Jennifer Chandler graduated at the top of her class with Le Grand Diplome and a Mention Tres Bien in Pastry from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She was featured on two episodes of the Food Network show Dinner Impossible and on Martha  Stewart’s Everyday Food XM/Sirius radio program. She is currently a national spokesperson for French’s brand. She is also a full-time mom to two little girls, a freelance magazine writer, and the author of Simply Salads and Simply Suppers.
I love books, especially cookbooks, so when I got a Direct Message on Twitter from Jennifer Chandler asking if I’d like a copy of her new grilling cookbook to read and review I immediately replied with a big yes! What I like best about cookbooks is that no matter how bad the book is there’s something to be learned by reading it. With Simply Grilling: 105 Recipes for Quick and Casual Grilling you get a cookbook that will teach even the most seasoned backyard griller something. Simply speaking this is a pretty darn nice cookbook.
It seems every grilling and barbecue cookbook today begins with a section on the basics on grills, barbecues, accessories and a few essential cooking tips. Jennifer has done a great job in providing an easy to read and understand primer that every cook should have memorized. With her “5 Tips to Master Grilling Meats” and tips on “Food Safety” she has touched on some of the more important aspects for becoming a Grill Master.
Continue reading Review: “Simply Grilling” is simply good!
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Ray Lampe grew up in Chicago and after high school spent 25 years in the family trucking business. In 2000 the trucking business had run its course, and it was time for Ray to try something new. He has been participating in BBQ cook offs as a  hobby since 1982, so he decided to take a leap and turn his hobby into a career. In 2000 Ray moved to Florida and began his career as an outdoor cooking expert.–Who Is Dr. BBQ
“Great barbecue: It’s as simple as meat, fire and smoke.”
It’s that quote on the back cover of Ray “Dr. BBQ” Lampe’s new book, Slow Fire: The Beginner’s Guide to Barbecue , that first caught my eye. As much as we’d like to have everyone think turning out great barbecue is something difficult and hard to do. Ray’s newest cookbook brings low and slow barbecue to the everyday backyard cook’
I’m sure there are a variety of “traditionalists” who may take an exception to some of the “shortcuts” mentioned in the recipes. But for people who are more interested in getting great results than they are in the perceived “right way” this book has some fantastic techniques and recipes that should appeal to both the beginning and advanced pitmaster.
The cookbook starts off with an entertaining Foreward by “Famous Dave” Anderson. I don’t always read forwards to books because I usually find them boring and somewhat grandiose. But when the first paragraph starts with “If you are a pork-aholic…” I’ve just had to find out what else Dave had to say. Dave’s introduction was an insightful look into both Ray and “Famous Dave.”
Continue reading Review: “Slow Fire, The Beginner’s Guide To Barbecue” (and giveway)
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 I’ve written a couple of hot sauce reviews on The BBQ Grail and with each and every time I struggle with what words to write. It’s not because I’ve got writers block. It’s because, if I’m being completely honest, I just don’t know a lot about hot sauce. Give me a BBQ sauce or rub and I’ll dazzle you with word power. I can write a BBQ sauce review with no hesitation or problem. But when it comes to hot sauces all I really know is what I like.
And I really like ” Tabanero Hot Sauce.”
Up until when I was 18 years old “hot sauce” was not something found on my dining room table. My maternal grandfather loved hot sauce. I can remember his bottle of hot sauce when I when we went to visit him, but his love of vinegar based hot sauce didn’t carry over to my mother. My mother was a pretty good cook, but heat to her came from simple ground black pepper. It wasn’t until I started eating at the mess hall at Fort Hood, Texas that hot sauce became an integral part of my daily dining habit. A little Tabasco on my eggs in the morning and my meat loaf for dinner helped make eating more enjoyable.
