Long the world's favorite meat, pork has surged in popularity in American kitchens thanks in part to high-protein diets, but mostly because of its adaptability to just about every taste. Whether you like spicy Asian flavors, flavorful pan braises, or light and healthy grills, pork fills the bill. Now Bruce Aidells,America's leading meat expert, presents a guide to pork's endless versatility, with 160 international recipes and cooking and shopping tips.

This comprehensive collection contains everything cooks need to know about pork, including how to choose from the many cuts available, how to serve a crowd with ease, and how to ensure moist pork chops and succulent roasts every time. Aidells offers temperature charts for perfect grilling, roasting, and braising, as well as a landmark chapter with step-by-step instructions for home curing. With Bruce Aidells as your guide, you will be making your own bacon, salami, and breakfast sausages with ease. If you are looking to enhance everyday dining, there are recipes here for quick after-work meals, as well as dramatic centerpiece main courses that are sure to impress guests. Bruce Aidells's Complete Book of Pork is a matchless all-in-one guide that will become a kitchen classic.

"Thanks to decades of breeding for less fatty animals — as well as an effective ad campaign — pork has shed its unhealthy stigma. Unfortunately, much of today's leaner supermarket cuts are often dry and bland. Aidells, founder of the Aidells Sausage Company, comes to the rescue with well over 100 flavorful recipes. Including Thai Seafood and Pork Dumplings, Albndigas Soup and Quebec Pork Pie, his selections reflect the pig's popularity around the world and highlight the meat's versatility as both an appetizer and main course. Unsurprisingly (given his background), Aidells includes both master recipes and several variations for hearty links and patties. He uses a similarly in-depth technique to convey the range of possible approaches to hams and barbecued ribs and roasts. Though the writing is sometimes awkward, the recipes are refined and well balanced. Advanced cooks will appreciate some of the more exotic concoctions and the section on curing meats, but there are accessible recipes for all levels, and the introductions offer plenty of background information on choosing cuts, learning how to brine and much more. Agent, Susan Grode. (On sale Nov. 2) Forecast: Author appearances, radio interviews and a national media campaign could get carbophobes interested in Aidells's paean to 'the other white meat.'" Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc.)

The award-winning cookbook author ("Hot Links and Country Flavors") and founder of Aidells Sausage Company presents a comprehensive guide to pork's endless versatility--along with fascinating lore, pig history, and 150 recipes.

Bruce Aidells is the founder of Aidells Sausage Company and author of nine cookbooks, including The Complete Meat Cookbook, The Complete Sausage Book the "Meat" and "Poultry" chapters of the revised Joy of Cooking, and the key meat tips in The All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook. He won the 1990 Julia Child Cookbook Award for Hot Links and Country Flavors. His articles appear in numerous publications, including Cooking Light, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, and Food & Wine.