Die Wissenschaft des Grillens (German Edition) by Meathead Goldwyn

Die Wissenschaft des Grillens (German Edition) Reviews

• 
  Neil R. Coulter

  This is a fun book to read through, with Meathead’s combination of down-home writing style and thorough expertise in the subject. The first half of the book is all about the science of grilling, followed by recommendations of equipment and how to use each kind of equipment. It’s helpful, though much of it is content I’ll only read once, and some of it is not entirely relevant—if, for example, you have no interest in smokers, or pellet grills, or whatever. But I read it all and learned a lot.
  
  The second half is the recipes, beginning with a long chapter of different rubs and sauces. I am eager to give these a try! This is followed by chapters with recipes and tips for pork, beef, ground meats, lamp, poultry, seafood, and sides. I haven’t yet cooked my way through the recipes, but I look forward to trying some of them, someday. I’m in a phase of life right now where my time and money allow for hamburgers and brats, but someday I hope to get into the longer, more complicated meals (though I don’t know if I’ll ever spend fourteen hours cooking brisket, even as much as I do love great brisket).
  
  I feel hungry just writing this review...
• 
  Peter Christensen

  So I don't (I mean didn't) know the first thing about grilling or smoking, and this book was just what I needed. I learned all about photography from Ken Rockwell's site, and this book is a collection of information from Meathead's site
  Amazingribs.com. The first ~40% is information about food science, cooking, equipment, etc and the last 60% is recipes for sauces, rubs, and different ways of cooking different meats and vegetables.
  
  It's a good mix of high-level concepts and specific tactics. It gets repetitive, but the repetition drives home the important points:
  
  1) most foods are cooked at 225 or 325 degrees,
  2) two zone, indirect heat is an essential capability,
  3) take notes and practice before you put on a big feast
  4) buy good cuts of meat and good equipment
  
  With that foundation, I feel comfortable trying new things and pushing myself. I haven't tried any of the recipes yet but I'm looking forward to it this summer. I feel much more confident knowing what supplies I need and how much time to allot.
• 
  Eric Mesa

  There are literally tons of BBQ cookbooks out there. Why this one? Well, Meathead does something most of them don't - he backs up his techniques with science. BBQ has existed as long as mankind so a lot of what we do is just father->son or mother->daughter (or some combination of gen 1 to gen 2) and a lot of it is wrong. Humans suck at intuition. So Meathead along with Dr Blonder use science to backup their techniques and ideas. This leads to 2 great benefits.
  
  When it comes to the opening section about techniques, software, and hardware - Meathead is able to calmly present all the pros and cons to everything he talks about. Rather than get into a religious war about charcoal vs gas vs wood - he just lists out the pros and cons of each. (Along with the best advice: If you can afford it and have space - get both!) When it comes to myth-busting he uses science and trial runs to back up his bustings.
  
  When it comes to the recipes, he's able to cut away a lot of the fluff from recipes by getting them to the essence of what you need. I was able to master a prime rib roast on the first try thanks to his scientific proofs of why it was better to get rid of the bones and try and get the roast as cylindrical as possible.
  
  Like all printed material, the con about this book over his free website is that the website can be updated as Meathead discovers new techniques and ideas. For example, the website now has a section dedicated to starting BBQ in a sous vide and finishing it on the BBQ. Also, the website has more up to date equipment reviews and recommendations.
  
  However, there's one benefit to the book over the website. Because books have to be succint due to a per page cost, you don't get all the commentary with each recipe. You just get the recipe. On the website, many of the recipes contain the same info about how to do a 2-zone cook. In the book that's at the beginning and then each recipe stands on its own along with a short intro paragraph. So I like to read the website during my lunch break to see any gotchas he lists. Then when it's time to actually cook, I use the book to quickly cut to the chase.
  
  One last important thing. Meathead, at least in this book, is not as self-centered as many of the other well-known BBQ book authors. Other cookbooks waste time talking about how awesome the author is. Not so with this one. It's just spreading the love and joy of cooking with fire. In fact, Meathead doesn't hold back on any of the recipes including rubs and marinades that many others make their money off of. I bought the book as a show of support to keep him able to work on the website fulltime and continue educating people in this great way of cooking food.
• 
  Ben Gutierrez

  I've been struggling with my Weber for a couple years. Alton Brown showed me how to make a good steak on the grill and I was lost with everything else. Trial and error has been a slow process in learning how to bbq.
  
