To the uninitiated, barbecuing may look similar to grilling but really, it’s a whole different thing. Barbecuing is cooking food slowly over indirect heat. Grilling, on the other hand, is basically cooking meat quickly and directly over a fire. And then there’s that thing with smoking, which takes longer than either barbecuing or grilling and involves cooking meat with hot or cold smoke so it acquires a smoky flavor.
Different types of meat require different ways of cooking. Barbecuing is best for tough meat like cows that have been walked across the country by farmhands or whole pigs. Grilling, meanwhile, is best for tender meats, like chicken, ribs, pork chops, strip steak, burgers, and hot dogs. It’s also a great way to cook flavorful vegetables.
If you’re a newbie cook, you can easily be excused for not knowing all these basic things. But then, the problem is easily remedied if you have a good barbecue cookbook on standby. It’ll show you the proper techniques, recommend the best equipment and demystify the essential ingredients in order to cook great food.
Just remember to choose the right cookbook for you. If you’re a newbie, get one that’s tailored for beginners. It’ll show you all the basics that you need to learn and provide you with easy recipes to practice your technique. Later, when you’ve acquired enough experience, you can move on to books for experienced pitmasters which feature more sophisticated recipes. Some will even help you get ready for a barbecue competition.
It also helps if the BBQ cookbook features recipes that use the same type of grill that you own. It makes more sense to practice the techniques that are actually compatible with your existing equipment.
Look also for a cookbook that includes a variety of rubs and marinades. Some say that in barbecuing, it’s the sauce that matters so it’s always best to have a diverse selection of delicious sauces that you can rely on for creating flavor and texture.
In this article, I’ve selected the best barbecue cookbooks on the market. Whether you’re looking for basic recipes or add new ones to your repertoire, these books will give the tips and tools you need to start cooking some brag-worthy barbecue. Here are my top 10 best BBQ cookbooks on Amazon.
Table of Contents
- Best Barbecue Cookbooks
- 1. Real BBQ: The Ultimate Step-By-Step Smoker Cookbook Paperback
- 2. Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling Hardcover – Illustrated
- 3. The Barbecue! Bible Paperback – Illustrated
- 4. Charred: The Complete Guide to Vegetarian Grilling and Barbecue Hardcover – Illustrated
- 5. American Barbecue Sauces: Marinades, Rubs, and More from the South and Beyond Paperback – Illustrated
- 6. Barbecue Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades–Bastes, Butters & Glazes, Too (Steven Raichlen Barbecue Bible Cookbooks) Paperback – Illustrated
- 7. Pitmaster: Recipes, Techniques, and Barbecue Wisdom Hardcover – Illustrated
- 8. Cook's Illustrated Guide to Grilling & Barbecue
- 9. Fire, Smoke, Green: Vegetarian Barbecue, Smoking and Grilling Recipes Hardcover
- 10. Cool Smoke: The Art of Great Barbecue Hardcover
- Top Pick
Best Barbecue Cookbooks
- Real BBQ: The Ultimate Step-By-Step Smoker Cookbook Paperback
- Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling Hardcover – Illustrated
- The Barbecue! Bible Paperback – Illustrated
- Charred: The Complete Guide to Vegetarian Grilling and Barbecue Hardcover – Illustrated
- American Barbecue Sauces: Marinades, Rubs, and More from the South and Beyond Paperback – Illustrated
- Barbecue Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades–Bastes, Butters & Glazes, Too (Steven Raichlen Barbecue Bible Cookbooks) Paperback – Illustrated
- Pitmaster: Recipes, Techniques, and Barbecue Wisdom Hardcover – Illustrated
- Cook's Illustrated Guide to Grilling & Barbecue
- Fire, Smoke, Green: Vegetarian Barbecue, Smoking and Grilling Recipes Hardcover
- Cool Smoke: The Art of Great Barbecue Hardcover
1. Real BBQ: The Ultimate Step-By-Step Smoker Cookbook Paperback
This cookbook covers the basics of BBQ for newbies and moves on into the regional differences of BBQ in America. It also features insider advice from famous pitmasters, step-by-step directions, and lots of useful barbecue tips and recommendations.
There are more than 95 recipes here that show you how to cook a variety of meat, like brisket, ribs, pulled pork, etc. They’re conveniently labeled from beginner, intermediate to advance levels. They’re also categorized into different types of meats (Turkey, Chicken, Pork, Beef, Seafood, and More) for easy reference.
