outdoor cooking

As always, Langer comes through with well-tested recipes and useful techniques. The discussion on equipment is the best among all the smoke-cooking books we've seen, as are the tips on woods and charcoals and maintaining temperature, and there are some unique smoked main dishes --Smoked Gravlax, for instance, so useful for the fisherman who loves Gravlax but fears parasites in the traditional cold-cured salmon. Recipes for simple side dishes which go perfectly with smoked foods abound --the Langer Cole Slaw, for instance, uniquely flavored with wasabi and chives, is now a family standard (slightly altered by our substituting yoghurt for the sour cream). Clear instructions, amusing "continuity" detailing the author's experiences, and charming and useful drawings by Susan McNeill, who draws objects and events from life --her life as the author's wife.

This is a nice overall book and is a good addition to any barbecue library. The book has a good combination of traditional barbecue, methods of cooking, and more unique non traditional recipes. There are many good illistrations for some of the methods that are not clear. This may not be the first barbecue book you should buy, but it gives some interesting and different perspectives.