The Product: Best Grilling / BBQ Book

Steve Raichlen has become one of the country’s top barbecue guys and is known for his popular BBQ University (formerly BBQ bootcamp) at the historic Greenbriar Resort. The Barbecue Bible is a compilation of unique recipes from a trip around the word where Raichlen sought out recipes from many different cultures. The book covers everything from the basics to the exotic and includes very detailed charts on cooking times and methods for different types and cuts of meat.

Weber’s Big Book of Grilling is another great reference guide from the folks who invented the Kettle Grill. It’s a big book filled with colorful pictures that help guide you through the prep and grilling process.

Devil's Advocate:

Although both books are great to have, if you are visual and like to have pictures as a reference, than you may prefer Weber’s book, although it is hard to match the sheer volume and breadth of information in the Barbecue Bible.

I have to say that I was a little skeptical about how well this would work when I received the Remote Check for father’s day last year. However, I was amazed at how easy it was to use and how useful it was. I have much better confidence now in cooking larger pieces of meat and with “indirect grilling” where you cook the food at a lower temperature for a longer period of time. Once I have the Remote Check set up and set the desired temperature, I don’t even go near the grill until I hit the target temperature. On several occasions, it has also saved me from overcooking my meal because my “gut instinct” was way off. This is the ultimate gift for anyone that enjoys grilling. You won’t be disappointed.

Devil's Advocate:

If the majority of your grilling is with thin pieces of meat at high heat (i.e. burgers, dogs, boneless chicken breasts), then you don’t really need a thermometer, yet alone a wireless one as it would take more time to set-up than its worth. Most direct cooking is only 5-10 minutes per side and its easier to get a sense for when the meat it cooked. A thermometer is really better for something that will be on the grill for a half hour or more and/or that is more than 1.5 inches thick i.e. a roast, half chicken, etc.