Backyard grilling has taken on a new look now that the art of smoking has become more and more open to the weekend warrior and his grill. Or in this case, a smoker. Great shared knowledge and recipes that are easy to follow. This is not an easy way to cook, it takes patience and a deft hand. This book is essential for those of us who look forward to more than a frozen patty for Sunday meals!

Really this was a one of a kind out door cookbook. The author takes you through the history of grilling and barbeque. Then goes into the different types of cuts, them into rube and brines. He also takes you through the different types of smokers from stovetop, electric, gas grilling, turning your grill into a smoker and then the in-ground and store bought. The ones made from drums and onto building your own smokehouse. Very though I found that chapter and I have had done in the ground with some friends that were very good but also time-consuming and my friends knew what they were doing. I mostly smoke on my grill. He also goes through the different types of woods and the flavors that they give off, I thought that was good as well. The recipes were good some I will try others not. What I also liked was the author giving recipes of rubs, brines, and sauces which most people do not give out. That is what made this book extra special. I found this book to be worth anyone’s time to read and buy for the person who likes to grill or smoke.

Thank you Storey Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.

If you have any interest at all in smoking meat this is the perfect book. This book goes beyond any expectations I had when I first heard of it, I was hoping for a few short bits of info and lots of recipes. I was really pleasantly surprised to see this book has so much more.

It loved reading about the history of smoking meat and learning how other cultures have historically smoked meat, especially having personally enjoyed hangis, lovos and umus, and of course the good old Aussie BBQ over the years.

This is a really well researched gem, with instructions on how to set up something to smoke on as well as different types of meat and how they can be used most effectively. The recipes are great, complete with lots of different rubs to compliment the meat, all topped off by fabulous photography.

This is a perfect gift for the meat lover in your life.

Very comprehensive book on Smoking meats. It goes into details about the types of cuts, types of smokers, tools, rubs, brines, pretty much everything smoker related. Lots of great pictures and illustrations. The personal stories are great as well. And of course, there are some mouth-watering recipes. This book would be a wonderful personal reference for anyone interested in this topic.

Smokehouse Handbook is a niche technique and recipe collection for adventurous cooks. Due out 30th April 2019 from Storey, it's 200 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats. Author my link textJake Levin is a 'nose-to-tail' butcher and traveling educator.

There is something very special about feeding our friends and families. Most of my best memories in the company of other people has at least some component of shared food. There's this visceral connection which bonds people over really good shared food. This book, and this author, clearly 'get it' when it comes to making shared memories with others over food. The very act of preparing and eating food, especially in company, gives a shared experience that can be enriching and nourishing physically and mentally. In the introduction, the author talks about backyard cooking with his family and:

"...talk about chemistry, biology, and physics; describe simple building techniques; and breathe in a lot of smoke. But, in the end, this book is about being in your backyard with your loved ones, eating delicious food you’ve smoked in a smoker you built."



That's exactly what it's all about.

The book is split into logical parts. The introduction discusses a little bit of the philosophy and history of preservation and smoking techniques along with rubs and brining. The next section discusses equipment choices and acquisition of tools. The third section is full of recipes; enough to keep an adventurous cook experimenting for a long while. The fourth part has advanced and specific plans with materials and supplies list to enable readers to build and use purpose built smokers for their own use.

There's also a resource list and index. For readers outside North America, supplies and hardware can be sourced online without any trouble. For meat and other comestibles it's probably worthwhile to build up a relationship with an old-fashioned butcher or farm supplier (or family member who is a hunting enthusiast).

The included recipes and instructions are logical, easily followed, and complete. Admittedly many of the recipes take time. There's no 'quick fix' here. Most of the prep-work can be done ahead of time, making star meat ingredients to be used later.

Wonderful book, definitive instruction. Good tutorial photographs and plans.

Five stars.

The title "Smokehouse Handbook" fits this book well. My husband and I have smoked food off and on for years. Living in Alaska, we smoked predominately fish but we've always experimented with other types of meats and veggies. Mostly the experiments failed. We now live in rural Oklahoma where we can have the smoker going much more often. After reading this book, I see where we've made many mistakes in the past. This year our house will be the one everyone comes to for BBQ. If you are interested in expanding your BBQ skills to include smoke, read this book before you buy a smoker and you'll be much happier with your results. Although I was more interested in the mechanics of smoking, there are several recipes that I intend to try too.

My husband and I are casual smokers but have been talking about getting more into smoking now that we own a house and have room for it.
I had at first expected this book to contain more recipes and be more of a real “recipe book,” but it’s so much more. It’s absolutely perfect for those who want to get into smoking, casual beginners like me, and even experienced smokers who want to try a different type of smoker or technique. I never knew there were so many smokers until I read the section about different types. And with the step by step guides in the section on building your own you can easily make yourself a smoker to try one of the many delicious recipes included.
A personal favorite for me was the chapter on runs, brines, and cures. I make my own so these will make a great addition to the ones I already make now.

