Project Smoke: Seven Steps to Smoked Food Nirvana, Plus 100 Irresistible Recipes from Classic (Slam-Dunk Brisket) to Adventurous (Smoked Bacon-Bourbon Apple Crisp)

Excelente guía para principiantes y también para expertos

Fantastic book my husband uses it all the time. Full of great recipes, and easy to follow guides for rubs and cooking. Would recommend

Like so many other people, I've long been a fan of Steven Raichlen's BBQ mastery, both from his PBS shows and his many cookbooks. Certainly, I've learned to rely on his recipes over the years. So when we purchased a second smoker (having worn out our first, inexpensive one), it was a no-brainer to buy this. One reason I reached for this book first was the certainty that Raichlen would give solid, reliable advice to help me get started. For example, he explains the options for flavoring the raw food (salting, curing, brining, marinades, etc.); he makes the differences in smoking methods sound simple; and he includes easy-to-read charts for identifying which woods are used for smoking regionally. Best of all, he keeps you relaxed through all this education, so you can remember that the point of all this is to enjoy yourself. Ultimately, you turn to a book like this for the recipes -- both the basics ("just tell me how to make a brisket") and more exotic items. And as usual, Raichlin is a winner in every category. Chapters are devoted to basics and "the seven steps to smoking nirvana" and explanations of smoker types (35 pages on that, so it's far more than a vague arm-wave); starters; beef; pork; lamb; burgers, sausages, and more; poultry, seafood; vegetables, side dishes, and meatless smoking; desserts; cocktails. We've only had the book (and the new smoker) for a few weeks, but we already have made several items -- intentionally starting small, as I prefer to make mistakes when it doesn't say "serves 10." Our Thanksgiving meal started with smoked planked Camembert with jalapeños and pepper jelly -- though in respect for the spice wimps we used kumquat jelly and pushed the peppers to the side. It was super-simple, yummy, and yet unexpected-tasting. I've also made the smoked eggs (originally with the intention of using 'em in his smoked chopped-liver appetizer, until the liver-haters talked me out of it). And although the "red hot wings with Pac-Rim seasonings" is marked as an appetizer, it was a good (and easy to throw together!) meal for the two of us (plus leftovers). His simple recipe for smoked tri-tip (a dry rub of salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried rosemary) was just the ticket for a lazy Sunday afternoon meal, wherein I could spend more attention fiddling with the new gizmo's controls (such as learning that the smoker is JUST out of Bluetooth range of my home office, ah well). It's obvious that we have to try his "slam dunk brisket" (how could we not?). I already have a duck in the freezer, so next up is apt to be the recipe for tea-smoked duck. I also bought the cold-smoker attachment, so surely I also have to make the Bornholm cold-smoked lax, right? No matter which recipe Raichlen is sharing, though, he's darned good at the job. His own voice comes through loud-and-clear -- you know his preferences! -- but the instructions never make you guess, or realize too late that you were supposed to put something on to soak 20 minutes ago. It's a winner.

Beautiful book purchased for my bf. Pictures, stories, helpful tips. Very detailed! I love it, they love it too!

Libro straconsigliato per gli amanti della griglia e del barbecue. E' stato un ottimo regalo di compleanno, graditissimo. All'interno ricette e consigli per la cottura al meglio di carne e verdure.