Rating: 
Summary: Cooking out in the open!
Review: 'Creative', 'Original' and 'New' are often recipes for disaster, but 'Thrill' is sauced-up here! S&W explore a cuisine as old as Neanderthal, with ingredients as simple and fresh as your grocer's morning delivery. Give your culinary tap-root a deep watering with "The Thrill of the Grill". Submitted by Michael Dean Olsen (Calliste@juno.com
Rating:
Summary: Gourmet-style grilling made available to everyone
Review: A very funny book(watch the comments which belong to the recipes)on grilling. The book contains recipes for every style of grilling. West Indianrecipes, american BBQ and gourmet grillrecipes are included. I've tried a few recipes and I can assure you that they're absolutely fabulous! The weakhearted shouldn't try the pasta from hell though! As a collector of cookery-book and having been a chef myself i can recommend this delightful book to everyone interested in grilling or BBQ-ing!!
Rating: 
Summary: A Mixed Bag
Review: Afraid I'm in the minority here. While I use this book and am glad to have it, I've had mixed results from the recipes. In some cases, it seems the flavor combinations were chosen more for experimental reasons or to make a culinary statement, rather than because they taste good. Taste is always a matter of opinion, but I found that many of the recipes here are simply not for everyone. And it should be noted that a lot of the recipes have little to do with grilling or barbeque, as the book is a bit unfocused.On the plus side, the text is more enjoyable to read than most cook books, with all sorts of interesting insights and recollections on most recipes. The southern, folksy demeanor of Schlesinger really makes this fun to read. But cookbooks are usually bought for the recipes, and there are problems. The West Indies chicken calls for way too much rub, and I simply found it to be "an acquired taste". I simply didn't have the courage to try the Jerk Seasoning, which was basically a Scotch Bonnet chile paste with a whisper of other ingredients. Surprisingly, neither cloves nor allspice was one of them. I suppose one shouldn't criticize before trying it, but it's hard to imagine anyone other than the most bound determined fire-eater choking that one down. Does anyone really have time to simmer the tomatoes for 4 hours for the All-American Barbeque sauce, when so many other great sauces can be made in far less time and with less effort? Personally, I found some of the fruit and spice combinations to simply not work. This is not to say that good recipes cannot be found. Some of the simple ones work well, such as the grilled bananas or the Greek-inspired lamb marinade. The Tidewater Coleslaw has become a fixture whenever I host a cook-out, but I do jazz it up with a tablespoon of yellow mustard. It certainly rounds out my cooking library and I expect to find some more good recipes here. But for my taste, there are too many clunker recipes for me to provide a ringing endorsement.
Rating:
Summary: A Mixed Bag
Review: Afraid I'm in the minority here. While I use this book and am glad to have it, I've had mixed results from the recipes. In some cases, it seems the flavor combinations were chosen more for experimental reasons or to make a culinary statement, rather than because they taste good. Taste is always a matter of opinion, but I found that many of the recipes here are simply not for everyone. And it should be noted that a lot of the recipes have little to do with grilling or barbeque, as the book is a bit unfocused. On the plus side, the text is more enjoyable to read than most cook books, with all sorts of interesting insights and recollections on most recipes. The southern, folksy demeanor of Schlesinger really makes this fun to read. But cookbooks are usually bought for the recipes, and there are problems. The West Indies chicken calls for way too much rub, and I simply found it to be "an acquired taste". I simply didn't have the courage to try the Jerk Seasoning, which was basically a Scotch Bonnet chile paste with a whisper of other ingredients. Surprisingly, neither cloves nor allspice was one of them. I suppose one shouldn't criticize before trying it, but it's hard to imagine anyone other than the most bound determined fire-eater choking that one down. Does anyone really have time to simmer the tomatoes for 4 hours for the All-American Barbeque sauce, when so many other great sauces can be made in far less time and with less effort? Personally, I found some of the fruit and spice combinations to simply not work. This is not to say that good recipes cannot be found. Some of the simple ones work well, such as the grilled bananas or the Greek-inspired lamb marinade. The Tidewater Coleslaw has become a fixture whenever I host a cook-out, but I do jazz it up with a tablespoon of yellow mustard. It certainly rounds out my cooking library and I expect to find some more good recipes here. But for my taste, there are too many clunker recipes for me to provide a ringing endorsement.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing Else Quite Like It!
Review: After having a wonderful dinner at there restaurant, I purchased there book the same night at there establishment. If you're tired of the same old BBQ, this book is for you. I highly reccomend the pulled pork recipe with the orzo salad. Fabulous!
Rating: 
Summary: This aint no BBQ book!
Review: After having read a couple supposed "impartial" reviews of this book on the net and in other print mediums, where it was hailed as the Bible of BBQ, I ordered this book and its sequel "License to Grill". My opinion? I WASTED MY MONEY. This book has very very little to do with BBQ. If my memory is correct, it has about 5 recipies or so dealing with real BBQ. Im not talking grilling, im talking barbequeing... and those shopping for a BBQ probably know the difference. As grilling books go, its alright. (thus why i didnt give it only 1 star), but the book would have been better titled as "The carribean grill". The whole book is about grilling carribean style. This applies little to someone seaking a true BBQ book. This book is WAY overhyped in the BBQ/grilling community. (this review based upon my reading of about 8 BBQ cookbooks, a dozen webpages, several FAQs)
Rating:
Summary: Grilling way beyond BBQ
Review: After seeing some negative reviews, I had to respond. I have __never__ used a cookbook with as many recipes in it that opened my eyes and titillated my palate as this one. If you want straight-out BBQ there may be better books but if you want to enjoy great food, intriguing spice combinations, and simply have fun doing it -- BUY THIS.
Rating:
Summary: Grilling way beyond BBQ
Review: After seeing some negative reviews, I had to respond. I have __never__ used a cookbook with as many recipes in it that opened my eyes and titillated my palate as this one. If you want straight-out BBQ there may be better books but if you want to enjoy great food, intriguing spice combinations, and simply have fun doing it -- BUY THIS.
Rating: 
Summary: I Sent It Back
Review: I had high hopes for this book, based on the reviews. What a disappointment!
I have been grilling for many years and have three Weber Grills on my deck that get a lot of year 'round use, even in the hard winter months. I use gas and charcoal, and find that both methods produce excellent results. This book focuses only on charcoal, which is my first objection. An objective, comprehensive book on grilling would address both methods, because both have plusses and minuses.
It also opposes the covering of food while cooking, based on the claim that covering food imparts an off flavor. I cover all food, because covering maintains the heat level and actually enhances flavor. More troublesome is the direction to oil the grill, rather than the food, to prevent having it stick to the grill. Oiling the grill with a fire going is an invitation to the E.R. Experienced outdoor cooks ALWAYS use a bit of oil on the food to add flavor and prevent sticking.
There are several other areas where my experiences conflict with the advice given. All in all, this book is simply way off the mark.
I'll stick with the Weber grilling books; they make sense.
Rating:
Summary: My first grilling cookbook and still the one must have
Review: I have at least a dozen grilling/barbecue cookbooks and if I could only keep one this would be it. It's a classic IMHO. It covers grilling and barbeque and does justice to both. The pork rub (for shoulder/ribs) is great. I would recommend "License to Grill" as well.
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