Jamie Purviance - Webers Greatest Hits: 125 Classic Recipes for Every Grill

The other day, I was staring at the bookcase in my office, which is loaded with Weber cookbooks. As I leafed through some of them published as far back as the 1970s, I paused to think about a question Im often asked: how did Weber get into the cookbook business?

I would like to respond that we crafted a strategic plan for producing cookbooks and then executed it flawlessly. But the truth is, we became cookbook publishers almost by accident.

In 1952, George Stephen invented the Weber Kettle Grill. He was working for Weber Brothers Metal Works at the time, so our company has always been in the business of bending and welding metal. Back then, the Weber charcoal kettle grill was far from a success. People would look at its unusual shape and wonder why it was a grill with a lid and why anyone would pay the outrageous pricefor the 1950sof fifty dollars for it. To overcome that resistance, George put on live demonstrations of his charcoal kettle at retail stores, showing interested shoppers that his invention could grill steaks without flare-ups and roast turkeys without a rotisserie.

As sales took off, Weber kettle owners began requesting recipes and cooking instructions for all kinds of meats and seafood. George, along with friends and family, put together a small cookbook that sold for fifty cents. He was amazed at how often it had to be reprinted. And thats how our cookbook business got started.

I joined the company in 1971, and folks who wanted to be better grillers were still regularly using those little paperback cookbooks from the 1950s. I remember a recipe for back ribs that mistakenly called for the direct heat method of grilling. One of my early jobs was managing customer service, and I got an earful from grillers who burned their ribs following our flawed instructions. That experience convinced me that Weber had to become more than a grill manufacturer. We had to teach the art of covered grilling, and we had to make sure our instructions and recipes were flawless. Looking back, its clear that we didnt have a strategic plan for publishing. But what we did have were Weber owners who showed us the way by buying our little paperback cookbooks.

Im not a publisher or an author. Im a grill salesman. I quickly discovered that producing a cookbook with great recipes, beautiful photography, and clearly written, helpful tips and techniques was beyond my capabilities. Thank goodness I met an experienced publisher, Susan Maruyama, who led me to a terrific author, Jamie Purviance. I knew what Weber owners wanted in cookbooks, and Susan and Jamie had the knowledge and experience to make those cookbooks happen.

The rest, as they say, is history. Jamie has developed thousands of recipes using Weber grills and accessories. He has tested and retested each recipe with meticulous dedication, making sure that backyard chefs will be successful the first time they try any dish. Over the years, we have discovered scores of grilling tips and techniques that are now a hallmark of our books, and we have learned to bring our recipes and instructions to life with great photographs. There is nothing like a picture to help folks select a recipe and then duplicate the results for their family and friends.

Im happy to report that weve sold literally millions of cookbooks all over the world, and that theyve even been translated into ten languages. Many grillers have several of our cookbooks, and over the years, they have asked us to identify our favorite recipes. That got us thinking, and we decided to get to work putting together a single cookbook that would celebrate the best of the best.

Weve done just that in Webers Greatest Hits. We polled Weber cookbook owners and Weber employees, including the chefs from our restaurants and grill academies, and asked them to select their favorite recipes. It was a tough task, and Jamie had the final say on which recipes made the cut. What youll find in these pages is indeed the best of our best.

I am sure Webers Greatest Hits will be my go-to cookbook when I am eager to delight my family with a great meal. Ill bet it will become a well-worn favorite on your cookbook shelf, too.

Happy grilling,

Mike Kempster

EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER AND BRAND GODFATHER

When Weber decided to publish this collection of greatest hits, I immediately felt the weight of responsibility down to my bones. The term greatest hits took me back to my youth and the vinyl albums and box sets that made indelible impressions on me and millions of other music fans. I carried my prized collection from one college dorm room to another, from each new apartment to the next, and then to my first house. Even though I have since replaced all of that vinyl with digital versions, I cant imagine ever letting go of the iconic songs of my favorite artists.

I knew this cookbook had to deliver the best of Weber in the same way that my beloved records delivered the best of a band or an artist. Thats a tall order, for sure. How do you choose the recipes? How can you be certain that each recipe is worthy of being part of such an ambitious title? The short answer is, you ask. You ask the people who regularly grill from the cookbooks Weber has published over the past couple of decades. They will tell you which recipes stand out as the best of the best. And they did just that.

Our survey of Weber cookbook owners revealed that taste is crucial (obviously), but it is not he only consideration. A lot of people feel strongly about the ease of preparation, too. Their comments about recipes such as Zesty Garlic Shrimp (). These recipes are unique without being weird.

Reasonable people canand willdisagree about the final selections here. Not surprisingly, even my Weber colleagues engaged in some heated debates about which recipes to include. It seems that everyone has a few must-haves. We did agree, however, that this book must deliver the features that are part of every Weber cookbook. That means brand-new photography of real food made from the actual recipes. We dont tolerate any fake food-styling maneuvers. We also insist on giving you plenty of insights into how to be a better griller. My .

In the past two decades, Weber has developed well over 2,500 recipes to cover a huge range of grilling possibilities and occasions. But we know that sometimes all you want are the favorites. Sometimes you want to know for sure that everyone will love the food. This is the book for those timeswhen nothing but the best will do.