Simply BACKYARD BARBECUING From Grilling to Smoking: Tips, Techniques, 200 Flavorful Recipes
Read em' and EatSimply Backyard Barbecuing From Grilling to Smoking Some might wonder if an American Culinary Federation-trained and award-winning professional chef could actually do backyard barbecuing. The answer is yes. ChefRichard W. McPeake is the author of Backyard BBQ: The Art of Smokeology and the creator of the Rib Stars series of BBQ rubs. He is also an avid BBQ competitor, and his rubs have won numerous prestigious contests. McPeake conducts over 100 smoking and grilling seminars a year, and is a certified barbecue judge. He is based in the Kansas City area and I won t dare add the barbecue capital of the world, because no doubt my fellow Texans as well as those from other far-flung regions of the country would have my head.In this, his fourth cookbook, McPeake starts with grilling basics, ranging from Fire & Fuel Basics to Brining Poultry, and then moves into 200 recipes. I had planned to prepare the recipe for Thai Chicken Satay,, but opted to try two others instead: Grilled Caesar Salad and a planking recipe for Crabmeat Stuffed Mushrooms. Just as an FYI I try these recipes on a group of very willing friends, who have varying levels of barbecue prowess. I ve asked them to be brutally honest, and to comment on everything from cost to prep time to taste. Both of these recipes were a hit. The Grilled Caesar Salad brought everyone over to the grill for a look-see, as none of them had ever considered putting lettuce on the grill. Within five or six minutes, I had cut, oiled (EVOO) and grilled Romaine halves, and was topping them with shredded parmesan cheese, fresh black pepper and bottled Caesar dressing.I must add that I was using the new Kingsford Competition Charcoal, so I ended up adding a bit of smoke flavor to the Romaine as well. It was dynamite as witnessed by the speed at which these lightly-charred leafy greens left the platter. So not only was it a conversation starter, but a conversation ender because everyone was busy eating! For the mushrooms, I used a Red Oak plank another first for some of my test panel. I heard a chorus of won t it burn up? and then I walked them through it .... with the help of 16 perfectly prepared Crabmeat Stuffed Mushrooms. I must admit to not being entirely sure if the plank added any flavor, but it looked cool and the mushrooms didn t fall through the grill grid. The mushrooms still had a little toothiness to them, which was nice with the soft puff of the crabmeat mixture. Both of these recipes were a cinch to make stupid easy, if that s really a term. The mushrooms were a tiny bit pricey, but hey, it s crabmeat. Some of the recipes in Simply Backyard Barbecuing have a fairly lengthy ingredient list, but if you re a moderate cook, you ll most likely have all or most of the ingredients in your pantry. --Stephanie Richardson(thebarbecuer.com) May 1, 2009 --Stephanie Richardson(thebarbecuer.com) May 1, 2009The best thing about people who cook and eat BBQ is that they are always willing to share. Share their recipes, share their secrets and most importantly share their love for the art and craft of Que ing. Chef Richard McPeake is no exception. In fact some may say he has completely imbedded his life into sharing his love for the craft. It doesn t matter if you are a backyard smoker, a seasoned pro on the circuit, or a professional chef, McPeake will get a smile on his face once he see s you getting bitten by the BBQ bug. I have had the privilege of being one of those that was bitten with the help and passion of Chef McPeake. In his 20 years, he as turned over 9000 people like myself into true BBQ lovers. I tip my tongs to you Chef McPeake and am excited to dive into all of your secrets in this book!! -- --Chef David Russell CEC, AAC,American Culinary Federation, Central Region Vice-PresidentRichard McPeak --Doug Molsey, The National Barbecue News(Oct.10, 2009)The best thing about people who cook and eat BBQ is that they are always willing to share. Share their recipes, share their secrets and most importantly share their love for the art and craft of Que ing. Chef Richard McPeake is no exception. In fact some may say he has completely imbedded his life into sharing his love for the craft. It doesn t matter if you are a backyard smoker, a seasoned pro on the circuit, or a professional chef, McPeake will get a smile on his face once he see s you getting bitten by the BBQ bug. I have had the privilege of being one of those that was bitten with the help and passion of Chef McPeake. In his 20 years, he as turned over 9000 people like myself into true BBQ lovers. I tip my tongs to you Chef McPeake and am excited to dive into all of your secrets in this book!! -- --Chef David Russell CEC, AAC,American Culinary Federation, Central Region Vice-PresidentRichard McPeake is another author I like a lot and I have further respect for him knowing that he has gone the self-publishing route in the four books he has written. I ve really enjoyed each one and McPeake has recently released Simply Backyard Barbecuing: From Grilling to Smoking. McPeake, who bills himself as the Educator of Que, has an impressive cooking pedigree. He was graduated from the Culinary Institute of America (yep, the CIA), was awarded the 2009 Presidents Award from the American Culinary Federation and has been a professional chef for 30 years. Over the past eight years, he s been teaching barbecue cooking classes in the Kansas City area and its from these classes that he s developed this book. As you would expect of someone from McPeake s educational background, the book covers the subject material thoroughly, practically like a text book.. He provides a wealth of tips, techniques and information even before he gets into the recipes. The recipes show a high level of creativity and I will guarantee you there are plenty that will challenge you. But not in a way that will have you scrambling for obscure ingredients; rather, McPeake will guide you through flavor combinations a bit out of the norm but sure to result in impressive dishes. --Doug Molsey, The National Barbecue News(Oct.10, 2009)