NEW BBQ Book Ideas?

[Huskee]

If you were to decide to buy another BBQ/Grilling book, what would you look for in a new book right now?

BBQ books, as we know, are everywhere from everyone. Many are copies or overlaps of the others. We all likely have several and they sit on a shelf.

If you could think up something that would undoubtedly grab your attention (and your wallet), and NOT stay on your shelf, what would it be? What would it include?

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Sssshh...but we may be thinking of a new Meathead/AmazingRibs.com book someday, and looking for members' input as to what YOU want.

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[ecowper]

great question ..... it needs a unique hook, obviously, because there are ten million bbq cookbooks out there .... here's the four or so that I return to regularly: Meathead's first book, Chris Lilly's "Big Bob Gibson's", Raichlen's "Brisket Chronicles", and Sarit Packer's "Chasing Smoke" .... each of those is unique to itself and doesn't replicate all the other stuff out there.

Not sure I helped, but it's my first thoughts

[dpearce]

AI is telling me what to think. So here it is:

A great follow‑up would be a science‑driven, method‑first book focused on live‑fire vegetables, fruits, sides, and desserts—basically “Everything‑But‑Meat Over Fire.” It would fill a real gap his first two books only touch lightly, without rehashing their main content.

Both Meathead and The Meathead Method are built around meat, core BBQ/grilling science, and main‑dish techniques and recipes. They treat sides, veg, and desserts more as supporting players. A dedicated “veg/sides/sweets over fire” book would shift the spotlight to new ingredients and menu structure while still using his existing science framework (Maillard, water activity, heat transfer, etc.).

A working concept title might be: “Fire Feast: Vegetables, Sides & Sweets.” Scope: all the non‑meat parts of a cookout—grilled/smoked vegetables, beans, grains, breads, salads, condiments, and desserts—designed to build complete menus around the meat, or even go fully veg if desired. Positioning: the third leg of the stool after his meat‑centric books, marketed as the book that turns a great brisket or rib cook into a full restaurant‑quality plate, without repeating the brisket/rib/steak content readers already own.

It fits Meathead because his brand is myth‑busting and science: he could extend that to chlorophyll, pectin, starches, sugars, and moisture management in vegetables and fruits, instead of drifting into a generic recipe collection. There are a few notable live‑fire vegetable books out there, but far fewer than meat‑centric BBQ titles, so there’s clear room for a more science‑heavy, American‑BBQ‑style treatment.

Content‑wise, the book could be built on:

• Science chapters on sugars and caramelization in fruits, starch in potatoes and grains, emulsions in mayo‑based salads, and texture management for veg (blanch, smoke, grill).
• Recipe chapters focused on sides and sweets: beans, mac and cheese, breads, grilled salads, slaws, pickles, sauces, and fruit‑forward desserts—tested on smokers, grills, and griddles, but without re‑explaining the core meat techniques already covered in the first two books.

[jayjordan]

“Amazing Ribs Cooks - a collection of techniques, recipes and ingredients from the members of Amazing Ribs Pitmaster Club”
Not necessarily bbq/grilled meat but covers the wide range of what foods the members cook.

[sclawrence2013]

One of the buzz phrases I've been hearing lately is "BBQ as an ingredient". Everyone has a recipe for smoking a brisket or a pork butt, but what dishes are you creating with those BBQ ingredients?

[Mosca]

“We all have several….”

Let me count them… I have seventy.

Now ask me how many I consult for recipes and ideas…

None.

When I need to know something, I type it into Google, ignore the AI response as unhelpful, and look for the top few hits.

On the other hand, I do have seventy BBQ cookbooks. (Between the shelf in the kitchen and what’s on my iPad, I have over 200 cookbooks total.) I’ve read most of them. Some of them I’ve found useful, some of them I’ve gotten a few pages in and thought that it was just the same stuff in different proportion and order. But it’s been a while since I’ve seen something new in a book. If something new comes up in 2026, by the time the book gets published, it will be old!