Continue reading Review: Tabanero Hot Sauce | Original content here is published under these license terms: | X | | | License Type: | Non-commercial, Attribution, no Derivative work | | | | License Summary: | You may copy this content, and re-publish it in unmodified form for non-commercial purposes, provided you include an overt attribution to the author(s). You are not permitted to create derivative works. | | | License URL: | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ |
Let me admit right here and now that my favorite French food cookbook is Julia Child’s famous tome, Mastering the art of French Cooking. I know just how cliche that sounds, but it was Julia Child along with a very unfrench Galloping Gourmet, Graham Kerr that got my interest in cooking started at a very young age. But, at least I can say I was a Julia Child fan before the book and movie “Julie and Julia” became popular. Graham Kerr is another story, for another time. But alas, Julia Child’s place on my cookbook shelf has been filled by renowned chef and pork expert Stephane Reynaud with his excellent cookbook, Stephane Reynaud’s Barbecue & Grill
 “Stephane Reynaud is the chef and owner of the restaurant Villa 9 Trois in Montreuil, a suburb of Paris. His restaurant specializes in pork, and Reynaud comes from a family of pig farmers and butchers. His cookbooks have been translated into several languages and received widespread praise; his 2007 PORK & SONS won the Grand Prix de la Gastronomie Francaise. Originally from the Ardeche plateau in France, he now lives in Paris with his wife and three children.” –Author’s Bio
I love this cookbook. For those who nitpick about things, like the difference between barbecue and grilling, this book is really a grilling book. Not a lot about traditional American low and slow barbecue techniques. However, as a self-professed nitpicker, I’m going to make some allowances. It is after all a cookbook written by a French chef and translated into English so I’m going to be a little less critical with the title. If you like to experiment you can certainly “convert” some of these flavor profiles over to your smoker instead of your grill. Otherwise, just break out the charcoal, and if you have to gas, grill and enjoy some great recipes.
Continue reading Review: “Stephane Reynaud’s Barbecue & Grilling” | Original content here is published under these license terms: | X | | | License Type: | Non-commercial, Attribution, no Derivative work | | | | License Summary: | You may copy this content, and re-publish it in unmodified form for non-commercial purposes, provided you include an overt attribution to the author(s). You are not permitted to create derivative works. | | | License URL: | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ |
I am in so much trouble! I have always feared what would happen if I found a really good BBQ restaurant either near where I live or close to where I work. I mean just how hard would it be to have great brisket or pulled pork so close that I could eat it anytime I wanted to. It would sure throw off my dining out budget, or at least there would be the risk that it would. So far I’ve not been very successful in finding decent, yet alone good BBQ in the Sacramento area. Imagine my surprise to find some tasty smoked meats right down the road from my new office. And the place is located in a gas station to boot.
Continue reading I’m Flying Like An Eagle After This Lunch!
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 When Neil Strawder asked me if I wanted to try his new pork rub I jumped at the opportunity. But after it arrived I have to admit I was a little conflicted. So much so, that I put off using it for several weeks. I wasn’t sure what I would do if I didn’t like it. I don’t, for the most part, do negative BBQ sauce or rub reviews on the blog. There have been exceptions, but for the most part I have tried to keep to that policy. So, if I didn’t like Bigmista’s Perfect Pork Rub I was going to have to write Neil an email and tell him so. I didn’t want to do that.
After using the rub a couple of times I found that I wasn’t less conflicted at all. Many of my readers know that Neil Strawder is one of my all-time favorite BBQ community people. As my dad used to say, “He’s just good people.” So when I make a statement like Bigmista’s Perfect Pork Rub might possibly be one of the best rubs ever to hit the market I didn’t want people to think I was just saying that because Neil and I are friends.
At the same time I didn’t think it was fair to Neil that I didn’t tell people how fantastic this stuff was. So yes, Neil Strawder is my friend, yes Neil sent me the rub for free and yes…Bigmista’s Barbecue’s Perfect Pork Rub is some of the best rub I’ve ever used. This stuff rocks and if you have not tried it you really should.
Continue reading Review: Bigmista’s Perfect Pork Rub
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If you’ve read The BBQ Grail for very long you know by now that I love BBQ sauce but only in a way that compliments the meat. I know from experience that when people say I love the flavor of BBQ they usually mean they love the BBQ sauce that was served. When I try a sauce you won’t find me drenching the meat in sauce. Because I use so little sauce it’s important that the flavors pop without being over powering. For me, it’s all about the meat, not the sauce.
Continue reading Review: Dimples BBQ Sauce
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