The Big-Flavor Grill

January 20, 2014
Schlesinger, the former owner of Boston’s East Coast Grill, and Willoughby, the former executive editor of Gourmet, have been barbecuing and writing together since their 1990 classic, The Thrill of the Grill. And although the subtitle of the book is apt in one respect—there is not a drop of marinade to be found among the 130 offerings—the “no-hassle” part really depends on the skill of the practitioner. For some, it could get messy. Instead of the time-consuming bother of soaking the meat before grilling, for example, the authors advocate the laying on of hands, via a variety of dry rubs, or of saucing the meat after grilling, often by tossing vigorously in a large bowl. This seems a bit daring in their recipe for jerk wings from hell, which calls for the cook to puree, and then rub onto the chicken, a paste made from 10 scotch bonnet peppers in less than a cup of liquid. Safer, more fruit-filled, and heavily hyphenated options include chicken thighs with apricot-chile glaze, pork chops with green apple-jicama salsa, and five-spice grilled steak tips with grilled pineapple and sweet-sour sauce. The cultural diversity of flavors is evident throughout, and especially noticeable when it comes to their half-dozen shrimp recipes, with options including New Orleans style, Chesapeake Bay style, Japanese, Thai, encrusted in cumin seed, and stuffed into tacos after being tossed “like crazy” with pineapple, cilantro and chopped chiles. For those who dare drink while they toss, cocktails with mint or ginger or pineapple round out the collection.

Starred review from April 15, 2014
Unlike many experts, chef Schlesinger and Cook's "Illustrated" executive editor Willoughby believe great grilling doesn't require intricate preparations or expensive equipment. Here the authors teach readers to grill basic ingredients (e.g., chicken thighs, shrimp, eggplant) and combine them with bold accompaniments for maximum flavor. Each chapter includes base recipes with variations; e.g., super-basic grilled skirt steak can be served with steak sauce-chile butter, honey-mustard ranch dressing, bacon-mushroom relish, barbecued bread salad, or smoky red onions and grilled avocados. VERDICT Highly recommended for easy, everyday grilling. The authors' approach is so simple that readers will have plenty of time to enjoy drinks from their beverage chapter.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.