Readers found this an excellent resource book for those who want to learn how to cook real BBQ. One liked its riffs on classic barbeque mainstays. Another liked its sauce recipe selection.
Recommended for newbie backyard cooks everywhere.
2. Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling Hardcover – Illustrated
This cookbook collects articles from Meathead's site Amazingribs.com and features more than 100 kitchen-tested recipes. The first part of the book deals with the science behind barbecuing, including the essential equipment and ingredients, while the second part is all about the recipes for sauces, rubs, and different ways of cooking various meats and vegetables.
The recipes are a mix of traditional American favorites and modern creations. Samples include Last Meal Ribs, Simon & Garfunkel Chicken, Schmancy Smoked Salmon, The Ultimate Turkey, Texas Brisket, Perfect Pulled Pork, Sweet & Sour Pork with Mumbo Sauce, and Whole Hog, among others.
Readers liked that this book was co-written by a food scientist so that every tip and suggestion has been kitchen-tested and backed by science. Another liked how it debunked a lot of BBQing myths.
Recommended for beginners and anyone curious about the science behind the BBQ process.
3. The Barbecue! Bible Paperback – Illustrated
This is a comprehensive collection of 500 BBQ recipes from all around the world, selected by a celebrity master griller known for reinventing modern barbecue. It includes FAQs, problem-solving tips, and comprehensive notes on equipment, ingredients, marinades, and rubs.
Recipes are easy to read, straightforward and foolproof. Most of them use meat as the primary ingredient but it also has a decent selection of vegetarian sides. There’s also a chapter for soft and hard drinks and a suggestion list for food pairings.
Readers liked this book for its top-notch instructions on technique. One particularly found this book a useful manual for teaching kids how to get started properly on grill and backyard BBQing.
Recommended for beginners and anyone looking for international barbecue recipes.
4. Charred: The Complete Guide to Vegetarian Grilling and Barbecue Hardcover – Illustrated
Barbecuing vegetables over heat is a great way to get maximum flavor and this cookbook will show you how to do it easily with over 70 recipes that range from Stuffed and Wrapped Vegetables, Burgers and Fritters, Kebabs, Low Slow and Smoked, and Sharing Platters.
Recipes are easy to follow and are adaptable for use in a grill pan or an oven. Samples of the recipes include Whole Roast Cauliflower Drenched in Spiced Garlic Butter, Griddled Radicchio with Burrata and Figs, and Corn on the Cob with Cambodian Coconut, Lime, and Chilli.
Readers who’ve tried the recipes said that they were delicious and fool-proof. One particularly liked the BBQ sauce recipe that was used for the cauliflower kebabs and falafel recipe.
Recommended for vegetarian BBQ grillers and casual cooks looking for more healthy options.
5. American Barbecue Sauces: Marinades, Rubs, and More from the South and Beyond Paperback – Illustrated
This cookbook teaches you the art of seasoning and saucing barbecue meats. The selection here ranges from flavorful recipes for bastes, condiments, glazes, marinades, mops, wet and dry rubs, and sauces from all over the country.
It features informative details about American barbecue, its five mother sauces, its lesser-known BBQ styles as well as a look at America’s four BBQ regions.
It also includes practical lists for stocking your kitchen with pantry staples and essential kitchen equipment. There’s also a list of online resources that you can read further for additional sauce recipes.
Readers found this a good book for learning the basics of building a flavor profile for barbecuing meat. Another found this a useful guide to learning which sauce goes well with which cut of meat.
Recommended for grillers and smokers of all skill levels.
6. Barbecue Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades–Bastes, Butters & Glazes, Too (Steven Raichlen Barbecue Bible Cookbooks) Paperback – Illustrated
This cookbook offers a more eclectic selection of sauces that draw from Thai, Mexican, Indian, Cajun, Jamaican, Italian, and French cuisines. There are more than 200 recipes here that range from creamy bastes, chile-fired rubs, citrusy marinades, to umami sauces, plus slaters, sambals, and chutney sauces. It also includes a detailed guide to building a signature barbecue sauce.
There are also 30 recipes here for main dishes and their accompaniments. Each recipe is accompanied with a short note of its history and what goes well with it. Instructions are clear and ingredient lists are not confusing.
