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The Spruce Eats / Amelia Manley
A great barbecue is more of a math problem than a mystery. Not to be confused with grilling—which is basically cooking food quickly over a fire—barbecue is a process that requires very specific conditions. With quality ingredients, the right equipment, solid technique, and a whole lot of patience, anyone can make perfect brisket, ribs, and more. While you might not become a pitmaster overnight, these barbecue books can lead you in the right direction, whether you’re all about the beef, super into spice, or even a vegetarian.
Best Overall
Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling
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Amazon
Craig "Meathead" Goldwyn (perhaps best known for his award-winning Amazing Ribs website) has studied everything there is to know about barbecue so you don't have to—but maybe you want to learn the science behind perfectly grilled and smoked meat. In that case, look no further than Goldwyn’s eponymous barbecue primer and recipe collection. In addition to more than 100 recipes, Goldwyn dispels commonly held barbecue myths and offers incredible insight into those nagging questions everyone has about the science of cooking with fire, brining with salt, basting with sauce, and so much more.
Price at time of publish: $35
Recipes: 100+ | Pages: 400 | Date Published: 2016
Best for Beginners
Real BBQ: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Smoker Cookbook
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Amazon
Whether you’re new to smoking or just want to branch out from the same three things you always cook, this barbecue cookbook from professional recipe developer Will Budiaman will give you the confidence to master just about any smoked meat. Throughout the nearly 100 recipes (beer can chicken, hickory-smoked pork belly, "all day long" smoked beef brisket, and beach barbecue lobster tails), Budiaman thoughtfully demystifies perfectly smoked meat. Instead of waxing poetic about the “art” of barbecue and the “secrets” of smoking, he shares the science behind the “why” and step-by-step instructions for the “how.” In this book, you'll also find materials primer as well as pitmaster tips, shopping advice, and even a few drink pairings.
Price at time of publish: $19
Recipes: 95+ | Pages: 172 | Date Published: 2015
Best for Smoking Meats
Project Smoke
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Amazon
Since he wrote his bestselling "The Barbecue! Bible" more than 20 years ago, Steven Raichlen has been a well-respected authority on all things grilling and smoking. Since then, he’s traveled the world to study different techniques, authored numerous cookbooks, and hosted a handful of television series on the topic. Shockingly, though, "Project Smoke" is his first book focused entirely on smoke. For this step-by-step guide to smoking, Raichlen starts at the beginning: how to choose the right smoker and tools for the job. He goes on to teach tried-and-true techniques as well as clarify some more intimidating ones, like smoking with tea and hay. The 100 super-accessible recipes go beyond meat and potatoes; think smoked cheesecake, cocktails, and more.
Price at time of publish: $25
Recipes: 100 | Pages: 336 | Date Published: 2016
Best for Brisket Lovers
Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto
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Amazon
From what may very well be the most famous barbecue restaurant in America (and in turn, the world), this New York Times-bestselling cookbook is for anyone who wants to geek out over smoking meat. More than just a collection of recipes, the textbook-like tome details Aaron Franklin’s personal journey and his now-famous method that somehow both honored and defied low-and-slow Texas barbecue traditions. Of course, the book goes beyond brisket with recipes for sausage, ribs, and more, but when it comes down to it, this is a must-have for brisket lovers.
Price at time of publish: $30
Recipes: 10+ | Pages: 224 | Date Published: 2015
Best History of BBQ
Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue
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Amazon
Explore the intricate past of American barbecue and its roots in Black history and culture with this thoughtfully researched book by James Beard Book Award winner Adrian Miller. He delves deep into the history of barbecue in the United States, starting with its Indigenous origins in the 16th century and exploring Western African influences on American barbecue's culinary heritage. By sharing the rich stories of a number of these men and women who have had an impact on the grilling scene throughout the centuries and in the present, Miller honors and celebrates Black American legacies. This book also features 22 specially curated and mouth-watering barbecue recipes.
Price at time of publish: $30
Recipes: 22 | Pages: 328 | Date Published: 2021
Best for Kamado Grill Owners
Hot Coals: A User's Guide to Mastering Your Kamado Grill
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Amazon
For many barbecue enthusiasts, a ceramic kamado-style grill setup for smoking is the best way to do low-and-slow cooking, whether they have a Big Green Egg, a Kamado Joe, or a less popular brand. This book, translated from Dutch, is a deep dive into how the kamado works, starting with its history and focusing heavily on how to make the grill do exactly what you want it to. While there are only 30 recipes, they’re a testament to the versatility of these cookers and lay a solid foundation for more adventurous preparations down the road.
