How I Wrote This Book

Like many of my brainstorms, the idea for this book came a lot easier than the execution. I began to make a list of the dishes people habitually have trouble grilling (this list included whole chickens, steaks, briskets, ribs, pork shoulders, and fish of any sort). To this list, I added items I personally wished people would grill more of: vegetables, breads, vegetarian dishes, even desserts. I drafted a second list of essential techniques—direct grilling, indirect grilling, rotisserie grilling, grilling in leaves and in the embers. I began to create recipes that would illustrate these fundamental techniques.