[.ca] Born to Grill: An American Celebration (ISBN 1558322914)

From Amazon.com:
People have been grilling over open flames as long as there have been flames. But let's face it, roast mastodon doesn't sound half as good as Sage Rubbed Veal Chops with Jerky Sauce. Tastes have changed, and we have gotten a little better at grilling. Specifically, Americans have gotten better--since, after all, grilling is the quintessential American culinary art. Don't believe it? Try finding an order of grilled Mescal Magic Baby Back Ribs next time you're in Paris. Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison know this. It is the premise of their book Born To Grill. Make no mistake about it, this is a cookbook with attitude, and it practically swaggers when you read it. The title screams to be tattooed on a bicep underneath a little Weber kettle. The Jamisons show they are onto a good thing and argue for a back-to-basics, high-heat, open-air, open-flame approach. Serious meat needs serious heat, and grilling is the only surefire approach. Once the book gets your attention, a few things are revealed. Grilling makes sense. It is simple, economical, and best of all, it tastes good. Grilling is not just about huge slabs of meat. Pizza, shellfish, vegetables, and even pasta have a place on the grill. And grilling is fun. Playing with fire under an open sky wins hands down over a broiler in the kitchen. The Jamisons are no strangers to American regional cooking. Their earlier books include Sublime Smoke, Texas Home Cooking, and two James Beard Book award winners, The Border Cookbook and Smoke and Spice. They write with conviction and the kind of authority that convinces you that you are lucky--lucky enough to be born to grill. --Mark O. Howerton

The true bible of grilling:
We have used the recipes in this book for a grilling demonstration day at our store for years. The book contains recipes for out of the ordinary menu items you wouldn't think of cooking on the grill. The last recipe I prepared was for Tortilla and Tomato soup, it was incredible. I'll never be able to eat Campbells again without thinking of these flavors. The other nice thing about this book is that it still covers the basics like dogs and burgers with advice on how to make them the best you've ever tasted. Beside most of the recipes is a highlighted section on optional ways to prepare them. These suggestions give you the chance to alter the recipe each time you prepare it. The section at the end on side dishes lets you put together a complete menu of grilled items and those prepared on the stove. This is one stop shopping for dinner ideas!

Tasty recipes & other stuff, too...:
Love this book...well orgnanized by type-of-food. As a beginner/intermediate griller, I get a lot out of it since the book supplements the (savory) recipes with tips and tricks on grilling techniques; e.g vegetable grilling techniques in "Getting Fresh in the Garden," and tips on picking the best cut of meat in "Serious Steaks." The cider-and-brown-sugar salmon (with spice rub) is one of my favorites...also love their beer-braised onion recipe in the burger section. I'll be heaping burgers high w/ these from now on. I'd also never tried tricky scallops before and the timing was right on -- plus the paprika-rub spiced them up. If you're just starting to grill, check this book out - recommend it.

Offering more than 300 sizzling, satisfying recipes:
Born To Grill: An American Celebration is a comprehensive, highly recommended compendium offering more than 300 sizzling, satisfying recipes for the backyard cook and griller. From Pale Ale Porterhouse, Old-Timey Big 'Un Burger, and Calypso Chicken Breasts, to Sizzled Shrimp with Lemon Noodles, Vegetables Verde Quesadilla, and Grilled Banana Split, these are wonderfully presented, fun, imaginative, delicious and nutritious dishes that would grace any meal, indoors or out!

Loose Grips on the Grill:
Some catchy ideas and tasty combos, but nothing simple here. And if you don't live in Tucson or El Paso, where do you come across "Consorizo," "carambolas," or squash blossoms on your run to the gas station? To their credit, the Jamison's give you alternatives that might show up at your local market, but don't wait to the last minute cause there's nothing here that can be done in that amount of time. When you have the time, and need the quantity, there's some good stuff here. And the Jamison's have a very useful chapter on ingridients you can make and store (and even have the grace to include them in most of the 300 recipes! Nice going!). The instructions are seldom ambiguious and often entertaining and the layout inviting. Also enjoyed the lack of zealotry. The book reads like a cookout should feel.

Good recipes, but close-minded attitude:
I highly recommend this book for the recipes, but I was very turned off by the "open grill only" attitude of the authors. The authors believe in charcoal or other open flame methods only, and thumb their nose at Weber-style grills which employ the cover of the grill in cooking. This in itself was not terrible, but the authors made a feeble, almost cynical attempt at "also providing" covered cooking methods and times, and it appears as if they went off of a chart as opposed to actually doing it for themselves. The times are generally completely out of whack with what my grill actually required (I use a Weber Silver B, which is not the most powerful grill out there but is certainly more than adequate for any of the recipes I tried). Some of the instructions are incomplete or downright contradictory! So, recommended for charcoal users; everyone else, beware.