As the days grow longer, the tang of wood smoke is slowly changing from the warming fires of winter into the signature aroma of charcoal scents of summer. Leigh and Eric have been sampling good eats in their tiny traveling home, and Kim is dreaming up some luscious summer chow. Here are some books that are inspiring us for some summer grillin’ at home or out in the wilderness.
At the Ranch
There is nothing quite like the first barbeque of the year on a warm evening. I loved the way my dad grilled up chicken thighs or drumsticks drenched in tangy barbeque sauce - they were always juicy with tasty, caramelized char. Turns out that my stepmother would parboil the chicken first to cook it through. Whatever… it was always my favorite al fresco dish.
I’m not a pitmaster myself - not by a long shot - but I love reading Adrian Miller’s take on African American barbeque history and foodways.
Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue by Adrian Miller
”In Black Smoke, Adrian Miller chronicles how Black barbecuers, pitmasters, and restauranteurs helped develop this cornerstone of American foodways and how they are coming into their own today. It's a smoke-filled story of Black perseverance, culinary innovation, and entrepreneurship. Though often pushed to the margins, African Americans have enriched a barbecue culture that has come to be embraced by all. Miller celebrates and restores the faces and stories of the men and women who have influenced this American cuisine.”
Although chicken, steak, burgers, lamb, shrimp, pork all come first to mind when I think about grilling, there is a whole world of other ingredients and dishes that are great off the grill.
I’ve been enjoying The Bittman Project so I’m ramping up to try some new things - like grilled pizza!
How to Grill Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Flame-Cooked Food by Mark Bittman
Here’s how to grill absolutely everything—from the perfect steak to cedar-plank salmon to pizza—explained in Mark Bittman’s trademark simple, straightforward style. Featuring more than 250 recipes and hundreds of variations, plus Bittman’s practical advice on all the grilling basics, this book is an exploration of the grill’s nearly endless possibilities. Recipes cover every part of the meal, including appetizers, seafood, meat and poultry, vegetables (including vegetarian mains), and even desserts.
On the Range
Cooking over open flame was a favorite camping ritual - food always tasted a little better outdoors. Even if the hotdogs got a little ashy, you couldn’t tell after you added mustard!
Luckily, I have this awesome title by our friend Laura Bashar to get us a little (ok, A LOT) better prepared to eat well away from home.
The Camp & Cabin Cookbook: 100 Recipes to Prepare Wherever You Go by Laura Bashar
”When it comes time to head out on the trail with a tent in hand, or to hit the road for a rural weekend at the cabin or lake house, there’s no reason to compromise on great food. It’s easy to whip up delicious meals with The Camp & Cabin Cookbook— in addition to supply lists and prep work that can be done ahead of time, the instructions include options for cooking both outdoors over a roaring fire or indoors near a cozy hearth.”
From the Garden
I wasn’t exactly blessed with a green thumb, but I have enjoyed my fair share of tasty homegrown tomatoes and zucchini plus fresh summer corn and mmmm… grilled onions.
Steven Raichlen has elevated vegetable cookery by taking the veggies back outside to the grill.
How to Grill Vegetables: The New Bible for Barbecuing Vegetables over Live Fire by Steven Raichlen
“Celebrating all the ways to grill green, this mouthwatering, ground breaking cookbook from America’s master griller shows how to bring live fire or wood smoke to every imaginable vegetable - how to fire-blister tomatoes, cedar-plank eggplant, hay-smoke lettuce, spit-roast brussels sprouts on the stalk, grill corn five ways—even cook whole onions caveman-style in the embers. PS: While vegetables shine in every dish, this is not a strictly vegetarian cookbook—yes, there will be bacon.”
Are you ramping up to get grilling? What is on your ideal BBQ menu?
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Thank you for another informing winner.
Lamb tenderloin, sweet corn, and baby artichokes!