In need of fresh ideas for meals from the grill? BBQ books by famous restaurant owners and expert grillers can give you some brilliant insights and invaluable knowledge as well as recipes you’ll want to reproduce in your own backyard. Our selection has books to teach and inspire. You'll surely use any of these selections time and time again.
Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto
All the backyard pitmaster needs to know
Learn the secrets of barbecue from the owner of the famous Franklin Barbecue. This book gives you the inside track on every aspect of great barbecue from the smoker, wood, and the fire to the meat and the cooking. There are recipes, but the book’s really all about the science and the craft of barbecue. Plus, it will fill you in on the personal history of the celebrated pitmaster.
Smokin' with Myron Mixon
More than 75 recipes
If you’re looking for plenty of great barbecue recipes that will take the stress out of cooking, this is the book for you. BBQ champion Myron Mixon’s book includes sections on chicken, hog, ribs and chops, beef, and fish, plus side dishes, and more, so you can find the right recipe easily. The barbecue basics are included, too, along with the formulas for marinades, rubs, injections, and sauces.
Barbecue Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades
Tastes from around the world
Be inspired to up your flavor game. Steven Raichlen’s book offers over 200 recipes for marinades, sauces, and rubs to boost the taste of grilled food as well as providing dinner recipes that use them. The book draws on Thai, Mexican, Indian, Cajun, Jamaican, Italian, and French cuisines as well as all-American favorites.
The Barbecue! Bible
Full-color photos and top tips
There are over 500 barbecue recipes in this great value book to please both dedicated and occasional barbecuers. Full-color photos throughout show not just the finished dish, but also preparation, grilling techniques, and ingredients, making delicious results super simple. This book includes recipes for meat and fish, sides, and more. There are also vegetarian grill ideas to please non-meat eaters.
Pitmaster: Recipes, Techniques, and Barbecue Wisdom
Spotlights regional barbecue styles
Chapters featuring guest pitmasters put the focus on the barbecue traditions of different regions or a particular style of barbecue cooking in this brilliant BBQ guide. Discover essential tips and techniques for smoker operation, too, along with lots of recipes. The authors also share the competition recipes that have won them hundreds of awards.
Bobby Flay's Grill It!
Fully illustrated with 150 recipes
This fabulously useful book is organized by ingredient, offering a selection of recipes for the meat or fish you’ve bought from the grocery store or market, and even the corn picked up at a roadside stand. There are ideas for less traditional barbecue food, too, including asparagus, scallops, and fruit. There’s also essential information on grilling tools, stocking a grill pantry, and picking the right grill.
Our verdict
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The best barbecue books will boost your grilling proficiency and provide fresh inspiration. Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto gives you the inside track on barbecuing as well as telling the backstory of celebrated pitmaster Aaron Franklin.
For recipe ideas that start from the ingredients you have ready to go, Bobby Flay's Grill It! is a truly handy book to have in your library. The 150 recipes include both grill staples and more unusual barbecue fare.
