Meathead by Meathead Goldwyn – Hardback Cookbook

Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling is the 400-page hardback from Meathead Goldwyn, the Chicago-based founder of AmazingRibs.com, and it explains the real science of heat, smoke and meat so your grilling and smoking stop relying on guesswork. It's a New York Times bestseller with 118 tested recipes, and Southern Living named it one of the 100 best cookbooks of all time.

Barbecue, minus the old wives' tales

Most barbecue advice gets handed down like scripture and never tested. Meathead tested it. Working with physicist Greg Blonder, he ran the experiments and wrote up what actually happens inside a grill, a smoker and a hunk of meat. The result reads like a mate who happens to have a lab coat: funny, blunt and almost always right.

What's inside

The first half is the concepts: how heat and temperature differ, why digital thermometers matter, how salt penetrates meat while spices sit on the surface, when charcoal beats gas and when it doesn't, tuning a grill or smoker, cooking with logs, rotisserie tricks and the strengths and weaknesses of pellet cookers. It's packed with Meathead's own photos and colour illustrations, and J. Kenji López-Alt writes the foreword.

The second half is the cooking: 118 recipes that put the theory to work. Standouts include Last Meal Ribs, Texas Brisket, Perfect Pulled Pork, Simon & Garfunkel Chicken, Huli-Huli Chicken, Schmancy Smoked Salmon and Baja Fish Tacos, plus the regional sauces and rubs to go with them. Along the way he takes aim at soaking wood, searing to seal in juices and beer-can chicken.

Who it's for

Anyone who has followed a recipe to the letter and still ended up with dry ribs or bitter smoke. Beginners get a proper foundation, and experienced pitmasters get the reasons behind habits they've never questioned. It suits every cooker, from kettles and kamados to pellet grills and offsets.

About Meathead Goldwyn

Meathead Goldwyn founded AmazingRibs.com in 2005, and it has grown into one of the most-read barbecue and grilling websites in the world. He is a member of the Barbecue Hall of Fame and lives in Chicago. The science in this book was done with Greg Blonder, a physicist with a PhD from Harvard, and Meathead followed it up with The Meathead Method.

The Rub Smuggler's Verdict

Off the record, Darryl says this is the book that finally explains why your cook worked, or why it didn't: heat, smoke, salt and meat, tested properly instead of passed down like gospel. The bit he loves is the myth-busting on soaked wood chips, because dry wood and clean smoke will change your ribs straight away. Put it on the shelf and stop guessing. Read it next to Meat Illustrated for a cut-by-cut view of the butcher's counter, and Mastering Barbecue for another stack of hard-won technique. Then dust a rack with Croix Valley Memphis BBQ Dry Rub and run your own experiment.

Questions answered

Who wrote Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling?

It was written by Meathead Goldwyn, founder of AmazingRibs.com and a Barbecue Hall of Fame member, with the science done alongside physicist Greg Blonder.

How many recipes are in Meathead?

There are 118 tested recipes, including Last Meal Ribs, Texas Brisket and Perfect Pulled Pork, after a first half that explains the science of heat, smoke and meat.

Is Meathead good for beginners?

Yes. It starts from the fundamentals and explains why each technique works, so beginners build a solid base and experienced cooks unlearn a few myths.

Is Meathead a hardback, and how many pages?

Yes. It's a 400-page hardback, first published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2016.

Does Meathead cover pellet grills and charcoal?

Yes. It compares charcoal and gas, explains how to calibrate grills and smokers, and covers the strengths and weaknesses of pellet cookers, plus cooking with logs and rotisseries.