Planet Barbecue!: 309 Recipes, 60 Countries

Welcome to Planet Barbecue, the book that will take America's passionate, obsessive, smoke-crazed live-fire cooks to the next level. Planet Barbecue, with full-color photographs throughout, is an unprecedented marriage of food and culture. Here, for example, is how the world does pork: in the Puerto Rican countryside cooks make Lechon Asado--stud a pork shoulder with garlic and oregano, baste it with annatto oil, and spit-roast it. From the Rhine-Palatine region of Germany comes Spiessbraten, thick pork steaks seasoned with nutmeg and grilled over a low, smoky fire. From Seoul, South Korea, Sam Gyeop Sal--grilled sliced pork belly. From Montevideo, Uruguay, Bandiola--butterflied pork loin stuffed with ham, cheese, bacon, and peppers. From Cape Town, South Africa, Sosaties--pork kebabs with dried apricots and curry. And so it goes for beef, fish, vegetables, shellfish--says Steven, "Everything tastes better grilled."

In addition to the recipes the book showcases inventive ways to use the grill: Australia's Lamb on a Shovel, Bogota's Lomo al Trapo (Salt-Crusted Beef Tenderloin Grilled in Cloth), and from the Charantes region of France, Eclade de Moules--Mussels Grilled on Pine Needles. Do try this at home. What a planet--what a book.

Dateline: Planet Barbecue

The Discovery of Fire and the Invention of Barbecue

Time Line:

Two Million Years of Barbecue History (in 2,000 Words)

Grilling With a Conscience

Starters:

Your passport to Planet Barbecue. Fire-charred vegetable dips and kebabs. Smoked Egg Pâté. Grilled Quesadillas, Pork Jerky, and Israeli Spiced Foie Gras. Get your barbecue off to a fiery start. 

Salads:

When it comes to grilled salads, eggplant reigns supreme--with peppers not far behind. As proof--Filipino Grilled Eggplant Salad and Bell Pepper Salad with Capers and Pine Nuts. A chapter's worth of recipes with smoky, snappy, rich flavors that you'll remember long after the flames have died. 

Grilled Breads:

Whether simply toasted over the flames, like Crostini and Bruschetta, or baked from scratch on the grill, like Naan Crusted with Pumpkin, Poppy, and Nigella seeds and Turkish Puff Bread--you can't beat bread that's spent time on the grill.

Beef, Veal, and Game:

A world of fiery options, including Caveman T-Bones with Hellfire Hot Sauce, Butterflied Sesame-Grilled Beef Short Ribs, and the infamous Buenos Aires "Heart-Stopper," a butterflied New York strip steak with bacon and eggs. Plus Baby Veal Chops with Garlic, Dill and Russian "Ketchup."

Pork:

Go hog wild! The recipes in this chapter give you every opportunity: Puerto Rican Pork Shoulder, Kansas City-Style Spareribs, Pepper-Spiced Spit-Roasted Pork, Russian Onion and Pork Kebabs; even a Whole Hog in the Style of a Greek Island.

Lamb and Goat:

Lamb is the meat of choice for most of Planet Barbecue and the recipes show the love: Enjoy Australian Lamb on a Shovel, Méchoui of Lamb or Goat with Berber Spices, and Peanut-Crusted Lamb Kebabs in the Style of Burkina Faso. And if you haven't tried goat, start with peppery, tongue-tingling Piri-Piri Goat Kebabs.

Ground Meat:

Across cultures and continents, every grill master speaks the language of ground meats. Sample some of the best: "Kobe" Beef Sliders, Really Big Bosnian "Burgers," Ground Lamb Kebabs with Coriander and Cumin, Bratwurst "Hot Tub," and so much more.

Poultry:

The world's barbecue trail offers up an astonishing array of grilled poultry: Beer-Can Chicken with Asian "Pesto," Francis Mallmann's Salt-Roasted Chicken, Cumin-Grilled Chicken Breasts with Fiery Bolivian Salsa, Israeli Smoked Goose, and Brown Sugar- and Orange-Brined Smoked Turkey. Who needs a stove when you have a grill?

Fish:

Fish the way it was meant to be cooked--fire roasted. Treat yourself to Planked Salmon with Juniper Rub and Berry Glaze, Tuna Steaks alla Fiorentina, Grilled Hake with Fried Garlic, and Mexican Grilled Fish Tacos. The possibilities are endless.

Shellfish:

Bring out the briny ocean flavors of fresh shellfish with a blast of smoke and fire. Shrimp on the Barbie (#2), Grilled Oysters with Ginger, Soy, and Jam, Mussels Grilled on Pine Needles, and Hanoi-Style Grilled Squid with Chiles and Lime. These are just a few of the killer recipes included in this chapter.

Vegetables and Vegetarian Dishes:

Imbued with rich, smoky flavors, these dishes elevate vegetables to crisp, crackling new heights: Coconut-Grilled Corn, Bacon-Grilled Eggplant, Grilled Shishito Peppers with Sesame Oil and Salt, and Paella "Primavera" on the Grill. Meatless grilling just doesn't get better than this.

Desserts:

Live fire has a way of transforming familiar desserts into jaw-dropping surprises. Grilled Ice Cream? You bet. Smoke-Roasted Apples with Japanese Sweet Bean Paste, Grilled Bananas with Coconut-Caramel Sauce, Fair Trade Chocolate Banana S'mores--don't put out the fire till you finish dessert. 

The Nuts and Bolts of Live-Fire Cooking:

All you need to know to get your grill fired up and at the ready.

Metric Conversion Charts

Photography Credits

Index