BBQ/Grilling Cookbooks
- Thread starter Joan
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Rich, I don't have that cookbook, but I have some Tex-Mex recipes. Do you have a favorite from that book that you would like to share?
So glad to find another Raichlen fan. I have 22 of his cookbooks and his novel. Have you read his novel, "Island Apart"? And I have one Flay book, "Boy Meets Grill"
So glad to find another Raichlen fan. I have 22 of his cookbooks and his novel. Have you read his novel, "Island Apart"? And I have one Flay book, "Boy Meets Grill"
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RichPB (richlife)
TVWBB Wizard
No, I haven't read that novel, but I'll check it out. As for a recipe, tomorrow I'll get my favorite chili which I prepare the ingredients on my grill (sometimes smoker) before finishing in a crock pot. For now, I just tried this simple one and think it's great -- heavy and rich on the tomato due to using paste. Also, I added another chipotle -- wouldn't hurt to go another. This has many uses to me.
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RichPB (richlife)
TVWBB Wizard
Grant Cunningham
TVWBB Pro
I've made several recipes from this book. All were good.
RichPB (richlife)
TVWBB Wizard
AWWWW yes he is. How did you come to name him Tonto. Are you the Lone Ranger?
Bob H.
TVWBB Hall of Fame
Does The Lone Ranger know that you have Tonto?
RichPB (richlife)
TVWBB Wizard
@Joan , Here's the recipe I promised you. I've made this times beyond count with numerous meat variations (different roasts, added pork, added cooked/drained hamburger, etc. just to get the meat quantity right). You can see all the annotations which, with the process below, have made this recipe mine. Clearly, you can dampen the heat by just going to your taste. Start from the original or do your own thing, but let me also say that only on the first try (maybe 10-12 years ago) did I make this according to recipe.
So some basics of "my" recipe. First of all, this is in the "Soups" chapter of the book, so the extra water isn't needed and I adjust liquids to get a chili density to my taste -- may add a couple of tbsps of corn meal if I remember for flavor and thickening. I usually use a beef roast (sirloin, rib roast, chuck roast) and cut into strips for the coating, sear quickly on my grill and then dice to 1/2-3/4" (bite size). There's merit to cooking veggies in the pan as described, but typically I'll just par-cook onions, jalapenos, etc. in the microwave (or leave them raw). As she shows, this is more of a Texas-type chili, but I like the addition of tomato and often use a can of Rotel w/ Green Chilies (or Habaneros) or chopped Romas. Also, I now use 2 cans of black beans. In lieu of her "chili paste", along with the anchos, I also add 3-4 Guajillos (love the flavor), and a little of whatever else I may have on hand (dried chipotles, chile de arbol, habanero, etc.). I may use a bit of the rehydating water, but only a tablespoon or so. Coriander is a "possible". Lime juice is a necessity. I add all this to a crock pot, start on high, then turn to low for 2 or more hours adding in the beans an hour or so before finishing.
Once I had a good-sized (1/3 lb) leftover hamburger and decided to wing it for a quick dinner based on this recipe. Diced the burger, added most of the other things and cooked on our stove top for an hour plus. Other than the ground chuck, it was not much different than the above.
One final thought. I've seen lots of people ask about ways to enjoy chili. One of my favorites is to use baked potato as a base with whatever fixins you like.
So some basics of "my" recipe. First of all, this is in the "Soups" chapter of the book, so the extra water isn't needed and I adjust liquids to get a chili density to my taste -- may add a couple of tbsps of corn meal if I remember for flavor and thickening. I usually use a beef roast (sirloin, rib roast, chuck roast) and cut into strips for the coating, sear quickly on my grill and then dice to 1/2-3/4" (bite size). There's merit to cooking veggies in the pan as described, but typically I'll just par-cook onions, jalapenos, etc. in the microwave (or leave them raw). As she shows, this is more of a Texas-type chili, but I like the addition of tomato and often use a can of Rotel w/ Green Chilies (or Habaneros) or chopped Romas. Also, I now use 2 cans of black beans. In lieu of her "chili paste", along with the anchos, I also add 3-4 Guajillos (love the flavor), and a little of whatever else I may have on hand (dried chipotles, chile de arbol, habanero, etc.). I may use a bit of the rehydating water, but only a tablespoon or so. Coriander is a "possible". Lime juice is a necessity. I add all this to a crock pot, start on high, then turn to low for 2 or more hours adding in the beans an hour or so before finishing.
Once I had a good-sized (1/3 lb) leftover hamburger and decided to wing it for a quick dinner based on this recipe. Diced the burger, added most of the other things and cooked on our stove top for an hour plus. Other than the ground chuck, it was not much different than the above.
One final thought. I've seen lots of people ask about ways to enjoy chili. One of my favorites is to use baked potato as a base with whatever fixins you like.
RichPB (richlife)
TVWBB Wizard
Actually, he is my second "Tonto". The first was his recently departed predecessor who was supposed to be my wife's dog, but he instantly adopted me instead (fastest bond I ever saw). She named him Dante (nine levels of hell), but I had suggested Tonto (Faithful Companion, @Bob H. ) based on the reputed characteristic of the breed. So I immediately dubbed Dante with the nickname Tonto. Fast forward almost 14 amazing years with Dante (more than 30,000 road miles with us touring the US), and it seemed only reasonable to give the successor his name. Well, Tonto soon began living up to his name by following me all over.AWWWW yes he is. How did you come to name him Tonto. Are you the Lone Ranger?
