These recommendations are for both the erudite pit boss and the neophyte. Cookbooks.
Becoming a legendary barbecuer does require on-the-job training, but good recipes and techniques can really take time off the learning curve. The key is to get books that have recipes that have not only accessible recipes, but information on technique and some “back-story”. In my humble but expert opinion, grilling and barbecue have so much tradition, that understanding the history of the art, really helps improve performance at the grill.
Here are a few cookbooks, different genres, that are great gifts and the beginning of a great library.
1. Smoke and Spice- My “go-to” book. Superb recipes, especially for charcoal and wood fired pits. I always recommended this as the book for Big Green Egg owners.
2. Paul Kirk’s Championship Sauces and Rubs. This is for the “do-it-yourselfers”. Not only recipes, but how to make your own. Terrific recipes for mustards too.
3. Bruce Aidell’s Complete Sausage Book. Without a doubt, sausage making is not only a lost art but perhaps the most underrated meat for the grill. Great sausages are able to lift the human spirit unlike any other meat. This has great recipes and the essential background on a variety of sausages (The classic sausage is by ‘The Sausage Maker- Rytek Kutas, but this is only for the sausage engineer…)
4. Sunset’s Barbecue Book. Old school and out of print. I bought mine on eBay, where they still are available. This the ultimate drool-inspiring book. It features thirty-plus blue prints of the brick, backyard BBQ pits. Outdoor cooking islands are a hot trend, but before pre-fab, stucco islands, there was the 1930-1950 brick barbecues. I occasionally see some in the backyards of older homes, unfortunately mostly being used as plant or flower pots.
Posted by JR 
Posted by JR 