Readers found the sauce recipes useful and easy to do. Another liked the cookbook's versatility because it can also be used in indoor cooking. Another credited this book for helping him make his own award-winning barbecue sauce.
Recommended for those looking for sauce recipes with an international flavor.
7. Pitmaster: Recipes, Techniques, and Barbecue Wisdom Hardcover – Illustrated
This cookbook will level up your BBQ skills so you can win in competitions. It teaches you the basics of becoming a successful BBQ cook and offers specific tips and techniques for maximizing the use of classic smoker grills like Weber, Offset, Kamado, and others.
Each chapter has a guest pit master that guides you on their style of barbecue cooking. These include Steve Raichlen, Jake Jacobs, Sam Jones, Elizabeth Karmel, and Tuffy Stone, among others. There are also features on specific regional barbecue styles which will help you progress towards more advanced techniques.
Its recipe selection is varied, ranging from pulled pork, BBQ beef, sauces, rubs, veggies, to sides and dessert. It also features the author’s secret competition barbecue recipes that have won them numerous awards.
Recommended for the experienced home cook and advanced griller.
8. Cook's Illustrated Guide to Grilling & Barbecue
This cookbook is a comprehensive reference book that walks you through the basics of BBQing, grilling, and grill-roasting while also providing some 450 recipes that range from traditional favorites to international mainstays.
As is typical in a Cook’s Illustrated Guide, there are more than 300 step-by-step illustrations that accompany various sections on techniques and food prepping. It also provides you a buyer's guide for selecting the best outdoor grilling equipment for your BBQ needs.
Recipes are easy to follow with instructions for cooking them using charcoal and gas grilling. Samples of recipes include Thai-Grilled Chicken and Skirt Steak Tacos, Grilled Corn with Spicy Chili Butter, and Bruschetta with Fresh Herbs.
Readers liked the book’s user-friendly format. One liked the ton of extra information about meat cuts and how to prep them for cooking. Another found the rating system for its recommended brands useful.
Recommended for newbies and experts alike.
9. Fire, Smoke, Green: Vegetarian Barbecue, Smoking and Grilling Recipes Hardcover
This cookbook features a diverse selection of creative vegetarian BBQ recipes that cover everything from grilling directly onto a fire, cooking with indirect fire, smoking vegetables, and even using a wood-fired pizza oven.
Samples of the recipes include Roasted and Smoked Potatoes with Beer-Caramelized Onion, the Fennel Roots with Shiitake, Green Onion, Buckwheat, and Herb Oil, Harissa-Marinated Sweet Potato with Grilled Cabbage Leaves and Black Dukkah, and Zucchini and Mungbean Burgers with Sriracha Mayonnaise and Furikake.
Recommended for vegetarians and those looking for creative vegetable BBQ dishes.
10. Cool Smoke: The Art of Great Barbecue Hardcover
In this cookbook, five-time barbecue world champion Tuffy Stone shows you his way of creating the perfect bite of tender, flavorful, and smoky barbecue based on his years of experience. He’ll also provide you more than 100 recipes that will catapult you ahead in any BBQ competition.
Sample recipes include Smoked Ribs with Cherry Barbecue Sauce, Dove Breasts with Crispy Bacon and Chipotle White Sauce, and a Whole Hog. Also included are side dish recipes like Corn Pudding with Poblano Pepper, Collard Greens with Pepper Relish, and Pineapple Hot Pot.
He’ll also teach you how to choose the right cooker, how to trim a cut of meat, how to prepare your own brines, rubs and sauces, and also useful tips for taking on the BBQ competition circuit.
Readers loved the easy recipes although some can have a long list of ingredients. Another liked how the book provides a behind-the-scenes look at regional BBQ competitions.
Recommended for hardcore grillers and frequent regional BBQ competitors.
Top Pick
COOK'S ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO GRILLING & BARBECUE, edited by Cook’s Illustrated
It’s the most user-friendly and comprehensive BBQ cookbook in this list, with just the right amount of helpful information for anyone who wants to learn how to barbecue without being overwhelmed by lots of technical details.
The recipes will appeal to any newbie cook because they are familiar and have the same flavor profile.
Most of the recipes are classic American food for the grill but there are also creative ethnic recipes for anyone looking for more variety.
It may not have the most gorgeous food photos or splashy page layouts but when it comes to fool-proof recipes and practical information, this book is an essential read for any barbecue lover.
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