As for the Lone Ranger, odd story. I was walking out of Lowe's with Dante once and said, "C'mon Tonto.". A Hispanic woman walking by, jerked around and said, "what did you call him?". When I said Tonto, she stalked off in a huff. I decided I needed to know what Tonto means in Spanish -- colloquially, "dumb ***"! And if you see the "extras" for the newer Lone Ranger Blu-ray with Johnny Depp as Tonto, in one, the old chiefs are circled in a teepee passing the pipe discussing Depp's character. One says,, "Tonto mean damn fool!"
As for the original Tonto, Jay Silverheels was from a tribe in the upper mid-West. In his native language, Tonto means "Wild One" -- also an accurate descriptor for the Affenpinscher breed. And btw, Tonto's registered name is "The Thunder Rolls" after Garth Brooks.
One final memory -- we had traveled to Tonto National Monument in AZ and visited the native ruins. Dante was an ardent tourist, so I took him with me into the Visitor Center to meet the ranger. On learning of his nickname, he game Dante one of the "official" badges they hand out to kids which says "Tonto". On my bucket list now, is to take this Tonto back for a visit.
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RichPB (richlife)
TVWBB Wizard
Great, wonderful! I've never tried chili over spaghetti -- that's now a priority!Rich, you have got to be kidding.No way in .......will I ever get even near a bowl of that.
DH said to tell you he will put it over spaghetti, and THANKS!!!!! You guys
And btw, most of the recipes in that book aren't hot, though maybe spicy. The heat is my thing.
RichPB (richlife)
TVWBB Wizard
If you mean temperature wise, DH keeps the house so darn cold that a lot of our food is chilled off before it even hits the table.And @Joan, how can you live in Boca Raton and not be into hot food?
RichPB (richlife)
TVWBB Wizard
Right -- temperature. Ha! 
No, food with a mouth feel! Something that lingers into the night.
I've actually moderated my intemperate ways. After a multiple habanero descent into hell some years back, my stomach rebelled viscously. Now I go for the mouth feel and try to avoid the lingering stomach cramps.
No, food with a mouth feel! Something that lingers into the night. I've actually moderated my intemperate ways. After a multiple habanero descent into hell some years back, my stomach rebelled viscously. Now I go for the mouth feel and try to avoid the lingering stomach cramps.
I'm still not sure what you mean about living in Boca. We have just about any and every type of food available here.Right -- temperature. Ha!
I've actually moderated my intemperate ways. After a multiple habanero descent into hell some years back, my stomach rebelled viscously. Now I go for the mouth feel and try to avoid the lingering stomach cramps.
RichPB (richlife)
TVWBB Wizard
Sorry, maybe just my perception from our travels in south FL and some in the Caribbean. Hearing of immigration from the are an SA An CA, I assumed that you folks have lots of spicy and hotter dishes brought in that may have influenced you.
I tend to look for these influences wherever we go. Not all foods are hot, but many sauces may accompany them. At least in my mind.
I tend to look for these influences wherever we go. Not all foods are hot, but many sauces may accompany them. At least in my mind.
I am new here and did not read the entire thread, but I looked at many of the posts. Several people here like and recommend Weber's Big Book of Grilling and I respect their opinions. Weber's Big Book of Grilling may be filled with great recipes that show useful grilling techniques, but the book design is awful.
I am sorry, but I do NOT recommend Weber's Big Book of Grilling. For me, the issue is simple. Weber does not make it easy to see which recipes are in the book. To my stunned amazement, there is no list of recipes in the Table of Contents or in a separate "list of recipes" anywhere. If you want to see for yourself which recipes are in the book, you must flip through the pages of the book, look at the actual recipes, and remember what you saw. There is an alphabetical index at the back. I do not usually turn to a cookbook's index to see which recipes are inside. The index should be a reference, not a guide.
Whoever at Weber was responsible for the design and publication of Weber's Big Book of Grilling should feel ashamed for their laziness and poor book design. Fortunately for Weber, @JRPfeff created a sortable spreadsheet with a list of recipes in this book and other Weber grilling books. See this thread:
https://tvwbb.com/threads/weber-cookbook-recipe-index.37234/
I am sorry, but I do NOT recommend Weber's Big Book of Grilling. For me, the issue is simple. Weber does not make it easy to see which recipes are in the book. To my stunned amazement, there is no list of recipes in the Table of Contents or in a separate "list of recipes" anywhere. If you want to see for yourself which recipes are in the book, you must flip through the pages of the book, look at the actual recipes, and remember what you saw. There is an alphabetical index at the back. I do not usually turn to a cookbook's index to see which recipes are inside. The index should be a reference, not a guide.
Whoever at Weber was responsible for the design and publication of Weber's Big Book of Grilling should feel ashamed for their laziness and poor book design. Fortunately for Weber, @JRPfeff created a sortable spreadsheet with a list of recipes in this book and other Weber grilling books. See this thread:
https://tvwbb.com/threads/weber-cookbook-recipe-index.37234/
RichPB (richlife)
TVWBB Wizard
Interesting. The index in all reference books including cookbooks has always been my primary way of accessing info -- especially after a first perusal of the book. Your concern never occurred to me.