Price at time of publish: $25
Recipes: 30 | Pages: 160 | Date Published: 2015
Best for Caribbean Barbecue
Jerk From Jamaica: Barbecue Caribbean Style
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Amazon
In order to achieve the Caribbean flavor profile known as jerk, you need more than just the Islands’ signature spice blend—you need smoke. This distinct barbecue style is the subject of Helen Willinsky’s "Jerk From Jamaica," a collection of more than 100 recipes that go beyond chicken with jerk pork, beef, lamb, goat, and seafood, plus traditional Caribbean barbecue sides and desserts. If you're a fan of spicy smoked meats or ready to expand your barbecue repertoire, this is the cookbook for you.
Price at time of publish: $20
Recipes: 100+ | Pages: 192 | Date Published: 2007
Best for Korean Barbecue
Korean BBQ: Master Your Grill in Seven Sauces
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Amazon
If you think Americans obsess over barbecue, you haven’t spent much time in Korea. Barbecue is central to the South Korean culture; you can find a barbecue joint (or three) on every corner in Seoul. What sets each one apart is its sauce—sometimes secret, sometimes not. For his Korean barbecue cookbook, Bill Kim starts with seven essential sauces, ranging from sweet to spicy to just about every flavor profile between. But there’s so much more to this sweet-and-spicy barbecue style. Kim and co-author Chandra Ram spend most of the book breaking down the techniques that define Korean barbecue through recipes for meat, poultry, vegetables, and more. Of course, each one gets one of the seven sauces.
Price at time of publish: $28
Recipes: 80 | Pages: 240 | Date Published: 2018
Best Vegan
VBQ―The Ultimate Vegan Barbecue Cookbook: Over 80 Recipes―Seared, Skewered, Smoking Hot! Paperback – Illustrated, May 1, 2018
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Amazon
“Vegan” may not be the first word that comes to mind when you think “barbecue,” but those who eat a plant-based diet deserve more than fake-meat patties and black bean burgers when gathering around the grill. Vegans can now enjoy the 'cue, too, with this collection of more than 80 savory, smoky recipes including seitan ribs, zucchini steaks, tandoori tofu skewers, eggplant hot dogs, and pulled mushroom sandwiches, as well as sides like crunchy coleslaw and grilled potato salad. And you don’t have to be a vegan or vegetarian to enjoy "VBQ," either. Anyone who wants to eat more veggies and likes to cook outside will enjoy this take on the traditional barbecue cookbook.
Price at time of publish: $20
Recipes: 80+ | Pages: 224 | Date Published: 2018
Best for Variety
America's Best BBQ: 100 Recipes From America's Best Smokehouses, Pits, Shacks, Rib Joints, Roadhouses, and Restaurants
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Amazon
Barbecue experts and BBQ Hall of Famers Ardie Davis and Paul Kirk are your tour guides for this road trip-style barbecue cookbook that taps the knowledge of the country’s best pitmasters. For the book, Davis and Kirk traveled to the usual regions (Dallas, Memphis, and their hometown of Kansas City) and a few unexpected ones (hello, North Dakota?) in search of the very best recipes for everything from pulled pork to barbecued shrimp. But a true American barbecue experience includes sides and dessert, too, so you’ll also find recipes for mac and cheese, fried green tomatoes, and peach cobbler. Between meals, or while you wait for your meat to smoke, you can read all about the people behind the recipes.
Price at time of publish: $20
Recipes: 100 | Pages: 240 | Date Published: 2009
Best for Sauces
American Barbecue Sauces: Marinades, Rubs, and More from the South and Beyond
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Amazon
Americans love their barbecue sauce, but how that sauce is prepared is all over the map—literally. This cookbook explores sauce styles from all over the country and presents them in easy-to-follow recipes, using easy-enough-to-find ingredients. There’s a sauce for every palate, whether you prefer sweet, spicy, or tangy, and it goes beyond basic glazes with rubs, mops, brines, and more. For new barbecue enthusiasts, there’s a helpful section on stocking your pantry with barbecue sauce staples (think: sugar, spices, etc.) as well as the ever-important disposable gloves.
