[.ca] BBQ USA: 425 Fiery Recipes from All Across America (ISBN 0761131337)

What A BBQ Guide Should Be:
Want more out of BBQ? This is surefire one stop source! 774 pages of BBQ source that is, with info and recipes and techniques and history, with all the regional tricks and traditions covered, explained and recipes provided. There is grillin under bricks, on a rotisserie, in a pit, smoked, and rubbed and pulled and flamed seared, with hog or beef or oysters,corn, beans, even meatloaf. Then there's brats and burgers and every fixin that goes so well with these. They're all here. This is truly a source for them all. One doesn't have to travel all over to discover them, just pick and choose on a BBQ journey around the country cooking through this one. Or if you desire to visit a site or region, this even provides the places and addresses to find personally. I like to try different stuff that I've never had before, so for me thus far I've tried: "Alabam BBQ Chickens with White BBQ Sauce." Who has ever heard of WhiteBBQ? But this is soo good! The horseradish, vinegar sauce is a hit, a triple at least! Also into the ribs, so a marinated in apple cider, with a "Magic Dust" rub really caught my eye and mouth, and you've just got to try the "Apple City Championship Ribs". And finally, a Tuna "London Broil" with Wasabi Cream Sauce. This is fantastic dish with a dry rub, and the contrasty taste of seared tuna with cream sauce is rich and superb, even for squeamish sushi avoiders. And what BBQ is there without dessert, say "Smoked Alaska." This is a treat, not as hard as one would think. This is such a thorough book it will take many years of grilling to explore all its varieties and offerings, but many of us will and should! There is outstanding bibliography and sources. Join in the fun!

Making a good grillmaster great:
It is obvious from reading some of the reviews that this book goes beyond most peoples comfort level with a grill. And thats the point. If your idea of grilling is tossing a burger or chicken breast on the coals for dinner, then this book will overwhelm you. If however, you are already a fairly accomplished grill jockey, and are truly interested in the sport, then it is an outstanding encyclopedia of recipes, techniques and history, to educate and expand your horizons. I highly recommend that you first read "How to Grill", which goes into great detail on all of the nuances of advanced grilling techniques, and is perfect to introduce the reader to mops, sauces, wood chips etc. BBQ USA is not for the beginner, but for the intermediate grill jockey. It blew me away!!. I have cooked several recipes, and in true Raichlen fashion, they are showstoppers!.

Great Barbeque Guide and Regional Recipe Book:
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.

Authority on Regional Barbecue, and why Barbecue is Great:
It is a little intimidating to take on the task of reviewing a 774 page book by the generally accepted foremost expert on grilling and barbecue in the country, especially since Steve Raichlens does such a good job of looking the part of barbecue expert. The job is doubly intimidating since I am among those poor 15% of all Americans who own no grill whatsoever. I don't even have the excuse of living in a cramped city apartment or, having once been a rather accomplished Boy Scout, having no expertise around an open fire. All of these in the face of Raichlen's claim that barbecue / grilling is the very best way to cook. Thus, in the face of the increased cost, skill levels, and inconvenience imposed by barbecue / grilling, I embarked on justifying to myself the accuracy of Raichlen's claim. Before I do this, it is important to characterize exactly what barbecue is. As any more than casual viewer of Bobby Flay and other Food Network shows, it should be clear that the meaning of barbecue is very different depending on the traditions of different regions in the country. Regionality is so strong that barbecue even has two very different meanings in the North Carolina low country versus barbecue in the western hills. One thing is certain. Even though cooking over an open flame is about as old as the taming of fire, the technique called barbecue, and the word 'barbecue', did originate in the New World, first discovered by an early Spanish conquistador and published in Spain in 1526. From this simple American origin, the meaning of barbecue has expanded to the point where it is almost impossible to pin down with a simple definition. Some sources would say that it is not barbecue if there is no smoke coming in contact with the food. Others may connect barbecue with the use of rubs, marinades, or mop sauces, but by the author's including both baked goods, soups, and salads in a book on barbecue, I'm certain he does not limit the sense of the technique to any of these techniques. So, how can one characterize barbecue in a way which demonstrates why one may claim that it is the most desirable way to cook. The first element one needs to barbecue is an open fire that may be fueled by wood, charcoal, or hydrocarbon gases. The second element is that the barbecue grill places the food above the fire on a grill in such a way that the food may be covered and that the heat may be applied to the food with cover in place or cover removed. The third element is that the grill is capable of creating smoke with different flavors by either adding aromatic wood directly to the fuel or to a stage where it can be heated by the gas flames. Barbecue involves hot smoking. Cold smoking used to create bacon is not part of the barbecue lexicon. The fourth element is that the grill is capable of creating cooking zones with low, medium, and high heat, and one can move the food from one area to the other very easily. Sauces, rubs, and marinades may characterize meat cookery, but they are not relevant to applying the barbecue techniques to baking, soups, or some vegetables. So, why is the barbecue technique so great, if, as some like me may be inclined to view it as a pain in the neck? First, one can achieve cooking temperatures that may cause a meltdown in your kitchen Hotpoint oven. Second, with skillful maintenance of fuel, these high temperatures can be maintained consistently. They will not cycle as the oven's thermostat turns the heat source off and on to maintain a certain temperature. Third, it is (or at least should be) easy to move cooking food from one temperature to another. Fourth, the cooking method may add the flavor of smoke and cook at the same time, unlike indoor stovetop smokers or cold smokers. Varying the wood providing the smoke may vary this flavor. Fifth, a grill and supplementary equipment adds techniques for applying indirect heat, modified direct heat, and rotisserie cooking. The last thing I can think of is that the technique can be used for really large jobs such as a whole pig, deer, lamb, or other large animal carcass. The other side of the coin is that in order to achieve this advantage; you need some cooking skills that you do not need on your trusty Hotpoint. That is where Steven Raichlen's book comes to the rescue. The book leaves no subject untouched. Chapters cover Salads, Breads and Pizzas, Beef, Pork, Lamb, Picnic Fare (burgers, hot dogs, and sausages), Poultry, Fin Fish, Shellfish, Vegetables for Vegetarians, Vegetables for the Rest of Us, Side Dishes, Barbecue Sauces, Rubs, and Desserts. The best part of this galaxy of recipes and techniques is that virtually all of them are traditional American recipes, for which Raichlen gives the source along with lots of sidebars and tips. The very best part of this lineup is that it pretty much covers all the different senses of 'barbecue' in America. While there are several expert sources on barbecue and grilling technique such as Bobby Flay and Chris Schlesinger, both of whom are credited in the book, I simply cannot see anyone choosing any other book as a starting point to take up barbecue. The information you need to get started at a low initial cost is complete and, need I say it, authoritative. Very highly recommended.

A Taste of BBQ - History and BBQ on Your Plate.:
Very good book with tons of recipies and bbq side notes. If you can't find a recipie for what you want to cook in this book ,then you better take a closer look at what your eating. Most of the recipies are copies that he comes up with of other bbq'ers works, but Raichlen gives a good variety of the different types of bbqing there is for people to try. For the person new to BBQ, there's Carolina bbq, Texas bbq, Kansas City bbq, Asian bbq, Carrabean bbq etc., all found in this book with unique flavours and very tasty recipies. Raichlen shows his love for bbq in his extensive research and effort to make this book. While slow cooking your food, you'll find out how tabassco sauce was made, or read about how the philly cheese steak was created, or better yet, about an old time bbqer who made a living out of selling pulled pork from a shed. If you pick up this book, and one of Paul Kirk's, then your off to a very very good start. You won't need another bbq book ever again.