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Whole Beast Butchery: The Complete Visual Guide to Beef, Lamb, and Pork by Ryan Farr with Brigit Binns

Farr is a classically trained chef, butcher, and butchery instructor, at his 4505 Meats in San Francisco. In three chapters, Beef, Pork, and Lamb, he demonstrates his craft in hundreds of photographs.

The Cook and the Butcher: Juicy Recipes, Butcher’s Wisdom, and Expert Tips byย Brigit Binns

Four chapters: Beef, Pork, Lamb, Veal. A lifetime of incredible recipes for cooks who are bored with the same old same old.

The Great Meat Cookbook by Bruce Aidells Reviewed

Bruce Aidells has been a working butcher. He founded a sausage company and I'll bet you've seen Aidells Sausages on your grocery shelves.

The Meat Buyers Guide: Meat, Lamb, Veal, Pork and Poultry by NAMI (North American Meat Institute)ย 8th Edition

Edited by NAMI (formerly NAMP), this is the definitive reference on all the different cuts of meat, with charts, excellent photos, a glossary, and nutritional info.

Catching Fire, How Cooking Made Us Human by Richard Wrangham

By:

Meathead, AmazingRibs.com Founder And BBQ Hall of Famer

In the book "Catching Fire, How Cooking Made Us Human" (Basic Books, 2010), Richard Wrangham describes how cooking changes the chemistry of food and how that made it easier for proto humans to chew, digest, and extract energy and nutrients. It also includes insight for us who love to hang out at the grill.

Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual by Michael Pollan

By:

Meathead, AmazingRibs.com Founder And BBQ Hall of Famer

A short paperback that you can easily swallow on a short airplane trip, Pollan, the author of such important books as the Ominvore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food, and The Botany of Desire, summarizes what he has learned about good eating habits in the form of "rules" which he describes in a few sentences.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma byย Michael Pollan

This may be the most important book about food since Upton Sinclair's The Jungle drew back the curtain on the Chicago stockyards in 1906. Both books take an analytical and critical look at how food gets to our table. The New York Times named The Omnivore's Dilemma one of the 10 best books of 2006.

The Science of Good Food by David Joachim and Andrew Schloss

By:

Meathead, AmazingRibs.com Founder And BBQ Hall of Famer

The authors explain what ingredients are made of, how they behave when cooked, and how various methods work. A very thorough A to Z encyclopedia of food science.

Keys to Good Cooking: A Guide to Making the Best of Foods and Recipes by Harold McGee

By:

Meathead, AmazingRibs.com Founder And BBQ Hall of Famer

From the country's foremost expert on the science of cooking, Harold McGee, Keys to Good Cooking is a concise and authoritative guide designed to help home cooks navigate the ever-expanding universe of ingredients, recipes, food safety, and appliances, and arrive at the promised land of a satisfying dish.

On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee

By:

Meathead, AmazingRibs.com Founder And BBQ Hall of Famer

If you want to know why we do what we do in the kitchen, not just what to do or how to do it, this fat tome is a must have.

The Food Lab, Better Home Cooking Through Science byย J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

This is the best cookbook I own. It has also won the Cookbook of the Year from the International Association of Culinary Professionals, and a James Beard Award.

The Bacon Cookbook by James Villas

By:

Meathead, AmazingRibs.com Founder And BBQ Hall of Famer

The standards such as quiche, carbonarra, BLT, are there among 168 intriguing recipes by an experienced cookbook author.

The Chili Cookbook by Robb Walsh

If you're a fan of chili in its various forms then this is the book for you! Discover recipes for such dishes as classic Texas chili, Cincinnati chili, four alarm chili, and so much more.

The Hamburger: A History byย Josh Ozersky

A cleverly written, well researched, fun tale of the history of the hamburger and how it has evolved in step with American culture.

Hamburger: A Global History

This definitive little book unwraps the mystery of the origin of the hamburger and its name, and traces its spread across the globe.

 

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