Download high-resolution image

The Big-Flavor Grill

No-Marinade, No-Hassle Recipes for Delicious Steaks, Chicken, Ribs, Chops, Vegetables, Shrimp, and Fish [A Cookbook]

Author Chris Schlesinger, John Willoughby

Hardcover

$25.00 US

Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed | Ten Speed Press

7.83"W x 9.04"H x 0.98"D | 29 oz | 18 per carton

On sale Mar 25, 2014 | 240 Pages | 9781607745273

Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies

The best-selling team of chef Chris Schlesinger and Cook's Illustrated executive editor John Willoughby present a radically simple method of applying flavor boosters to ingredients hot off the grill, maximizing flavor and dramatically reducing grilling time over traditional marinades.

Move your grilling into the twenty-first century! Don’t waste your time marinating. Instead, spend your time building big, bold, vibrant flavors with almost no effort. Grilling masters Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby have replaced time-consuming brines, marinades, and basting sauces with quick and powerful pre-rubs and intense post-grilling flavor boosters to slap on your favorite meat, poultry, fish, seafood, and vegetables hot off the grill. With their streamlined approach, you’re just three quick steps from a fantastic grilled dinner:

Prep
Coat ingredients with spice rubs before grilling for stronger, better-defined flavors than traditional marinades (and the rubs can be made and applied in the time it takes for the grill to heat up).

Grill
When your fire is ready, simply grill according to the super-basic recipes.

Toss
Toss just-grilled items with vibrant ingredients—citrus, hoisin, fish sauce, ginger, basil, fresh chiles—to take the flavor to another level.

The Big-Flavor Grill’s no-hassle formula means you’ll be turning out these delicious dishes in a snap:
Five-Spice Steak Tips with Grilled Pineapple and Sweet-Sour Sauce
Coriander-Crusted Pork Skewers with Maple-Mustard Barbecue Sauce
Thai-Style Baby Back Ribs
Chicken Breasts with Maple-Soy Glaze and Peanut-Ginger Relish
Spicy Curry-Rubbed Lamb Kebabs with Grilled Peaches
Cumin Seed–Crusted Shrimp with Charred Corn Vinaigrette
Fish Steaks with Sriracha-Basil Butter

Bursting with the bold flavors of spices and condiments from around the world, these 130-plus recipes will set your taste buds on fire and have your friends clamoring for more.

“The Big-Flavor Grill is simply proof that no one writes better grilling books than Schlesinger and Willoughby. Don’t miss out.”
—Mark Bittman

"Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby's Big Flavor Grill will probably transform the way you think about grilling. The pair abandoned the notion that long marinating times are necessary for tender meat and bold flavor, instead opting for zesty, piquant rubs and sauces that save our time and our sanity. This concept is enough to catapult the book to weekday-friendly use all summer long."
—Kate Williams, Serious Eats

CHRIS SCHLESINGER is the former owner and chef of East Coast Grill in Boston. He was the winner of the 1996 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northeast and is a contributing editor for Saveur. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

JOHN WILLOUGHBY is a writer, editor, and the former executive editor at Gourmet; he currently serves as the editorial director for magazines at America’s Test Kitchen and publisher of Cooks’ Illustrated magazine. He was the co-author, with Chris Schlesinger, of a monthly feature in the New York Times food section. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Schlesinger and Willoughby have written nine cookbooks together.

Chris Schlesinger View titles by Chris Schlesinger

John Willoughby View titles by John Willoughby

Super-Basic GRILLED Skirt Steaks

2-1/2 pounds skirt steak, cut into 4 to 6 pieces
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon coriander
2 tablespoons freshly cracked black pepper
Kosher salt to taste
1/4 cup olive oil

Build a two-level fire in your grill, which means you put all the coals on one side of the grill and leave the other side free of coals. When the flames have died down, all the coals are covered with gray ash, and the temperature is hot (you can hold your hand 6 inches above the grill for only 2 to 3 seconds), you’re ready to cook.

In a small bowl, combine the spices and salt to taste and mix well. Rub the steaks all over with the oil and then with the rub, pressing gently to be sure it adheres.

Put the steaks on the grill directly over the coals, and cook until done to your liking, about 4 to 6 minutes per side for medium rare. To check for doneness, cut into the thickest steak and peek to see if the meat is slightly less done than you want it to be when you eat it.

Transfer the steaks to a cutting board, tent them loosely with foil, and let them rest for 5 minutes or so. To serve, slice the steaks thinly on the bias against the grain.

Introduction
What Is Grilling?
Tools, Fuels, and Fire
Processes, or Things You Need to Know and Do

Steak
Skirt Steaks
Steak Tips

Lamb
Lamb Chops
Lamb Kebabs

Pork
Pork Chops
Pork Skewers
Baby Back Ribs

Chicken
Chicken Breasts
Chicken Thighs
Chicken Wings
Chicken Skewers
Whole Chickens

Shrimp & Fish
Shrimp
Fish Fillets
Tuna Steaks
Other Fish Steaks

Vegetables
Vegetables Love the Grill, Too
New Potatoes
Eggplant
Corn
Cherry Tomatoes
Asparagus

Drinks
with Mint
with Ginger
with Pineapple

A Few Small Component Recipes
Ingredients
Index