10 Best Grilling Cookbooks 2026 in the United States

Steven Raichlen's "Barbecue Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades--Bastes, Butters & Glazes, Too" is a great pick if you want to deepen your barbecue flavor skills. This cookbook is especially helpful for people with some grilling experience but is friendly enough to guide beginners through using rubs, sauces, and marinades effectively. Since it focuses on enhancing the flavor rather than cooking the meat itself, it suits all types of grills, from gas to charcoal and smokers, allowing you to customize tastes across different grilling setups.

The book offers a wide variety of recipes, covering everything from classic barbecue sauces to inventive glazes and butters, which adds exciting options for your grilling sessions. Instructions are clear and easy to follow, making it straightforward to mix and apply the sauces and rubs correctly. One of the standout features is the inclusion of tips and techniques that help you get the most flavor out of your seasonings, which can elevate your grilling game. However, because this book concentrates on sauces and seasonings, it doesn’t cover grilling basics or meat cooking methods in depth, so beginners might need an additional resource for those aspects.

The book's size and weight make it a handy kitchen companion, and the nearly 350 pages provide plenty of content without overwhelming. If you're looking to expand your barbecue flavor arsenal with trusted, tested recipes and helpful seasoning advice, this book is a solid choice.

‘Smokin' and Grillin' with Aaron Brown: More Than 100 Spectacular Recipes for Cooking Outdoors’ is a robust grilling cookbook designed for outdoor cooking enthusiasts. Its 208 pages are packed with a diverse range of recipes that cater to various grilling skill levels, making it accessible for both beginners and experienced grillers.

The book covers an array of grilling techniques suited for different types of grills, which is great for those who own multiple grilling devices or are looking to expand their grilling repertoire. The recipes are well-explained with clear instructions, making it easier for users to follow along and achieve the desired results. Additionally, the book includes useful tips and techniques that can enhance the grilling experience and help users improve their skills over time.

However, at 1.75 pounds and with dimensions of 8.25 x 1 x 9.25 inches, it might be a bit bulky for some users to handle comfortably while cooking. The hardcover format makes it durable but less flexible compared to paperback options. Published by Harvard Common Press, the book is relatively new, hitting the shelves in April 2024, which means the recipes incorporate modern trends and techniques in outdoor cooking. It's a suitable choice for anyone looking to elevate their grilling game with a variety of recipes and expert guidance.

'Project Smoke' by Steven Raichlen is a solid choice for anyone interested in mastering smoked foods, whether you're a beginner or already have some grilling experience. The book is well-structured around seven key steps to smoking, which helps make the process less intimidating for newcomers. It covers a variety of grill types and smoking methods, making it adaptable no matter what kind of equipment you have.

With 100 recipes that range from classic favorites like brisket to more unique options such as smoked bacon with bourbon, it offers plenty of variety to keep things interesting. The instructions are clear and approachable, guiding you through each recipe and technique with enough detail to help you succeed without feeling overwhelmed. Additionally, the book provides useful tips and insights to improve your smoking skills over time.

A limitation is that the book focuses solely on smoking rather than general grilling, so if you're looking for a wide range of grilling styles beyond smoking, this might feel a bit narrow. Also, while the recipes aim to be accessible, some might require ingredients or equipment not everyone has on hand, which could be a minor hurdle. At around 336 pages, it’s comprehensive yet still manageable to explore. This makes 'Project Smoke' a great pick for anyone looking to dive into smoked cooking with clear guidance and recipe variety, especially if you want to focus on smoking techniques rather than all grilling styles.