Joe Carroll makes stellar barbecue and grilled meats in Brooklyn, New York, at his acclaimed restaurants Fette Sau and St. Anselm. In Feeding the Fire, Carroll gives us his top 20 lessons and more than 75 recipes to make incredible fire-cooked foods at home, proving that you don't need to have fancy equipment or long-held regional traditions to make succulent barbecue and grilled meats. Feeding the Fire teaches the hows and whys of live-fire cooking: how to create low and slow fires, how to properly grill chicken (leave it on the bone), why American whiskey blends so nicely with barbecued meats (both are flavored with charred wood), and how to make the best sides to serve with meat (keep it simple). Recipes nested within each lesson include Pulled Pork Shoulder, Beef Short Ribs, Bourbon-Brined Center-Cut Pork Chops, Grilled Clams with Garlic Butter, and Charred Long Beans. Anyone can follow these simple and straightforward lessons to become an expert. Born and raised in northern New Jersey, Joe Carroll didn't grow up steeped in Southern barbecue culture. With a curious nature and a love of food, Carroll launched barbecue joint Fette Sau in Brooklyn in 2007, luring in equal parts hipsters and barbecue devotees. With his beer garden, Spuyten Duyvil, and his casual American steakhouse, St. Anselm, in Brooklyn, Carroll continues to expand, opening Fette Sau in Philadelphia (in 2012) and another steakhouse in Manhattan (coming soon). Carroll; his wife, Kim; and their twin daughter and son live in Brooklyn, New York. "You just want to grill a better steak than the one you grilled last summer, or smoke a better brisket, or fire up a basket of vegetables that will leave your guests swooning. You don't want to feel as if doing any of that is going to be a campaign. You're not looking to go pro. If so, Joe Carroll's Feeding the Fire, written with Nick Fauchald, may be the most useful book of the current season. A collection of strategies and lessons as much as one of recipes and pronouncements, the book offers a helpful primer to those seeking guidance on an elementary question that bedevils many: how to use a grill or a smoker to their best effect under varying circumstances, all summer long. . . . The recipes [in Feeding the Fire] are written for home cooks. They are uncomplicated and clear. They can be attempted on dodgy old kettle grills and leaky gas ones alike. Most important, they work. . . . Bonkers delicious."
-The New York Times
"Joe Carroll . . . speaks the language of every home cook."
-USA Today, "Summer's Tastiest Titles"
"How to barbecue no matter what your equipment. . . . Packs big, bold flavor."
-Associated Press
"This book takes all the guesswork out of cooking with a grill."
-House Beautiful
"This cookbook is a master class in minimal and well-prepared barbecue."
-Library Journal
"With Carroll's 20 in-depth lessons, high quality meat, fish or vegetables and the right choice of wood, anyone can achieve barbecue nirvana."
-BookPage, "Our Favorite Cookbooks of the Year"
"If you're going to tackle the flames, you're going to need some sound, time-tested advice, and that's what Carroll gifts this world in this stunning book."
-FoodRepublic
"For those who are serious about stepping up their barbecue and grilling game."
-Publishers Weekly, Top 10 Cookbooks for Spring 2015
"Whether it's redefining the chophouse at St. Anselm or tearing down the historic North/South barbecued brisket wall at Fette Sau, no one else does what Joe Carroll does with fire and smoke. I read this book fast and got so hungry I wanted to eat its pages."
-John Hodgman, author, actor, and humorist
"Joe Carroll shares 20 very important lessons every grill master should know; Feeding the Fire is a must-buy for your cookbook collection."
-Adam Perry Lang, chef, restaurateu
