Books to satisfy your winter BBQ cravings
By Doug Mosley
doug_mosley@hotmail.com
 For some, the combination of shorter days and colder temperatures means diminished opportunities for outdoor cooking (the catch-all term for smoking, grilling, barbecuing, etc.). I know we’ve all gone to extreme lengths through the sort of ?rain, sleet, snow, and hail that would’ve kept a postman at home, but sometimes the ultimate hurdle is just time. But whatever it is that’s keeping us all from our favorite pastime, it doesn’t have to keep us from enjoying our favorite food. Well, if you’ve got a crock pot, I can point you in the direction of a book that can satisfy that craving. Cheater BBQ: Barbecue Anytime, Anywhere, In Any Weather by Mindy Merrell and R.B. Quinn ($17.95, Broadway Books, 216 pp.) offers over 125 surprisingly tasty recipes that will keep your barbecue jones satisfied no matter the conditions.
Now I know many of you are already dubious of any barbecue that’s not slow-cooked for hours with hardwood smoke. And I understand that and readily admit my own preference for that. I was just as skeptical of the claims made in “Cheater BBQ” when I first picked up the book. But after trying a few recipes myself, I have to admit that I was very surprised - they turned out pretty good ‘cue! Let’s immediately jump from that point to this disclaimer: the source for smoke flavor in most of the recipes is liquid smoke, the very same ingredient that is held in disregard by many. But let’s face it, in these circumstances liquid smoke is a necessary crutch. After all, if there wasn’t some other factor keeping you away from your usual barbecue method, you wouldn’t have to be cheating.
Cheater BBQ offers a wide range of recipes, including sauces and rubs, all the standard meat categories, sides, and even desserts. I especially liked the chapter called Two-Timing Cheater Recipes, which is about using leftovers. The thought occurred to me that this chapter is applicable with traditional leftover barbecue that we all have in our freezer from time to time.
Look, sometimes we all make a concession or two to enjoy the things we love. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve settled for a McRib or two when the kind of barbecue meal I prefer just wasn’t feasible. I know I’m treading on sacrilege when I start advocating the use of crock pots and liquid smoke, but take a leap of faith with me here and try out this book. I think you’ll be just as surprised as I was.
I’ve seen my share of books on gas grilling and I’ve never understood why so many of them seem to come up a bit short. There’s lots of great books on grilling – why is it the ones that deal specifically with gas grilling just don’t measure up?
 Until now, that is. Now I’ve found a book on gas grilling that is easily as good as any book on grilling, period. Grillin’ with Gas: 150 Mouthwatering Recipes for Great Grilled Food by Fred Thompson ($19.95, Taunton Press, 306 pp.) has leapt to the top of my all-time best gas grilling books (and perhaps even without that gas grilling qualifier).
I may have a bit of a theory on my conundrum: it seems to me that many books on gas grilling start off with the gas grill and then try to come up with recipes that are suited toward the equipment. In the case of Grillin’ with Gas, it seems to have been the reverse. Thompson is somebody who already has an impressive resume in barbecue. He’s a teacher at the Greenbriar and the author of a previously impressive book, Barbecue Nation ($18.95, Taunton Press, 382 pp.). It’s my impression that he uses his experience to conversely write a great book on grilling that is adapted to the gas grill. It is to his credit that this approach works well and the end result in an excellent book.
There are 150 recipes in this book and all are well-chosen, from the basics to the really creative types. But what I really enjoyed is the extra information that Thompson includes. This book goes way beyond just a collection of recipes, with plenty of informative sidebars and very detailed introductions to each chapter. Perhaps the best compliment I can give this book is that any reader would find great value within these pages even if they didn’t own a gas grill.
 While we’re speaking of grilling, let you recommend to you a pair of brand-name sponsored books that I’ve had the pleasure of considering recently. The first is Better Homes and Gardens Grillin’ & Chillin’: 164 Finger-Lickin’ Fire-Kissed Foods ($12.95, Meredith Books, 192 pp.). Coming from the editors of the well-know magazine Better Homes and Gardens, there’s no surprise here that is book is well done with lush full-color layouts and creative yet easy-to-follow recipes.
 The second is Char-Broil Everybody Grills!: 200 Prize-Worthy Recipes to Put Sizzle on Your Grill ($24.95, Creative Homeowner, 304 pp.). This hefty volume from the renowned grillmaker is just as well constructed with full-page full-color pictures and a cool chapter color-coding key on the page ends.
 Christmas is coming soon and that means everyone will be on the hunt for the perfect gift, including that perfect gag gift. The pedestrian purchaser will simply find something amusing or perhaps inappropriate and feel satisfied with their effort. However, the truly crafty gag gift buyer will go the extra mile to seek out an item that will bring the expected result (a laugh, mild embarrassment, wild guffaws from other in attendance), but also have value. After all, most of those gag gifts are simply a waste of money in the long run. But if your gag gift can accomplish the expected result and also have value, then you have made a brilliant purchase. Now let me clue you in on a secret resource for gag gifts that make great gifts: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to… and …for Dummies books.
Let me say first of all that I love these books and already have a shelf full of them on various topics like grant writing, homebrewing and harmonicas, to name a few. Now let me recommend to you three of these books that I found to be outstanding.
The first is BBQ Sauces, Rubs & Marinades for Dummies by Traci Cumbay ($14.99, 244 pp.). I always like the formula that …for Dummies uses in pairing an accomplished author with an expert contributor and in this case the contributor is Tom Schneider, a barbecue competition judge and ?the owner of Poppi-Q Bar-B-Que, an Indianapolis-based barbecue competition team and catering business. Together, Cumbay and Schneider turn out a definitive volume on their topic and one that will surely be enjoyed by whoever lands it for their bookshelf.
 From the The Complete Idiot’s Guide to…, I have a pair to tell you about. The first is The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Grilling by Don Mauer ($16.95, Alpha, 360 pp.). This book includes nearly 200 recipes and plenty of those great factoids that The Complete Idiot’s Guide to… books are known for. The second book is The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Spices & Herbs by Leslie Bilderback ($16.95, Alpha, 266 pp.). If you’ve ever thought about doing that Paul Kirk-recommended exercise where you spread out your spices individually and then taste and smell them to learn their true characteristics, this would be a great companion guide for that. There’s plenty to be learned about spices and herbs in this book and I dare say may have you rethinking your top secret rub recipe.
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