics and the text are not placed on each page in an easy to read manner. It all looks crowded and jumbled and you can't tell where one recipe begins and another ends. I also have not found any good recipes yet that I think are worth making. I'll look through the book once more and if I don't find anything appealing then I'll sell my used copy here on Amazon.
Rating:
Summary: A Little Too Large and Jumbled
Review: I love the original "Barbeque Bible" and "Sauces, Rubs and Marinades" by Steve Raichlen so I thought this book would be great, but I'm disappointed. I've looked through the book twice so far and I'm overwhelmed by the layout of the stories/recipes. It's not that easy to follow. The graphics and the text are not placed on each page in an easy to read manner. It all looks crowded and jumbled and you can't tell where one recipe begins and another ends. I also have not found any good recipes yet that I think are worth making. I'll look through the book once more and if I don't find anything appealing then I'll sell my used copy here on Amazon.
Rating:
Summary: A Little Too Large and Jumbled
Review: I love the original "Barbeque Bible" and "Sauces, Rubs and Marinades" by Steve Raichlen so I thought this book would be great, but I'm disappointed. I've looked through the book twice so far and I'm overwhelmed by the layout of the stories/recipes. It's not that easy to follow. The graphics and the text are not placed on each page in an easy to read manner. It all looks crowded and jumbled and you can't tell where one recipe begins and another ends. I also have not found any good recipes yet that I think are worth making. I'll look through the book once more and if I don't find anything appealing then I'll sell my used copy here on Amazon.
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