The Big Book of Outdoor Cooking and Entertaining Spirited Recipes and Expert Tips for Barbecuing Charcoal and Gas Grilling Rotisserie Roasting Smoking Deep Frying and Making Merry
September 25, 2009 by Outdoor Cooking · Leave a Comment
Cheryl and Bill Jamison, authors of Smoke & Spice and American Home Cooking among others, have chosen to go industrial size with their latest: The Big Book of Outdoor Cooking and Entertaining: 850 recipes–200 of them for rubs and sauces. Over 500 pages thick. If ever there was a grilling, barbecuing, smoking, deep-frying kind of cookbook for a Supersized America, this is it, Big Gulp and all.
This is a book that starts at ground zero for cooks who want to grill great meals and put on terrific outdoor parties but don’t have a clue how to start charcoal. “Of all the methods of outdoor home cooking, grilling is the most misunderstood. Many people aren’t even aware that it’s a specific method of cooking, assuming its just a generic term to cover anything done on a grill.” The Jamisons take a stand for cooking over direct heat, eschewing the indirect and the covered grill. It’s the center of gravity of their book, the element that makes them different than any of the other many books on cooking over open flame.
The rest of the story is found in the recipes, the tips, the sidebars, and asides. A word like bountiful hardly comes close to the impact of this tome. You got your rubs and marinades and the like, and your drinks, your starters, tapas, pizzas (yes, pizzas on the grill), burgers galore, fish and shellfish, poultry, pork, beef, all the other four-leggeds, veggies, grilled salads, side dishes (what’s barbecue without sides?), and desserts.
If ever you have wanted to take the plunge into grilling and barbecue, The Big Book of Outdoor Cooking and Entertaining is an all-inclusive, user-friendly place to start. –Schuyler Ingle
User Ratings and Reviews
1 Star recipes only
i was not impressed with this book at all,no chef needs to own this book,nor anybody else for that matter,its a recipe book only,and all can be found elseware!!!
5 Stars Best book ever…
This is by far, the best cookbook we own. It is huge, and contains every recipe you could ever want or need for rubs, marinades, sauces, every kind of meat, great sides, and even cocktails…this book is like a textbook for grilling because it teaches you so much about every which way to use your grill. We have given it as gifts and everybody has loved it and even bought it for their friends and family as gifts! Buy this book and you can throw away any other grilling books you own.
5 Stars Exploring Outdoor Cooking at Its Flavorful Best!
This book was written to clear up some misunderstandings about grilling, and it exceeds in a winsome and delightful fashion!
Many wrongly think anything on a grill = grilling. This is dispelled and corrected with this book, so get it to learn on!
It is about flavor at the right temp to match with the ingredient being cooked, and here is the full range of methods and equipment: planking and big-pot frying and boiling and charcoal and gas and fire-pit and rotisserie and smoking and deep frying, et al.
It is a big collection well done! Idea is to dine and cook together outside and enjoy, so exploring new recipes, new methods, new equipment, will inspire and delight the cook and the fed, plus there are recipes for sides and desserts which require inside type preparation. It’s almost 600 pages of advice and inspiration to take the journey.
From the plethora of offerings here thus far, I’ve sampled only a few but they were outstanding: Salmon Fillets with Chile Honey Butter; Grilled Lamb Chops with Dill Yogurt Sauce; Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches;
The pleasure from trying these mouth watering delights is the vast untried collection that now awaits.
This is truly nice addition to the seasonsed griller as purchase or gift, as well as for the novice or in-betweener. Only downer which would have spiced up this offering is some color photos.
5 Stars A must-have for the outdoor chef
To say this book is complete is an understatement. I bought this book after using their “Smoke & Spice” book for several years. “S & S” is strictly about low and slow cooking of beef and pork, while this one is much more broad, with excellent recipes and ideas for entertaining. If you’re mainly concerned with making great BBQ pork and beef, I’d start with the “Smoke & Spice” book. The rubs and sauces recipes are super. But my guess is you’ll soon graduate to this book if you like outdoor cooking and like to entertain.