  I finally got this book and it's shown me everything that I've been doing wrong. It explained how meat and cooking and heat and smoke and all of it came together to make a delicious meal. I used it to grill some chicken breasts a couple nights ago and they were done perfectly. Juicy and flavorful. This book is going to accompany me all summer long.
• 
  Brian

  I haven't read the whole thing because this is a reference book. What I have read and the recipes that I have tried I like very much. The calibrating and measuring and consideration of heat transfer speaks to the scientist/engineer in the me and the recipes speak to my mouth, my olfactory system, and my belly.
  
  Note: I bought the kindle version and lament that choice a little bit after I saw a hardcopy in the store. Still can't seem to fall in love with ebooks no matter how hard I try.
• 
  Rob

  Barbecue technique often seems to come from received wisdom passed down in a family or through word of mouth... but the great thing about this book is that it is co-written by a scientist. They actually take the time to test a lot of grilling techniques/theories and end up debunking many myths, which often results in a lot of saved time, expense and effort. An essential book for anyone who wants to improve their grilling techniques.
• 
  Jeff

  Excellent book, perhaps the best one that I have read on the science of grilling/bbq.
• 
  Mark Wright

  It's hard to imagine a better barbecue cookbook. Before diving into the recipes, Meathead leads you through the peripheral but essential stuff--what meat is, what your grill options are (charcoal/gas, smoker, etc.)--heck, even what it means to cook. Next you get your flavoring options, like rubs that you apply at the beginning and sauces you can use at the end. Finally, you get the meats themselves. If you've read the earlier sections, you almost don't need this--you know that you want to cook low and slow, and you need to learn the nuances of your cooker. It's helpful to have the details just the same because a little hand-holding helps when you're new to the game, and there's a difference between making quick-cooking meats like seafood and chicken, versus the long-haul kinds like spare ribs.
  
  And then there are the big hunks. Meathead prepares you for early-morning start times for those huge clods like pork shoulders and beef briskets. Again, he gives you the basics, plus variations like "the crutch", which can shave hours off long cooks with certain sacrifices.
  
  That just covers the major sections--the reason you'd buy the book in the first place. There's plenty more in there, like direct-heat cooking (hot dogs, hamburgers. etc.), and the sides that you might prepare to go along with the main course.
  
  I can't recommend this book enough. If you want a peek between the covers, check out Meathead's website, amazingribs.com, where you'll find the core bits that he fully orchestrates in his cookbook. Meathead is the Alton Brown of barbecue.
• 
  Teri-K

  This is one of several big books on grilling I checked out from the library, since one of my goals this summer is to learn to cook on the grill. There are a lot of pictures in this book, and I had a sense of the author's personality, though I've never heard of him before. There's a great deal of info on various types of grills, which would be fine for those people who don't already have one, as well as other grilling tools and fuel types. In fact you're almost half way through the large book before you get to any recipes, which again may be good or bad depending on your needs. There was a lot of other incidental information that I found interesting and useful mixed in these sections.
  
  The recipes begin on page 166 with a selection of rubs and regional sauces. The book then moves through pork, beef, ground meats, lamb, poultry, seafood and sides. If you want to grill an entire pig you'll find 11 pages of directions here, starting with purchasing it. I was disappointed in the lack of grilled vegetables and found the fish section underwhelming, but perhaps that should be expected given the author's sobriquet.
  
  I didn't like that fact that recipes start at any point on the page; it felt unorganized to me and none of the recipes stood out, but I suppose it saves space. I will say that if I get to the point where I want to broaden my use of rubs and sauces this will be a book I'll pick up again, as that section was interesting and thorough.
  
