Michael Symon's Playing with Fire: BBQ and More from the Grill, Smoker, and Fireplace

by Michael Symon, Douglas Trattner

Overview

Cohost of The Chew and celebrated Iron Chef and restaurateur Michael Symon returns to a favorite subject, meat, with his first cookbook focused on barbecue and live-fire grilling, with over 70 recipes inspired by his newest restaurant, Mabel's BBQ, in his hometown of Cleveland.

In preparing to open his barbecue restaurant, Mabel's BBQ, Michael Symon enthusiastically sampled smoked meat from across America. The 72 finger-licking, lip-smacking recipes here draw inspiration from his favorites, including dry ribs from Memphis, wet ribs from Nashville, brisket from Texas, pork steak from St. Louis, and burnt ends from Kansas City—to name just a few—as well as the unique and now signature Cleveland-style barbecue he developed to showcase the flavors of his hometown. Michael offers expert guidance on working with different styles of grills and smokers, choosing aromatic woods for smoking, cooking various cuts of meat, and successfully pairing proteins with rubs, sauces, and sides. If you are looking for a new guide to classic American barbecue with the volume turned to high, look no further.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780804186582
Publisher:	Potter/TenSpeed/Harmony
Publication date:	04/03/2018
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	7.43(w) x 9.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

MICHAEL SYMON is a cohost of ABC's The Chew and Food Network's Iron Chef America and Burgers, Brew & 'Que. He is the chef and co-owner of the acclaimed restaurants Lola, Lolita, and his newest restaurant, Mabel's BBQ, all in Cleveland, Ohio; the BSpot burger restaurants in Ohio; and Roast in Detroit, Michigan. He is the author of Michael Symon's Live to Cook, Michael Symon's Carnivore, Michael Symon's 5 in 5, and Michael Symon's 5 in 5 for Every Season.

Editorial Reviews

01/15/2018
The Chew cohost Symon, via his restaurant Mabel’s BBQ and this, his first live-fire cookbook, lays claim to ownership of Cleveland-style barbecue. Hallmarks include smoke from the wood of fruit trees that are abundant in northeast Ohio, specifically apple and cherry, as well as spices and meats that reflect the city’s Eastern European heritage. Also, there is the crucial ingredient of time: Pastrami is brined for four days and smoked for 12 hours. Pork belly is cured for a week and smoked for about three hours before being sliced into slabs of bacon. Poultry is faster but requires additional props: Symon’s chickens are hung from a string in a fireplace, spatchcocked and weighed down with bricks, covered in hay, or mounted on a partially full beer can atop a grill. Seafood options range from smoked sturgeon to grilled walleye wrapped in corn husks. With just 42 main-dish recipes spread across the first 167 pages, the gaps are filled with an overabundance of “pitmaster profiles,” in which barbecue chefs from across the country are briefly interviewed and their own eateries promoted. Meanwhile, Ed Anderson’s color photography of savory cuts encrusted with dry rub or slathered with sauce is nearly enough to make Cleveland synonymous with mouthwatering. This is an excellent guide to live-fire cooking. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"Chefs have an emotional fascination with fire, something primal and intuitive. This is not chichi food. Michael's cooking comes from the heart, soul, and gut. Simple, straightforward, and convivial, it is the food of a true pitmaster."
—Jacques Pépin 

"Michael Symon does not 'play' with fire . . . he is fire, he lives enflamed, he laughs like fuego, he cooks like a demonic Miles Davis working feverishly at the bellows like valves of a trumpet on fire in the angelic and harmonic orchestra floating on the burning lake of deliciousness that shimmers above all of us in our sweetest dreams of yumbang potential. . . . The recipes and strategies in this incredible book will take you through the fire to the other side, the most tasty expression of perfectly seasoned and barely tamed and smoldering flame. You are in the hands of the master—beware and be careful, it's hot in this book."
—Mario Batali

"Here's why I'm lucky . . . Michael Symon is my best friend and I've eaten most of the dishes in this book. I can smell the smoke and taste the fire of these recipes just by paging through the spectacular photos. The Fireplace Chicken has become legend in our friendship, and now it can all be yours."
—Bobby Flay

"I've long been a fan of Michael Symon—his genuine enthusiasm, wild talent, and love of food are evident in anything he touches. Over the years, I've watched him develop a deep love for and embrace the culture of barbecue. At Mabel's, he applied his immense skills to create a flavor profile that reflects his unique heritage and geography, and here he shares all that and more. In this book, readers can join his world and learn from one of best as Michael offers his tips, tricks, and techniques for smoking meat. Anyone who loves barbecue will devour this book."
—Mike Mills, 17th Street Barbecue, author Praise the Lard and Peace, Love & Barbecue

From the Publisher