Jamie Purviance - Weber’s Ultimate Barbecue

Everything you need to know for barbecue greatness

More than just a recipe collection, Webers Ultimate Barbecue is the most visually instructive barbecue book available, with more than 750 photos to walk you through every recipe and techniquefrom start to finish, on and off the barbecue.

Now, the masters of barbecue share decades of tips and know-how, starting with a simple yet comprehensive overview of the four Tstemperature, time, techniques and toolsto help you conquer the fundamentals and take control of your cooking.

Enjoy more than 100 all-new recipes for juicy steaks, beer-braised sausages, majestic ribs, tender pulled pork, savoury chicken, fish tacos, garlic prawns, even a banana split and summer berry crostata. The most popular (and often most misunderstood) foods receive extra attention, with tips for succulent chicken breasts, crusty pizzas, smoky salmon fillets and crispy asparagusnot to mention a ticket to burger nirvana with the classics as well as an assortment of crowd-pleasing variations.

Jamie Purviance is an accomplished chef, teacher and James Beard award nominee who has helped millions of people to barbecue like professionals. A graduate of Stanford University and the Culinary Institute of America, he is a regular contributor to national newspapers and magazines in the U.S. and is the author of many best-selling cookbooks, including Webers Barbecue Bible and Webers Greatest Hits. This book is the culmination of his 20 years as Webers master barbecuer and teacher.

With more than 200 illustrated tips and techniques, Webers Ultimate Barbecue is the ideal tool for turning out fantastic results from your barbecue every single time.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

THE PANTRY

INTRODUCTION

Ill admit it. In my youth, I approached barbecuing the same way an unskilled, super-psyched teenager picks up a shiny electric guitar for the first time. Forget lessons! Ill just fire up the barbecue, throw some meat on it and know intuitively how to manage whatever happens next.

In my case, what usually happened involved an eruption of flames, followed by plumes of dark smoke. As I sheepishly served black meteorites of unrecognisable meat, friends either winced or laughed. Back then no one wanted to eat my food. Not friends. Not pets. Not even me.

Eventually, my desire to eat better led me to The Culinary Institute of America for two years of rigorous training in cooking techniques. That raised my barbecuing game dramatically. Shortly after, I started working with Webera phenomenal opportunity to access barbecuing know-how from experts at the worlds grandest barbecue company. Within a year, I went from being a guy with halfway decent barbecued chops to a cookbook author with a full-blown obsession and a wealth of knowledge about all styles of outdoor cooking.

I mention this to emphasise that none of us is born with barbecuing skills embedded in our DNA. We all learn along the way. My way was intensive and extreme. Your way will not require professional cooking school or a job with Weber. Your way could be as easy as using this book. What you are holding now is a comprehensive record of nearly everything Ive learned about barbecuingin professional cooking school, in restaurants, at Weber and in the backyards of skilled barbecuers all over the world.

This book may look like just a collection of recipesand, in a way, it is that. But look a little deeper, as it is actually much more. Its a highly visual exploration of the techniques that will put better food on your plate. I included these particular recipes because I believe they are not only well worth making, but are also prime examples of skills that you can apply to other recipes as well. My mission is to teach you so much about cooking over fire that each time you step up to your barbecue, whether you are making one of my recipes or one of your own, you will be capable of greatness.

To get started, check out . This section is meant to organise your thinking. When you barbecue, there are lots of variables potentially at play: fire and embers, sparks and smoke, searing and charring, rubs and marinades, sun and wind, tough and tender ingredients, friends and family, beer and wine flowing, choices of sauces and side dishes, split-second decisions about when to turn and when to take foods off the barbecue. This section will set your priorities straight. On any given day, with any given recipe, if you focus on the four Ts, you will be a better barbecuer.

Next, I hope you will try at least a few of the ten BBQ Genius recipes, as you will learn the most from them. Ive developed a BBQ Genius recipe for each of the most popular (and often most misunderstood) foods: chicken wings, pizza, cheeseburgers, rib-eye steaks, pork chops, baby back ribs, chicken breasts, salmon fillets, prawns and asparagus. Each recipe is introduced by essential tips and techniques, as well as a Barbecue Science column that will deepen your understanding of what is happening to your ingredients on and off the barbecue. Then comes the recipe itself, presented with detailed step-by-step photography so you can look and cook your way through it. Following each BBQ Genius recipe are Flavour Bomb variationseasy, weeknight-friendly recipes based on the techniques in the BBQ Genius recipe.

You will be surprised at how quickly your confidence and barbecuing skills improve when you start cooking with greater attention to techniques. Raising your barbecuing game is not just a matter of knowing what you are doing but also how and why you are doing it. Thats when you approach ultimate barbecuing. With more and more recipes and techniques in your repertoire, there will come a time when you are sitting around a table with friends, enjoying what you have made, and you suddenly say to yourself, Wow, this food I made came out great. To me, thats ultimate barbecuing. Lets go there. Ill show you the way.