About this item
For succulent results every time, nothing is more crucial than understanding the science behind the interaction of food, fire, heat, and smoke. This is the definitive guide to the concepts, methods, equipment, and accessories of barbecue and grilling. The founder and editor of the worlds most popular BBQ and grilling website, AmazingRibs.com, Meathead applies the latest research to backyard cooking more than 100 thoroughly tested recipes. With the help of physicist and food scientist Prof. Greg Blonder, PhD, of Boston University, he explains why dry brining is better than wet brining; how marinades really work; why rubs shouldnt have salt in them; the importance of digital thermometers; why searing doesnt seal in juices; how salt penetrates but spices dont; when charcoal beats gas and when gas beats charcoal; how to calibrate and tune a grill or smoker; how to keep fish from sticking; cooking with logs; the strengths and weaknesses of the new pellet cookers; tricks for rotisserie cooking; why cooking whole animals is a bad idea; which grill grates are best; and why beer-can chicken is a waste of good beer and nowhere close to the best way to cook a bird. He shatters the myths that stand in the way of perfection. Among the many busted old husbands tales: * Myth: Bring meat to room temperature before cooking. * Myth: Soak wood before using it. * Myth: Bone-in steaks taste better. * Myth: You should sear first, then cook. The book blends chemistry, physics, meat science, and humor. Lavishly designed with hundreds of full-color photos by the author, this book contains all the sure-fire recipes for traditional American favorites and many more outside-the-box creations. Youll get recipes for all the great regional barbecue sauces; rubs for meats and vegetables; Last Meal Ribs; Simon & Garfunkel Chicken; Schmancy Smoked Salmon; The Ultimate Turkey; Texas Brisket; Perfect Pulled Pork; Sweet & Sour Pork with Mumbo Sauce; Whole Hog; Steakhouse Steaks; Diner Burgers; Prime Rib; Brazilian Short Ribs; Rack Of Lamb Lollipops; Huli-Huli Chicken; Smoked Trout Florida Mullet -Style; Baja Fish Tacos; Grilled Lobster, and many more.
About the Author
Dad was the first to call me Meathead after watching Archie Bunker and now everyone calls me that. No offense taken. It fit, especially as I got into BBQ. It's better than what my editors and my wife call me. If you've read this far, you're my buddy and you can call me whatever you want.
My biz card says I am the BBQ Whisperer and Hedonism Evangelist behind AmazingRibs.com, the world's most popular BBQ & grilling website. The Roman god Bacchus is my paragon.
I've had the privilege of judging barbecue and other foods and drinks from Italy to California. I have been a judge at the Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue, at the Kingsford Invitational, at the California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition, at the World-Wide Mustard Competition, and the World Championship Steak Cook-Off. I have served as Chief Judge of the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition and Chief Judge of the College Football Hall of Fame Kickoff Riboff, and I founded and directed for many years the World Wine Championships, World Beer Championships, and World Spirits Championships.
Along the way I have tried to share my love of the sensory world with words and pictures. I was a journalism major at the University of Florida and I have written hundreds of articles about food and drink as a syndicated columnist for the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune.
I've been helping folks learn about food and drink online since 1990 when I started Wine & Dine Online as part of LAOnline, long before anybody typed "w" three times in a row. I then hosted the Food & Drink Network on America Online from 1992-2000, built Tastings.com in 1998, and built AmazingRibs.com in 2005.
I lectured for more than a decade on wine at Cornell University's famous School of Hotel Administration in Ithaca, NY, and I was an adjunct professor at Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago for three years. As founder of the Beverage Testing Institute I produced seven books on wine, beer, and spirits.
As an undergrad I studied photography with the brilliant Jerry N. Uelsmann and picked up the world's first Masters degree in Art in Technology from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago under Sonia Landy Sheridan.
My interest in cooking began when I was about 10 and Mom and Dad opened a restaurant and I got to be a real jerk, a soda jerk. They named the place after a beautiful flower, the Oleander. We later learned it was poisonous, and eventually the restaurant failed. If you ever hear that I'm opening a restaurant, hunt me down and shoot me.
In my senior year of high school my science project was setting up a test plant to measure the oxygen output from algae, and then harvesting it for food to see if it could be used in space travel. I developed my first recipe: Algae cookies. They needed a LOT of chocolate chips. It won a prize from NASA at the 1967 Florid
