When it comes to cooking meat I am generally not a fan of following a recipe word for word. I just want to season the meat and get it on the grill or in the oven. Does that mean that meat cookbooks are worthless? By no means! Good meat cookbooks are essential for anyone who wants to turn out some great tasting steaks, chicken, barbecue, pork, or other dishes.
Most good meat cookbooks are as much about technique as they are about ingredients. Master the techniques and then you can start playing with flavors and ingredients. Technique and some general guidelines are what I enjoy seeing in quality meat cookbooks. Yeah, the recipes in many of these books would probably taste delicious but the chances of me cooking an Osso Bucco or a braised lamb neck are pretty minimal.
With that in mind here are 7 cookbooks every meat lover should own. These books are all on my shelf and most of them are stained with meat juice, seasonings, and other ingredients. I refer back to these books regularly and even though I might not follow every recipe the techniques talked about in the different recipes have definitely helped me improve my meat cooking abilities.
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Franklin Barbecue: A Meat Smoking Manifesto
When this book was delivered I pretty much read it cover to cover in one night. There are some recipes towards the back of the book but the vast majority of the book is about barbecue technique. Franklin Barbecue is probably the most famous (and best in my opinion) barbecue restaurant in the country right now and in this book Aaron Franklin discusses how he got started in the barbecue business which is a very interesting read. The book then covers topics like smoke, seasoning, wood, fire, meat, and all the other essentials to great barbecue. Most of the recipes in the book are what they use at the restaurant that draws 4 or 5 hour waits on some days.
No other book has given me the same love for barbecue. Read this book, learn the techniques and understand the foundational elements of barbecue and you will definitely start turning out some quality briskets and pork butts.
Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling
Meathead, from AmazingRibs.com fame, is one of my favorite meat and barbecue writers or “personalities”. Rather than just throw together some recipes Meathead goes deep into the science of cooking meat. Should you really rest a steak? What causes the “stall” when smoking a pork butt? Do you need to put salt in your rubs? All these questions are answered along with hundreds more in this book. Everything in this book is tested and tested some more as well. I love leafing through this book and getting some ideas on how I can improve my cooking techniques.
Cool Smoke: The Art of Great Barbecue
Tuffy Stone is one of the winningest competition barbecue cooks in the world but he got his start as a classically trained chef. The book starts out with some general barbecue techniques and information but then shifts into some recipes including the ones he uses in competition. I wrote a full review of Cool Smoke: The Art of Great Barbecue you can read if you want but rest assured the recipes in this book are very delicious looking. Some are pretty basic but others will help you take your meat game up a few notches.
Hardcore Carnivore: Cook Meat Like You Mean It
Jess Pryles is an Australian turned Texan. She was once intimidated standing at the meat counter so she took it upon herself to learn more and is now one of the top experts in the country on how to cook meat. This book reflects that knowledge and starts out with some basics every meat lover needs to know. She then delves into some great recipes. Again, they range from pretty basic to somewhat complex but nothing that would overwhelm you.
Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science
If you are looking for a great general cookbook that is based on science, testing, and developing the absolute best dishes you can make this is the book for you. It covers a lot more than meat but the sections that do talk about how to cook meat are some of the best you will find. Whenever I need a recipe for something I almost always start searching for one from Kenji and go from there. This book is a monster coming in at 958 pages and it is packed with great information. If you are one of those people who strives to not just cook a steak but want to cook the best steak ever this is the book for you.
Meat: Everything You Need to Know
There are probably very few people in this country that have handled more meat than Pat LaFrieda. Pat and his family run a huge butcher operation in NYC and supply meat to many of the top restaurants in the city and across the country. I love this book because it is full of recipes his family cooks. If you want to learn more about individual cuts of meat there are few cookbooks that can match this one. The diagrams of the different animals and where the different cuts come from are awesome as well.
BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts
Wait, why would a meat lover need a dessert cookbook? Because desserts are awesome. And the recipes in this book are too good to not mention. My wife refers to the glossy brownie recipe as “Mary Poppins brownies” because they are practically perfect in every way. Every recipe I have made in this book has been amazing. Everything from standards like pie crust, devils food cake, brownies are in here along with homemade versions of twinkies and animal crackers. Every kitchen in the country should contain this cookbook.
