The Best Recipe: Grilling and Barbecue Ex Libris Used Books

Can you make really good pulled pork at home? Which cut of meat makes the best beef kebabs? How do you keep lean pork tenderloin from tasting like sawdust? What is the secret to great-tasting burgers? Is it possible to make barbecued chicken that isn’t dry?

In an exhaustive effort to answer these questions, the stff of Cook’s Illustrated magazine lit more than 5,000 fires to test the grilling and barbecue techniques you’ll find in The Best Recipe: Grilling & Barbecue. At Cook’s, we try every possible method to bring you the very best techniques and recipes, and, unlike any other grilling cookbook, that’s exactly what this cookbook does. Is hardwood charcoal better than briquettes? Do expensive wood chips really add flavor? Should corn be husked before grilling? How much money do you need to spend on a gas grill, and which model is best? Over the last eight years, we’ve tested 60 recipes for grilled burgers, 40 recipes for grilled salmon, and more than 35 versions of barbecued ribs. Now you can have the very best versions of these recipes — and much more — all in one volume.

The Best Recipe: Grilling & Barbecue also contains 300 illustrations that show you how to cut up a chicken, slice a T-bone steak, and remove the pinbones from a salmon fillet. You’ll learn a quick tip for peeling mangoes as well as an easy trick for telling when lamb chops are done. No-nonsense equipment ratings and taste tests of supermarket foods are also included. Find out which commercial barbecue sauce received our highest rating, whether or not a fish basket really works, and what’s the best tool for lighting a charcoal fire. You’ll also learn which cuts of meat work best for different recipes, how to quickly brine foods to keep them moist over intense grill heat, and how to make the most of a gas grill. (All recipes include both charcoal and gas grill variations.)

More than 400 recipes cover just about everything that has ever been grilled, from steaks and chops to ribs and pulled pork. You’ll find recipes for seafood — salmon, tuna, shrimp, and more — as well as instructions and recipes for grilling almost every vegetable imaginable, from asparagus to zucchini. Choose from favorites such as Grilled Salmon Fillets with Mustard Glaze, Classic Fajitas, Grilled Pork Chops with Peach Salsa, Grill-Roasted Prime Rib with Garlic and Rosemary Crust, Grilled Corn with Chile Butter, and Barbecued Spareribs with Hoisin, Honey, and Ginger Glaze.

We invite you to step into our test kitchen and stand at our elbow as we test the best ways to shape hamburger patties or try to figure how to turn out perfectly cooked and moist pork tenderloin. You’ll learn how to grill fish so that it never sticks to the grill. You’ll learn how to tell when your steak is precisely medium-rare — not rare or medium. With The Best Recipe: Grilling & Barbecue at your side, you will never ruin another expensive piece of meat or fish because of some easily avoided mistake. Light the grill with confidence. With The Best Recipe: Grilling & Barbecue as your guide, grilling will be easy and foolproof.