  NB - The subtitle is The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling, and there was some science in it, which I appreciated. But there was a lot of unsubstantiated opinion, too.
• 
  Bram Cecilius

  Here's a book written by a regular guy who explains not just how barbecue but goes the extra effort to explain why you need to do some of the things to get great tasting barbecue. One of the best tricks I learned is to smoke a brisket until it reaches 200 degrees F and then wrap in in foil and then wrap that in a beach towel for about an hour. Unbelievable results.
  Like anything else, there really is a science behind great barbecue and once you understand it's not all smoke and mirrors (and sometimes it's okay to use the oven when meat stalls in the smoker) making barbecue is even more fun.
  One of the best quotes I ever heard about cooking comes from Meathead Goldwyn - "Cooking is an act of love. It's not about what's on the plate, but who's sitting in the chairs."
  If you are serious about honing you barbecuing skills, or are just learning I strongly urge you to purchase this book.
• 
  Laura

  This is the ultimate BBQ cookbook. He really digs into the science here, explaining how brines and rubs actually work, which ones to use on each type of meat, and debunking tons of bbq myths. He also includes historical information ( tartare sauce as the original bbq sauce for grilled fish). This is not an everyday book - most of these recipes take hours to cook. Since it’s a special occasion cookbook, I didn’t deduct a star for the lack of nutritional info. These recipes are 4-star Bbq.
  
  I liked the non- meat recipes the best; I also loved his step-by-step instructions for hosting a pig roast and his write up on beer can chicken.
  
  If you love grilled meat, you’ve got to check this out. My only criticism is that I wanted more pictures.
• 
  Vaidas

  A perfect starting point to improve your grilling skills, techniques and knowledge. Maybe on some points author is biased to the old fashioned and time tested grilling techniques, but all in all this book is great. It provides theory on heat radiation and how it effect meat, gives tips how to achieve best results at home and debunks some common grilling myth by providing scientific evidences.
  
  Easy to read :)
• 
  Laurie

  Great book for the beginner smoker. The first 150 pages or so are about the science of smoking, types of grills and other equipment, the heat and the smoke, the meat and seasonings, etc. The rest of the book is full of recipes. We made the Perfect Pulled Pork twice and Last Meal Ribs once so far. Delicious! Also used the rub and sauce recipes in the book. Can’t wait to try more.
• 
  Taylor

  Most of this book is recipes, which if that is what you’re looking for is great. I was more interested in the science though. This book has more of the science than most bbq books I think. It’s definitely worth a glance if you’re thinking about getting into smoking and bbq though. It’s just not an encyclopedia you can use to find anything you want to learn in depth about though.
• 
  Billjr13

  Full of great information and easy to understand explanations. Lots of cooking myths dispelled with solid advice for grilling, smoking, barbecue and equipment. There are some good recipes but there is a lot more information on how to cook than what to cook.
  Over all a good read and a solid 4 stars.
  As Joe Bob would say "Check it out!"
• 
  David Olvera

  Me gustó bastante, está muy bien explicado intentan romper con los mitos alrededor del grilling he probado algunas técnicas que mencionan y si me funcionaron muy bien también incluye un amplió recetario
• 
  Ben

  A good overview of bbq and smoking but nothing revolutionary either. Definitely learned some stuff and would be good as an intro to bbq as it has tons of recipes and lots of general info. Not quite as good as Franklins and glad I borrowed from the library rather than purchasing.
• 
  Mark Zodda

  Generally enjoyable, especially the parts where he brings in the science behind certain techniques and his insights into equipment. The recipes are more of what you'd expect from any barbecue cookbook as they all seem to feature bacon, butter and letting the taste of the meat come through.
• 
  Du

  Solid overview of BBQ
  
  Nothing bad to say admit this one. It had a lot of well researched and intentioned information. Clearly it's written by lovers of meat grilled or smoked. I didn't learn a ton, but there is a lot more than a ton here.
• 
  Austin

  Must read if you enjoy cooking outdoors. I have the spiral bound version and the listen to the PDF on my Voice Aloud app. It works surprising well as an audiobook. I truly believe authors like Meathead and Derick Wolf from over fire cooking are leaving money on the table.
• 
  Mark Sullivan

  Great overall bbq and grilling techniques but even better detailed recipes. Saved perfect pulled pork
  Recipe and unfortunately, I rushed through this library book and will need to go back and spend some time with it
  
• 
  Jane Austin

  Get this book.
  
  Excellent resource for b-b-q/smoking meats. The recipes are straight forward and the results top notch. I will use this book weekly.