11 Best Barbecue Cookbooks to Heat Up Your Grilling Game

Buying a top-of-the-line grill or smoker by no means makes a person a grill or pitmaster. It simply means that you’ve got a great starting point on learning the craft of barbecue. When someone wants to become truly great at something, it takes many hours of study and practice.

Thanks to the internet, people can find billions (yes billions) of recipes online. However, credibility has always been the internet’s weak point. If you ask us, we’re going to turn to reliable sources of information before we just throw our $100 brisket on the smoker. Sure, you have to pay a few bucks, but you’re obtaining a wealth of knowledge, not just recipes.

Truly great cookbooks provide detailed information on cooking techniques, equipment, and even history. You also get valuable insights on why, or why not, a chef uses a particular method. Not to mention, you’re learning from legends of the craft, not just a guy with a food blog that creates recipes for a side hustle.

If you’re serious about becoming a master at barbecue, you’ll want to buy and thoroughly study at least one of these cookbooks.

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From sauces and rubs to the finer points of brisket bark, here are the best books about barbecue to add to your collection today.

Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling by Meathead Goldwyn

Before you start getting creative with your barbecue recipes, get this book by the only Ph.D. food scientist who will ever willingly call himself Meathead, Greg Blonder. This is more of a textbook with recipes than a cookbook, and we challenge you to find a more in-depth cookbook anywhere. Blonder goes into extreme detail about the science behind practically every barbecue technique. After you read this book, not only will you be able to make fantastic recipes, you’ll be able to shut down any backyard grilling dispute with fact-driven arguments.

Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto by Aaron Franklin and Jordan Mackay

Once you learn the science behind barbecue, then learn definitive how-to techniques from the James Beard award-winning chef Aaron Franklin, who Anthony Bourdain said made the finest barbecue he’s ever eaten. We must preface this by saying this isn’t your traditional cookbook because you won’t find many recipes. Franklin Barbecue is more about what makes perfect barbecue. You’ll find in-depth chapters on how to tend the ideal fire, setting up custom-build smokers, and how to find and manage the best cuts of meat. Think of this book as an intro to barbecue theory 101. If you’re looking for recipes for your new electric smoker, you may want to pass on this one.

Whole Hog BBQ: The Gospel of Carolina Barbecue with Recipes from Skylight Inn and Sam Jones BBQ

Although Aaron Franklin is a master of his craft and can teach you some fantastic techniques, he doesn’t hold the legendary status of the Jones family. In 1947, Pete Jones began setting the standard for BBQ in North Carolina, and now his son Sam carries the torch. Many consider the Skylight Inn and Jones family barbecue the gold standard, not just in the United States but globally. This recipe book has a wealth of Jones family recipes and cooking techniques that have earned them over 70 years of smoking success. If you’re serious about barbecue, you must own this cookbook, period.

Pitmaster: Recipes, Techniques, and Barbecue Wisdom by Andy Husbands and Chris Hart

If you’re looking for a perfect blend of recipes and techniques, this cookbook from pitmasters Andy Husbands and Chris Hart is worth purchasing. You’ll find dozens of their secret recipes that won them both hundreds of awards. There are also a bunch of cameos from other pitmasters (many of which also have cookbooks on this list) who share their unique recipes. This book eases into the basics of barbecue cooking. It gives excellent instruction on barbecuing with smokers and grills like Weber, Offset, Kamado, and other smokers that the average backyard barbecuer is likely to use.

Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ: Every Day Is a Good Day: A Cookbook

This cookbook comes from another Carolina (South) barbecue legend, Rodney Scott. People from around the globe travel to experience his Whole Hog BBQ. Scott’s cookbook is an approachable and practical guide for anyone looking to dive deeper into the craft. Scott provides a lot of insightful personal history, which explains why he uses some of his particular methods. This book offers some great recipes along with some informative how-tos, like how to build your own smoke pit for whole hog barbecue.

Korean BBQ: Master Your Grill in Seven Sauces by Bill Kim and Chandra Ram

Although this isn’t a traditional Korean barbecue cookbook, it’s a breath of fresh air for anyone interested in barbecue fusion cooking. Being of Korean descent but raised in the Midwest, Kim makes traditional Korean recipes more approachable to those who may not be as familiar with the cuisine and offers many great ingredient substitutions. With his wife being Puerto Rican, he mixes in some of her favorite flavors by creating dishes he uniquely dubs “Kor-Rican.” However, the main idea of this cookbook is to break down the labels of food and just create delicious dishes everyone can enjoy. Also, if you’re a fan of from-scratch sauces, don’t pass up on this cookbook.

How to Grill Vegetables: The New Bible for Barbecuing Vegetables over Live Fire by Stephen Raichlen

We all know that barbecue is a meat-dominated domain. However, as plant-based cooking becomes more mainstream, you will want to know how to grill up some veggies. This cookbook by Stephen Raichlen (Project Fire, Project Smoke; Primal Grill; and Barbecue University) is the most in-depth guide on barbecuing vegetables you’ll find. Not only does he instruct you on how to cook veggies and fruits perfectly, but he also has a ton of interesting information about how the food is grown, its seasonality, and its history. Even though some cooking methods are advanced, Raichlen provides so many fantastic tips, tricks, and alternate cooking methods that no one should be scared to dive into his delicious recipes.

VBQ The Ultimate Vegan Barbecue Cookbook: Over 80 Recipes Seared, Skewered, Smoking Hot! by Jörg Mayer and Nadine Horn

Keeping with the meatless trend, this acclaimed cookbook from Jörg Mayer and Nadie Horn offers vegan takes on an array of classic barbecue recipes. These German food bloggers know their stuff and have a ton of delicious recipes to prove it. You can find recipes for vegan from-scratch sauces, main dishes like pulled mushroom sandwiches, and international dishes like Tandori Tofu Skewers.

Michael Symon’s Playing with Fire — BBQ and More from the Grill, Smoker, and Fireplace: A Cookbook

Renowned, meat-centric chef Michael Symon isn’t going to be avoiding any carnivorous recipes in this cookbook. Symon’s book is excellent for those interested in open-fire cooking, especially less conventional methods like campfire and fireplace barbecuing. This cookbook is not only highly informative, but it’s also entertaining with some great storytelling from Symon. The recipes Symon offers are delicious and flexible, allowing you to adjust and add to as you see fit.

Praise the Lard: Recipes and Revelations from a Legendary Life in Barbecue by Mike and Amy Mills

Yet another legendary barbecue duo is the father-daughter team, Mike and Amy Mills of 17th Street BBQ in Murphysboro, Illinois. The Mills family has over 100 years of barbecue tradition running through their veins. There are also close to a hundred Mills family recipes which have earned the BBQ-Hall-of-Famer award. Michael Symon himself calls him a mentor and says no one smokes meat better than him. If you’re looking for Yoda-like barbecue wisdom, you must own this cookbook.

Barbecue Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades by Stephen Raichlen

We failed to mention before that Stephen Raichlen probably has more published cookbooks than Stephen King has horror novels. That’s an exaggeration, but he has a lot, and they’re all super-in-depth and enjoyable. Like all of his cookbooks, Raichlen goes into detail about why he does what he does in his recipes. So, you’re getting an education along with a great recipe. In this cookbook, you’ll find no less than 200 excellent recipes for “sauces, rubs, and marinades [and] bastes, butters, and glazes, too” — which makes it worth it based on sheer volume alone.

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