Barbecue Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades--Bastes, Butters & Glazes, Too (Steven Raichlen Barbecue Bible Cookbooks)

I have the first edition of this book from 2000. So, I may be further along, experience-wise, than a person reading this book for the first time. Maybe I’m not quite as enthusiastic as a first-time reader, but believe me, if you are at all interested in grilling and barbecuing, this book is worth buying. And, since the first edition of this book is still available for sale and you have a choice in which one to buy, I would recommend buying this second edition rather than the first. It really does have updated recipes, additional recipes, and a few full-color pictures.I had been working with my old well-worn copy from 2000 and comparing it with a temporary download of this second edition that I received from the publisher. You can see by the "Verified Purchase" tag that appears at the top of my review, that I decided the quantity and quality of the changes in this second edition prompted me to buy a personal copy for use in my kitchen.Lots of the content is exactly the same in both books. I don’t see that any of the recipes have been removed, but many have been tweaked and updated. (For instance, pepper amounts have increased per this decade’s preferences, and you’ll find new popular products included, (Sriracha Sauce as an alternative to Tabasco Sauce, for instance). You might find some updated information and some new instructions and techniques. But, for the most part, the advice is the same in both editions.There are new recipes, too. I especially like the idea of Raichlen’s 5-4-3-2-1 rubs: Five ingredients only, from 5 tablespoons down to 1 tablespoon; easy to remember without opening the book. There is an American and an Asian 5-4-3-2-1 Rub, both of them are sweet, spicy and salty. There is an intuitive pairing of a coffee rub from Fette Sau (Brooklyn) and Aaron Franklin’s (Austin, TX) Espresso Barbecue Sauce.There are new recipes in this book that work well with our recently-acquired Traeger Grill. The Failproof Fish Cure is a major “keeper” recipe. (It alone prompted me to buy this Second Addition, the day after we used it to smoke some fresh halibut on the Traeger.)There are also a lot of brine recipes in this new edition. Were there any in the First Edition? Maybe none at all. (That somewhat points out how far we’ve all come along cooking-technique-wise over the past two decades.) There are also recipes for injection sauces, where there are few or none in the first edition.In this new edition it seems to me that Raichlen has a better respect for the term “barbecue” as it exists in Texas, North Carolina, Memphis and Kansas City for instance than he did 16 years ago. But, I think, bottom line, this book still leans toward “barbecue” as anything cooked over live fire. And, I think Raichlen might also have been influenced by the books by Francis Mallmann (Argentina). Mallmann has a grand philosophy on cooking with fire: Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way.You will not find full-color photos of each recipe. It would be kind of crazy to expect pictures of all the salts, rubs, sauces and marinades. But if one of those recipes is incorporated into a dish with a specific food, that resulting recipe might get its own picture. But there really are not many photos, if that is important to you.Ingredient lists are not confusing and leave no doubt. Instructions are clear.Page layout is easy on the eyes. Type size is a bit small and I need to use my reading glasses with this book. Paper quality is not so great and paper is very thin. Quality of colored pictures is not the best either. (Things I can overlook considering the great content.)The writing style is personable. Raichlen is a fine writer. He’s even written a novel, which I have read and liked much: Island Apart: A Novel.In my mind, the only problem I have with this book is that it has so, so many choices—almost too many choices. But that’s not really a problem, is it?It was Paul Kirk’s Championship Barbecue book, (I’ve got the 1997 Edition),Paul Kirk's Championship Barbecue Sauces: 175 Make-Your-Own Sauces, Marinades, Dry Rubs, Wet Rubs, Mops and Salsas (Non) plus some tips from this book that helped me create my own award-winning barbecue rub and barbecue sauce. So proud of that! I mention it to explain my experience level.

This book has it down to the detail. With fantastic recipes and clear yummy pictures. My initial reasoning for buying this was for the sauce recipes but there is so much more in here.

Great book for sauces and marinates. Highly recommend.

Great sauce recipes

Bought this for Christmas gift for my friend to use for his smoker he loves it

I purchased "Project Smoke" from this author. After reading that, I found that this accompanying book was the best in depth guide to everything else you would want to know about BBQ. The recipes and suggested methods are top notch. I'll be exploring many foods using my smoker/grill, including desserts and sides in addition to the various meats and sauces that pair well with them.

I bought this book and also Paul Kirk's Championship Barbecue Sauces: 175 Make-Your-Own Sauces, Marinades, Dry Rubs, Wet Rubs, Mops and Salsas (Non). Even thought they have some recipes in common, I think the books complement each other and each offers recipes not included in the other. This book is geared more toward homemade seasoning that might be used on a daily basis rather than barbecuing, but both include recipes for a lot of excellent rubs and descriptions of the various spices used in the recipes. Here again, many different spices are described in each book.This book has less emphasis on barbecuing, but the recipes in both would be just as useful for indoor cooking. This book includes recipes for brining that are not included in the book by Paul Kirk, and talks more about injector type marinades. All-in-all, I think both books are wonderful resources for making homemade spice blends, barbecue sauces and marinades. Each offers unique ideas, and as previously mentioned, both are excellent books that complement each other.

Some really good sauces to go off of, or use them as a template, tweak and create your own.