The Thrill of the Grill: Techniques, Recipes, & Down-Home Barbecue by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby

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Notes about this book

  • crjoburke on December 26, 2009

    If you were to have only one grilling book, this would be the one.

  • Jane on April 10, 2009

    Makes you want to grill all year round - not so easy in New England!

Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Corn bread salad with lime juice and cilantro

    • Jane on June 16, 2011

      This is a great way of using up leftover cornbread. The cornbread is crumbled then baked until crunchy then mixed with salad veggies and a lime dressing. I usually add mixed small tomatoes - red, orange, yellow. The herbs - parsley and cilantro - are essential and give it a tabbouleh-like appearance.

  • Pear-blueberry crisp

    • featherbooks on September 19, 2013

      Delicious crisp recipe. I had few apples so added a bit of flour, also reduced sugar to about 3/4 cup in the fruit portion and could cut a little of the sugar in the topping. Served with a bit of heavy cream...yum.

  • Grilled chicken drumsticks berberé

    • love2laf on February 14, 2010

      Revolutionary! Treat drumsticks like chicken wings, and they are fantastic. This spice mix is absolutely deliciously hot

    • JKDLady on July 31, 2015

      Good, but way too much salt. I had to pull the skin off to eat it, which meant I lost a lot of the flavor. Cut the salt at least in half.

  • Grilled butterflied leg o' lamb

    • zorra on August 19, 2013

      Easy & excellent. Just right when you have plenty of fresh herbs for the paste. (Added a bay leaf as well.) Will make it again instead of the wine marinated version.

  • Basil tabbouleh

    • eve_kloepper on March 09, 2015

      Nice flavors, but proportions of olive oil vs. lemon juice is off. Recipe asks for 1/2 c. olive oil and 8 T lemon juice which equals 1/2 cup Half the amount of lemon juice is plenty.

  • Grilled lamb steaks with rosemary, garlic, and red wine

  • Grilled eggplant with olive oil, parsley, and capers

    • eve_kloepper on March 09, 2015

      Nice, but doesn't need nearly this much olive oil.

    • sdeathe on July 22, 2021

      Delicious and unusual. Worth making again.

  • Barbecued whole chicken

    • PinchOfSalt on May 31, 2013

      You make a rub with the other ingredients (which constitute All South Barbecue Rub, another recipe in this book), apply it to the chicken, and barbecue the chicken.

    • PinchOfSalt on June 01, 2013

      The rub mixture, which is used elsewhere in the book to great advantage, is a bit too spicy hot for chicken. (My taste, of course.) Next time, I will cut back on the cayenne or perhaps substitute a milder form of powdered red chili.

  • All-South barbecue rub

    • PinchOfSalt on June 01, 2013

      Great on ribs. A bit spicy for chicken.

  • Black bean salad

    • PinchOfSalt on June 12, 2017

      Wonderful eaten chilled on a hot day. Would work nicely on a picnic, too. A definite keeper.

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  • ISBN 10 0688088325
  • ISBN 13 9780688088323
  • Linked ISBNs
  • Published Apr 01 1994
  • Format Hardcover
  • Language English
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher HarperCollins Publishers Inc
  • Imprint William Morrow

Publishers Text

Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby bring a unique blend of exotic spices, American favorites, humor, and infectious enthusiasm that will put the thrill in your grill and have you coming back for seconds.

Among this book's unique features:

  • Sound advice on which grills and fuels to use, how to lay your fire, and how to know just when the fire is at the right temperature.
  • Descriptions of the few cooking tools you need for carefree grilling, with instructions on how to use them.
  • A chapter elucidating the fine art of grilling, with tips on how to get the best, most flavorful results.
  • A chapter of innovative, full-flavored grill appetizers, eminently suitable for combining into a full meal.
  • A one-of-a-kind section on the art of barbecuing (smoke cooking), including all-new information on regional variations, barbecue terminology, and a guide to the colorful rhetoric that is an indispensable part of this cooking style.
  • An original chapter called Sambals, Blatjangs, and Salsas, or the sauces of grilled foods, easily put together with raw ingredients.
  • Recipes for exotic beverages that are just the thing to wash down a spicy meal.
  • Simple down-home desserts, perfect after grilled foods.
  • 32 pages of four-color photographs of the recipes in the book.
  • A pantry section that provides you with techniques for creating recipe ingredients such as braised garlic and roasted peppers; tells you what prepared ingredients you should have on hand; and describes the variety of chile peppers and exotic fruits and vegetables used in the book.

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