This book by Meathead Goldwyn, is a renown barbecue bible for all things low and slow and grilled. It is not simply a barbecue cookbook with some handy tips, it contains all you need from beginner to expert. The science explanations allow the reader to start building up a repertoire of all that is happening to your barbecue, the fuel it uses, the thermodynamics of barbecue cooking and importantly how this interacts with the food you end up cooking on it. Meathead, along with the other main contributor to the book, Professor Greg Blonder, run the online resource amazingribs.com, which the book is a hard copy resource of containing some aspects of the site. Nothing can beat the feel of having the ability to read, and later refer to exploring methods, cooks, technology and science behind what you are doing rather than clicking and searching online resources.
In the book, Meathead busts a lot of barbecue myths out there about resting meats, searing meat, issues with 'red' juices in meat (it isn't blood), marinading meat, seasoning a smoker and choices of fuel. Behind all of this is robust science, and it is no surprise that the book's foreword is from respected food author and expert in all the scientific aspects of food, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, author of 'The Food Lab'.
This book is a one-stop shop to all you need to get started as well as the seasoned chef. Even for someone who only cooks a couple of barbecues a year a few minor extra facets to your overall understanding if barbecue that will just help. The pro might just learn a few things that explain stuff you'd experienced already or better understand a mishap you'd previously had.
Images taken from amazingribs.com.
