Review: BBQ 25

Summary: Introducing a book that streamlines the barbecue process. A collection of the 25 recipes that we cook 95 percent of the time, using accessible, not too pricey, quality ingredients. Here Adam will guide you through the entire process, from buying to serving, showing you how to deliver mind-blowing results for your friends and family.

So relax, start up the BBQ—it's time to get hands-on and learn techniques that will bring out the maximum flavors, under Adam's expert, easy-to-follow guidance.-- William Morrow Cookbooks

If your family is anything like mine, then you use your grill a lot during the summer months. We are constantly throwing burgers and chicken breasts on the grill for quick (and relatively healthy) dinners. I admit that I don't usually recipes for our grilled entrees besides an occasional marinade, but when I discovered BBQ 25 by Adam Perry Lang, I thought why not?

BBQ 25 is a pretty cute little cookbook. It is filled with 25 flavorful (and foolproof) recipes for your grill. The book is divided into sections according to type of meat -- beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and fish/miscellaneous; and each section is further divided into recipes according to cooking time. I really appreciated all of the instructional pages as well as the various tips on the types of meat.

I actually think much of BBQ 25 is geared towards guys which makes a lot of sense because most of the grilling in our house is done by my husband. This cute little cookbook is actually rather small and its pages are like a board book. (I actually like that the cookbook has heavy-duty pages because they wipe clean!) The author has created lots of new grilling terms like "buddy system," "tighten with glaze," and "kiss with smoke." He does a great job of explaining the different grilling techniques at the beginning of the cookbook as well as in each individual recipe. The recipes also include lots of photographs which show the various stages of cooking and small pictures that tell you the tools and techniques required for each recipe.

Almost all of the recipes are pretty simple to make. The author uses both direct and indirect grilling methods to cook the meat, and he also uses a combination of seasonings and marinades. He does uses a lot of fresh herbs which most likely do a better job of bringing out the flavors of the meat. My issue was that I don't have bunches of thyme, marjoram, and rosemary on hand so I would need to shop before making many of the recipes.

After looking through the cookbook, I had marked a few recipes that appealed to me. I decided to go simple and make the hamburger/cheeseburger recipe (although the pork tenderloin one looked mighty good too!) The recipe I decided to make was for cheeseburgers (or hamburgers) with sauteed onions on top, so the recipe used a combination of direct and indirect grilling methods. As I mentioned earlier, I am not the one who usually grills in our family, but I wanted to try out the directions for the recipe entirely on my own (kind of like, if I can do it, anyone can.) It was extremely easy and very delicious! I wouldn't hesitate to make this recipe again. My very picky son actually ate 1 1/2 hamburgers (which is very unusual) and he loved the grilled onions -- go figure!

If you or the man in your life enjoys grilling, then I suggest you check out BBQ 25. In the meantime, make sure you take a look at the website devoted to BBQ 25. You will definitely get an idea of the look and feel of this fun cookbook.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this cookbook.

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