Get Your Grill On

In going on my third round of antibiotics for my sinus infection, I’ve found myself going through more cookbooks than getting time to step outside and grill. I’ve been able to glance over many cookbooks that have become staples on my barbecuing idea shelf, and BBQ USA is such a book. Steven Raichlen’s BBQ USA is another in a list of accomplishments by the author in the realm of everything BBQ. Its 774 pages are filled with tons of mouth watering recipes, from Achiote-Grilled Tuna to Zinfandel Butter Sauce.

Crisscrossing the country Steven has logged more miles than can be recorded in the pursuit of everything and anything BBQ. What really sets this book apart from many others are the opening chapters, “What is barbecue,” “A brief history of Barbecue in America,” and “A Concise Primer on Grilling and Barbecuing.” These three chapters certainly lay the groundwork in giving the reader an excellent ignition point, and start them on the journey through the rest of the cookbook. Who knew Grilling and Barbecueing went back to 1514 with a young adventurer known as Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes? His adventures were simply the beginning of what we now know as delicious lipsmacking, mouthwatering BBQ!

True, this is not light reading and it will take you more than a few days to completely go through the cookbook to pick out several recipes to try. Why not give Martha’s Wedding Salmon a try with Hickory Smoked Baked Bean Squash, a side of Thelma’s Dirty Rice, finished with Grilled Bananas with Spiced Butter and Rum? Top the whole meal off with a nice crisp glass of wine or your favorite beer and you will certainly have one delicious tasting feast fit for a BBQ King and Queen.