What gets me interested in a book as a reference is the way it is written, i.e. the prose style, and the way the information is presented. Let’s compare Samir Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat (2017) with Nik Sharma’s The Flavor Equation (2020). They cover the same ground, but Nosrat’s book is conversational and leads the reader on a journey, while Sharma’s book is basically a textbook, with recipes and prescriptions. They’re both good; Nosrat’s is the one I remember and, more importantly to an author, recommend. And it’s not just that I see it and have fond thoughts of having read it; it’s that I remember the lessons of balancing flavors more easily. Or Julia Child’s/Simone Beck’s/Louisette Betholle’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volumes 1 & 2 vs Jacques Pépin’s New Complete Techniques. Child’s/Beck’s/Bertholle’s book is straightforward and accessible; heck, they made a movie about it, and there are YouTube creators working their way through it! Techniques is a great reference work, but again it reads like a textbook. The difference here is in the way the information is presented. MtAoFC assumes you want to cook things; NTC assumes you want to learn how to cook. The difference is subtle, but not at all insignificant!

Make the book fun to read. Have it lead the reader toward the answers but let the reader come to the conclusions, and let the reader understand the implications. The best cookbooks don’t make prescriptions, and don’t lock readers into “the canon”. The best cookbooks open doors and minds. When I’m done with a good cookbook I’m left thinking, “Of course these things that are already in my refrigerator can be made into a delicious taste!” Because the food either tastes great, or it doesn’t. That’s all there is.

[LA Pork Butt]

You can’t have too many grills, but you can have too many BBQ cookbooks. So, count me out no matter what the title might be.

[cruiseplanner1]

I only have one BBQ cookbook from Aaron Franklin and it isn't even a recipe book just technique. That is why I belong to this site so I really have no need for a cookbook on BBQ. Getting the recipes here and tips and techniques from my mentors on this site.

[Purc]

I have none. Any recipe or technique I'm interested in, I go here to AR, online or to YouTube. I need less stuff not more....except for another smoker, grill or griddle.

[BKYDBBQ]

I don't choose BBQ books for recipes, normally, I look for ones that have more of a story related to it vs. one that starts with describing different smokers, fuel, what rubs and sauces are, etc. A good example would be Whole Hog by Sam Jones and Daniel Vaughn, that has a great story and background along with some good recipes. Rodney Scott's book is another good in that category.

I mainly go for ones that are more BBQ history based. Virginia BBQ, The One True Barbecue, Barbecue: The History of an American Institution, Brunswick Stew: A Virginia Tradition, etc...

eta...I did join this site based on buying Meathead's first book...

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

I've been looking more at "story books" as well since many recipes can be found online these days. There are exceptions of course, but my ideal cookbook would have a continent or area and go through recipes chronologically through that topic areas history and not by ingredients... OR maybe something with a recipe but done 3-4+ ways with changes from history/culture

[SheilaAnn]

I want history. I want stories.

[bbqLuv]

Simple "How to" cookbook, with related history
Outline of steps for quick reference
Trim
Season
Smoke 225*F
Wrap at 167-170"F
Done at 205"F and probe tender
Rest

Detailed recipe

[HawkerXP]

Alright.

Time to suck up...

But really.

We already have the two we need.

Thankyou Meathead.

[TripleB]

I don't really chase after BBQ cookbooks anymore. They don't really tell me anything I don't already know. But just because I know, does not mean I can put it to action. I can read and learn everything about a 911 Porsche, but it does not mean I know how to drive one like a race driver.

So for me now, I like to get cookbooks on a specific regions or styles of cooking. Cajun/Creole cooking for example. I love to get Louisiana cookbooks on this style of cooking, history of the region, the special customs or holidays, the terminology and stories by the author on growing up in an area (e.g bayou), family history, experiences, etc.

[Michael_in_TX]

“We all have several….”

Let me count them… I have seventy.

Now ask me how many I consult for recipes and ideas…

None.

I've stopped buying cookbooks myself for this very reason. I never consult them for recipes! I used to buy one or two every once in awhile just to support a creator beyond just watching their videos. The chief "problem" is that if a recipe is in the book, it typically is on the creator's website and I prefer to work off of that. I suppose there are people the exact opposite of me and prefer to work out of an actual book.

I feel bad....for example, I am a huge Mike Hultquist / Chili Pepper Madness fan and feel weird that I don't have any of his books, but with everything being so expensive right now, it falls into the luxury category that I'm not spending on right now.

[Mosca]

Yep. It helps when I can read an exerpt on Amazon. And I always look for the ones that have been marked down. I think of a cookbook as an idea mine, and I place the value of an idea at $5. So if I can get one idea out of a $4.99 book it’s a fair trade. Some books are a dry hole, others are a motherlode!