Price at time of publish: $10
Recipes: 70+ | Pages: 130 | Date Published: 2019
Best New Release
The Grill Bible, Smoker Cookbook 2023: 1200 Days of Tender & Juicy Bbq Recipes to Surprise Your Guests | Discover the Ultimate Texas Brisket Secrets and Become an Award-Winning Pitmaster
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Amazon
The art of barbecue takes a lot of passion and know-how. This smoker cookbook from Pitmaster Academy is a fantastic resource to both new and seasoned grillers. It focuses on grilling and smoking meats in particular, covering helpful tips like what wood pellets to use or how to choose the right dry rub. In addition the barbecue education, “The Grill Bible: Smoker Cookbook 2023” contains a number of delicious recipes, including burnt ends, Asian wings, and Texas-style brisket.
Price at time of publish: $20
Pages: 105 | Date Published: 2022
If you only invest in one barbecue book, let it be "Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling" written by Craig "Meathead" Goldwyn. It has more than 100 amazing recipes, as well as valuable insights about all things grilling. If you're just delving into the world of barbecue, "Real BBQ: The Ultimate Step-By-Step Smoker Cookbook" is a beginner-friendly choice with lots of great recipes.
What to Look for in a BBQ Book
Experience Level
Most cookbooks are tailored to a specific audience, whether it's total beginners, experienced pitmasters, or grillers somewhere in the middle. As you shop for a barbecue book, keep your experience level in mind—if you purchase a book for beginners but have been barbecuing for years, you probably won't get much value from it. On the flip side, novice grillers may be overwhelmed by more advanced books that assume you know basic barbecue techniques.
Equipment
You'll also want to consider the type of grill or smoker you own. Many barbecue books are tailored toward one type of grill, whether it's a pellet smoker, kamado grill, or charcoal kettle grill—so you'll likely want a book that provides techniques you can use with your existing equipment.
Culinary Style
Finally, think about whether you want to focus on one particular culinary style, such as Korean or Caribbean barbecue, or if you want to try a little bit of everything. Certain barbecue books take a deep dive into a certain culinary style, while others provide a broader collection of recipes.
FAQs
How do you barbecue?
“Grilling and barbecuing are all about heat management,” says Susie Bulloch, founder of Hey Grill Hey and The Grill Squad. “Hot and fast cooking—above 350 degrees—counts as grilling and barbecuing is at low temperatures—between 180 and 275 degrees—over a wood fire. Tough cuts are better suited for low and slow barbecue-style cooking and leaner or more tender cuts are well suited for high-temperature grilling.”
For newcomers to the world of barbecue, Bulloch has some helpful advice: “If you find yourself more drawn to grilling vegetables, steaks, chicken, and fish, a high-temperature charcoal grill might be the best fit for your backyard. If you feel the pull of wood smoke in your soul and gravitate towards longer weekend cooks with ribs, pulled pork, and brisket making up your menu, then you might need a wood fired smoker.”
No matter the skill level, Bulloch also says there’s one thing every barbecue-enthusiast needs. “The one tool that will benefit you whether you grill or smoke is a good instant read thermometer. Tracking the temperature of your food can take you from a barbecue novice to a confident master of the tongs, because you’ll never have to guess if your food is done.”
How do you make homemade barbecue sauce?
Making barbecue sauce from scratch is a great way to control the flavor, ingredients, and intensity of the sauce. How you make the sauce, and what goes into it, depends on the type you’re making. Here are some recipes for popular sauces:
- Memphis Barbecue Sauce
- St. Louis-Style Barbecue Sauce
- Beer-based Barbecue Sauce
- Spicy Barbecue Sauce with Molasses
- Mustard Barbecue Sauce
- Bourbon Barbecue Sauce
- Chipotle Barbecue Sauce
- Chinese Barbecue Sauce (Char Siu)
- Southern Vinegar Barbecue Sauce
Is barbecue sauce vegan?
Barbecue sauce can top more than just meat. Lots of people like them on vegetables, mashed potatoes, baked beans, or even pizza. Knowing that, you might wonder if barbecue sauce itself is plant-based.
Though certain recipes vary on ingredients, most basic barbecue sauces include vinegar, tomato paste, spices, and sweeteners. That’s right: Many barbecue sauces are actually vegan. Some, however, may use animal byproducts. If you’re vegan, you may want to avoid sauces that use honey, anchovies, or sugar filtered through bone char. If you’re uncertain about whether or not a sauce contains non-vegan ingredients, it’s better to stick to sauce that’s advertised as vegan-friendly.
Why Trust The Spruce Eats?
Emily Farris is a food and lifestyle writer as well as a recipe developer. She obsesses over kitchen design and is married to a four-seasons griller. She’s also embarrassingly good at buying expensive things online and can see straight through a fake review.
Allison Wignall, who updated this article, is a self-professed carnivore who looks forward to barbecue dinners every summer.
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