The Firehouse Grilling Cookbook

Rating:
Summary: Playing with fire can be fun
Review: Among my 20+ grilling cookbooks, this is the one to which I always turn when I want to put something good on the table with a minimum of fuss. Joe Bonanno shares with us his experience as a firehouse chef, and that of a number of other firefighters from around the country, in this remarkably good basic book. The recipes are straightforward, using ingredients that are readily available in most places. His chapters on grilling basics and safety tips are very helpful. The collection of marinade recipes is one of the best, and widest-ranging, to be found in the galaxy of grillbooks. The "Mexican Cerveza and Cilantro" marinade contributed by Richard Duden, an NYC Ladderman, is terrific; to get real flavor, be sure to use a lager (Bohemia and Dos Equis come to mind) as called for, not some thin swill like Corona. While one might assume that a firehouse cookbook would focus on beef and pork, the recipes for grilled veggies, fish, shellfish, lamb, chicken, and turkey are varied and uniformly excellent. There are a number of tasty salsa and salad recipes as well. The publisher has made this a particularly useable book by essentially eliminating the bad page turns that plague many otherwise good grill books (notably those of the Jamisons) and by including clear step-by-step instructions for taking the user from prep to palate. (Who really wants to deal with page turns when one's hands have marinade, sauce, or whatever on them?). Joe's Healthy Firehouse Cookbook is also highly recommended.