5 Stars Authoritative, thorough and friendly
With 850 recipes, including 200 sauces and rubs, big and thorough are the operative words for this James Beard Award-winning team’s latest (after “Good times, Good Grilling”).
They begin with solid definitions of the various outdoor techniques. Grilling, for instance, is always done over direct heat, with the cover up. Does that mean you can’t make beer can chicken? Sure you can, but don’t call it grilled. Actually in the Jamisons’ version it’s smoked and takes leisurely hours.
Then there’s rotisserie roasting, planking, and big-pot frying (corn dogs, catfish, fried Oreos) or boiling or steaming (blue crabs, lobster). But the majority of receipes employ their favorite cooking method - grilling. There’s even a skewered grilled cheese sandwich appetizer and grilled fruit parfaits in addition to authoritative instructions on grilling burgers, steaks with mouthwatering sauces, suckling pig, ribs, game, and poultry of all kinds and cuts.
In addition to Smoked Beef Tenderloin, Ground Lamb Kebabs with Black Olive and Lemon Relish, and Planked Salmon, the Jamisons also include chapters on drinks, vegetables (Middle Eastern Peppers with Pomegranate Sauce, French Fries, Lacquered Tofu and Vegetable Skewers), breads, salads and desserts.
Geared to entertaining, most recipes serve six or more. The tone is opinionated, knowledgeable and friendly and we amateurs are encouraged to be creative and reflect our own flair and taste as long as we can refrain from doing anything scandalous, like flattening burgers with the spatula.
There are menus scattered throughout as well as boxed party tips, variations, and sidebars. Recipes cover an international gamut and all occasions from holiday parties to backyard picnics. A primer on grills and smokers explains what to look for and even includes brand names.
Dare I say it? This could be the only American outdoor cookbook you’ll ever need.
–Portsmouth Herald
Lipsmackin Vegetarian Backpackin
July 19, 2009 by Outdoor Cooking · Leave a Comment
Lipsmackin Vegetarian Backpackin
Globe Pequot Press Lip Smackin’ Vegetar Backpacki By Globe Pequot Press
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Great book!
I ordered this book for my Dad only to find he already owned it. When I received it I refused the order and Amazon still charged me shipping, even after I called within hours of my order to cancel and they could not help me. BUt I would recommend this book if you are looking for some good trail food?
Casey
5 Stars This Book Will Not Disappoint!
My S/O and I took our first serious back-country trip in more than 15 years last week. We relied completely on this book for meal planning and food preparation. We were not disappointed. The recipes are all written in clear language, and are easy to follow. Packable trail instructions are available on-line, which helps with cooking in remote campsites. Of course, we could not try every single recipe — but here are some of the best ones we tried. We had Olympus Oatmeal for breakfast every day. The Brunswick Stew was excellent, although it took a long time and lots of fuel to rehydrate the dried beans. The Vegan Super Hero Burritos were our favorite. The Whole-Food Granola Bars and Horse Thief GORP (we used unsweetened chocolate chips instead of carob chips) saw us through some long days of paddling and hiking. Our favorite snacks were the Energy Balls. We fought over the last one of those! I would warn others that many of the recipes call for prepackaged foods, such as Zatarain’s Red Beans and Rice. People with specific health concerns should check the contents of these items before they use them. Fortunately, Zatarain’s makes a low-sodium version of Red Beans and Rice, which we used. Otherwise, this is an excellent book. You can truly trust the recipes. I recommend it highly.
5 Stars Great for at Home, Too!
This is such a good book, not only for vegetarian trail food, but for at-home cooking as well. Simple instructions, common ingredients, quick and easy preparation - not to mention great taste!
Highly recommended!
