Let the Flames Begin - Tips, Techniques and Recipes for Real Live Fire Cooking (Hardcover)

Tips, Techniques, and Recipes for Real Live Fire Cooking

All the secrets, all the fun, and hundreds of great recipes for real grilling.

"Chris Schlesinger and Doc Willoughby launched the grilling revolution with their seminal book, The Thrill of the Grill. Their newest venture is chock-o-block full of outrageous opinions, indispensable tips, sizzling recipes, and tall tales—in short, it's everything a barbecue book should be." —Steven Raichlen

The great grilling pioneers Chris Schlesinger and John "Doc" Willoughby have proven once again that cooking your food can be as much fun as eating it. Their ultimate grilling guide is jam-packed with the stuff that Chris and Doc do best: more useful information, more effective techniques, more imaginative and flavor-packed recipes, more ways to make grilling not just a cooking method but also a way of life.

Special features of the book include:

• Detailed instructions for getting the most out of every live fire cooking technique, from hot smoking to straight-on grilling to barbecuing (no, they're not the same) and smoke-roasting, each designed to bring that ineffable smoky flavor to whatever you put over the fire;
• Expert advice on everything from choosing your fuel to accurately gauging the doneness of your food to knowing when (and, more importantly, when not) to cover your grill;
• A list of the handful of tools you need for proper grilling, and how to choose each one;
• Descriptions of how to deal with each live fire's distinct personality, exploiting those complex layers of heat and veins of coal and flame that make it subtly different from any other fire you have ever built;
• Sidebars with tips and useful information about everything from varieties of mushrooms to making tough steaks more tender;
• "Cook to Cook" instruction boxes with almost every recipe, outlining the keys to success for that particular dish.

In addition to what's already in the book, this edition features a twelve-page "Summer Splurges" pullout guide with seventeen new recipes and all the menu suggestions you'll need for easy summer party planning—from the perfect Grilled Cheeseburger in Paradise to more exotic fare like Grilled Eggplant with Mint Sauce, and great drink recipes like fruity Turquoise Mangoritas and a juicy West Indies Rum Julep.

And then, of course, there are the recipes in the book itself. Inside these covers you'll find more than 250 spectacular dishes, from starters to desserts and everything in between. Some, like Curry-Grilled Quail with Dried Grapes, Ginger, and Mint, or Spicy Sausage-Stuffed Trout with Hoisin Glaze and Sesame Crust, are upscale options for those times when you want to put on the Ritz a bit. Many others, like Smoke-Roasted Standing Rib Roast; Grilled Clams in Their Shells with Tabasco, Lemon, and Garlic; West Indian Grilled Chicken; or Grilled Asparagus with Parmesan Cheese, are easy as can be. But every one is packed with intense, deep, rich flavors and eating excitement. Here you'll also find not just recipes but entire strategies for cooking ribs, steaks, whole fish, corn on the cob, and other favorites; hobo packs to roast in the coals while you grill something else above the fire; and uniquely tasty beverages to keep you refreshed while you're grilling.

"[E]ssential. . . . Schlesinger and Willoughby are unfussy cooks who go for big, knock-you-down flavors." —New York Times Book Review

"Let the Flames Begin is chock full of gold medal recipes. Chris and Doc never cease to amaze me with their exciting flavors and dedication to the grill." —Bobby Flay, author of Boy Meets Grill, Bobby Flay Cooks American, host of Food Nation on Food Network

"The only thing this book has in common with most other barbecue books is the hokey title. This is a real cookbook, a step or two beyond ordinary grill books." —Dan's Papers

"Delicious—and useful—reading while you're waiting for the coals to fire up. . . . You're covered, from tantalizing appetizers like Prosciutto-Wrapped Grilled Peaches with a Balsamic Drizzle through main dishes . . . to desserts, including a S'more Hobo Pack." Good Housekeeping

"Let the Flames Begin . . . deftly guides neophytes through the demands of cooking with fire, a heat source far more fickle than a Kenmore stove. . . . [It] shows how much fun it is to stick every possible food over flames." —U.S. News and World Report

"Schlesinger and Willoughby demonstrate what separates the men from the boys in the practice of outdoor cookery." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Chris Schlesinger . . . and John Willoughby . . . kept an ace up their sleeve and have returned with the excellent Let the Flames Begin. Or maybe I should say aces𤻒 recipes that will have meat lovers as well as vegetarians stocking up on their fuel of choice." —Sacramento Bee