June 01, 2022

Must read BBQ books

By Ndah Mbawa
Must read BBQ books

Whether you're new to smoking meat, or a BBQ veteran looking for inspiration, we have collated a list of our favourite books to help you get started, or perfect your craft.

First up we have:

Smoke and Spice by Cheryl and Bill Jamison

Big Bob Gibson's BBQ book by Chris Lilly

This book has loads of recipes with various ideas for the active BBQ-er. A system of cooking that isn't just for the summer. Along with all the recipes they're are lots of tips on how long to cook for and lots of marinades. There are some great recipes to get started and most importantly a breakdown of the essentials that will allow you to build experience and then springboard into experimenting and creating your own signature flavours.

Take a look at:

Serious barbecue by Adam Perry Lang

This book has proved the most helpful in helping people moving their BBQ up a level, as well as useful, offering nice alternatives to a somewhat restrictive cooking style. Mr. Lang spent a considerable amount of time describing how he uses his master chef skills to improve long-standing BBQ techniques. His reference material and recipes give plenty of new ideas to try that will carry over into your every day cooking, both on the grill and smoker.

Another must read:

Meathead: The science of great barbecue and grilling

Far more than just a recipe book - the first 1/3 at least is about the science of all things BBQ - from a discussion on heat and different cooking techniques, to insights on different coals, woods, BBQs etc. After that, with each of the meat sections, along with recipes, he dissects the different cuts, cooks and factors to consider when preparing to BBQ. This book is for those who really want to perfect their technique by being clued up on all things BBQ.

Real BBQ: The ultimate step-by-step smoker cookbook

 

This is an excellent book for those who want to start cooking real BBQ. It starts off with the basics in explaining the different type of smokers and moves into the regional differences of BBQing. The book breaks down type of meat you are using, fat contents, types of smoker and wood chip recommendations for flavors. The recipes are broken down for you and detailed in level of difficulty.There is also a section on marinades and rubs, which look delicious.