5 Stars Lipsmackin’ Vegetarian Backpackin’
I stumbled upon this book while perusing other vegetarian titles and must say the Connors’ title immediately grabbed me. “Lipsmackin’ Vegetarian Backpackin’” — makes you want to read the book and recommend it to someone, just so you can mouth those toothsome words! Obviously, a healthful lifestyle and thoughtful approach to diet have served the authors’ intellectual capacities well, everything about the book is smart. The recipes are mostly contributed, apparently by friends the Connors’ have made on and around trails, and the recipe titles are sometimes almost as clever as the book’s title; more importantly, the recipes look simple and delicious (at this writing I haven’t tried them), and their presentation is smartly organized. Nutritional information is included. For its niche audience, be they vegan, lacto-ovo vegetarian, or ready-to-improve omnivore, this book has got to be as good as it gets.
5 Stars Great cook book
This book is full of quick and easy recipes that taste good. My family used recipes from this book on a 9-day road trip and saved a ton of cash by not eating out every day. The easy clean up and little need for cooking equip make this a great camping cook book.
Choose Charcoal or Gas Grill for the Best Wild Game cookout?
July 4, 2009 by Outdoor Cooking · Leave a Comment
Natural Herbs Uses: Culinary And Medicinal | Home Cooking Tips
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The Cooks Illustrated Guide To Grilling And Barbecue
May 20, 2009 by Outdoor Cooking · Leave a Comment
The Cooks Illustrated Guide To Grilling And Barbecue
This hefty volume features a didactic tone that corresponds to the mission of the magazine of the same name, bringing scientific scrutiny and rigorous testing to home cooking with extremely detailed recipes and illustrations. With chapters on major ingredients and accompaniments—beef, pizza, vegetables, rubs, etc.—the book illustrates such tasks as recreating Texas-Style Barbecued Beef Ribs at home (hint: don’t use bony scraps), grilling a whole turkey (small turkeys work best) and preparing lobsters for grilling (split them in half lengthwise). The editors distinguish between grilling (which uses fast, direct heat) and BBQ (slow, indirect heat); weigh in on the virtues and shortcomings of gas and charcoal grilling; and address other puzzling grill-related issues. They warn readers that grilling and barbecuing are fraught with potential problems, and the book, while well researched, tends toward the negative (e.g., “If you slice meat straight from the grill, say goodbye to its juicy flavor…. There’s nothing you can do now, but next time take this precaution”). Yet this approach is ideal for those who are nervous about outdoor cooking and want to know what to expect. For fans of Alton Brown–style minutiae, this is a prime resource. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Great Guide
I love all of the Cook’s Illustrated books, they are great reference material and have some very tasty recipes. If you want to really understand grilling, this is the book for you.
5 Stars Great Book
This book is fantastic. but beware of buying it “used” I did and the condition was extremely poor, even though it was described as “very good” by the seller.
The information contained in the book is fantastic, from shopping advise to cooking methods, it’s all very useful and informative. I would call it a “Man’s Cooking Bible” and my wife likes it too.
5 Stars Cook’s Illustrated Guide to Grilling & Barbecue
Most excellent guide we’ve ever read: The narrative is informative, engaging, and often humorous…authors tell you “upfront” what NOT to do (because they know YOU’LL be tempted to do the same thing!)….they have done each recipe incorrectly and then, come to eventual perfection. An example is “meatloaf” - they used over 300# of meat to present the ultimate recipe to the reader. The authors also give expert advice on professional techniques for grilling, seasonings, sauces, marinades, brines and for the best tools they tested. Enjoy!
5 Stars a great grilling resource
If you grill, and you want to expand what you are capable of, beyond basic techniques that may just be wrong, this work is a great reference and should help you exceed your present abilities as a grilling cook, especially with the complicated world of charcoal and smoking meets and vegetables
5 Stars My desert island grilling book
Yes, if I had to choose just one grilling cook book, it would be this one–not just for the exhaustively clear and detailed instructions for barbecuing a comprehensive range of foods, but for the outstanding sauce, rub, glaze and marinade recipes. It’s all carefully tested and presented for both charcoal and gas grillers.
There are even some “ultimate” recipes in here; the one for charcoal grilled maple glazed salmon comes to mind.
I upgraded to this new edition when it was first published, and it was well worth it for key additions like that grilled salmon.
For its sheer competent scope, this book has no true rival of which I am aware. It deserves a place in the core cookbook collection of the serious griller, from beginner to expert.