*I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for my review

I have read a number of books on smoking food, but the Smokehouse Handbook ranks as the most comprehensive and useful book I have read to date.
The book starts with an interesting chapter “Why we smoke” and I enjoyed reading history of worldwide traditions. Further chapters cover choices of meats and fish, brining, cooking times and temperatures
The detail on types of smokers was superb; from smoking on kettle grill, grill table, pit smoking to commercial smokers and smokehouses. It would certainly encourage anyone, regardless of budget and/or equipment constraints, to try their hand at smoking. I found the details on types of fuel very useful, including a great table on wood profiles.
The chapter on recipes is varied and interesting; covering hot smoking of ham, sausages, duck breast and more. Cold smoking includes recipes for, amongst other things, fish, bacon, sausages as well as a brief mention of vegetables and cheese.
As a European reader I was happy to have temperatures in both Fahrenheit and Celsius, and measurements in metric and imperial. Some of the ingredients might be only available in US but would be easily substituted
The final chapter covers building smokers. The excellent, detailed instructions and clear diagrams have really encouraged us to make our own smokehouse.

Nice layout with great photos. What is great about this book is that it simplifies the understanding of what happens when you smoke meat.
The book is short enough that you can easily read this book from beginning to end and have a general overview with basic knowledge to get a beginner started in the right direction. Problem with some books is that the information is overwhelming because there is so much of it..
I have been smoking meats for about 8 years with an electric smoker and process on average 1 pig per year. In a lot of ways I wish I had this kind of book when starting out to get myself oriented. The various options in what type of smoker to build or buy with some of the pros and cons of each method up front will make a beginner realize that there are many ways to accomplish this fun hobby. The book contains a number of interesting recipes that are fairly easy to follow. Personally I plan to try some of the ones I never seen before when the snow clears away. Including in the book is a bit of historical information on smoking in various countries.

What an interesting book. Half recipe book, half build your own smoker DIY book, it's really practical with some mouth-watering examples. I really want to build my own smokehouse now, if only I had more space. There's something for everyone and I'll definitely try the miso-honey bacon recipe soon.

It's well written and explains the techniques well. My mouth is definitely watering after reading through the recipes.

I've been after my husband to start smoking meats, so this book was clearly piqued my interest. WOW, the content and recipes had me captured from the get go. You and I may never have a smokehouse, but the rubs and brines will get us started on the journey towards a smoker. Who knows, maybe one day when we retire I'll actually talk him into a smokehouse...but that's not going to stop me from enjoying some of these right now.

If you are a smoker, or even a wanna be smoker, this is the book to pick up! I'm going to be getting my husband a copy of this for his birthday to go along with the smoker he'll be getting as well. Cannot wait to try out the tips, tricks and r

What a great book. Gives the basics of what and how to smoke then into details of the types of smoker including how to make them yourself from a variety of sourced materials. The discussions of the best joints for this type of cooking are detailed as are the sections about types of muscle, collagen and fat and why they are important (to both animal and cook). Why we have this fetish against fat I cannot understand - it gives immense flavour and moisture to meat and is not likely to produce health problems if eaten as part of a varied and sensible diet. Recipes are sufficiently thorough to keep me happy while hubby makes the smoker!! We've hot smoked things for years but have always had the ambition to try cold smoking. This book gives sufficient details to give it a go feeling reasonably confident that we will succeed (or at least have a lot of fun trying). I still think that my yard bread oven has to take priority but we shall see!

Great book for anyone wanting to start delving into the world of smokehouses. This book explains the history, the techniques and also gives recipes for a range of meats, fish and vegetables. It explains how to make a various smokehouses to suit your needs.
This book is very insightful and a great gift for anyone wanting to have a go.

This book was received as an ARC from Storey Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Barbecue is an American Staple and when done right its the most amazing experience in your life. Smokehouse Handbook will make your mouth water with all the appetizing photos Jake Levin displays throughout the cookbook and the abundance display of knowledge on all the basic techniques such as smoking, grilling, brining, marinating and much more. All the recipes look delicious and are easy to follow. I am curious to try some of the grilling recipes and brines as well.

This will be considered for our Non-Fiction Cookbook collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

An amazing, intensely detail filled book for every question you would ever encounter if you had any interest in becoming a smoking gormet. I thought this book would be full of recipes, but it takes you through the entire process. From different methods, seasonings, brines, and the reasoning behind all these uses. Absolutely loved it. Would make an amazing gift for anyone even remotely interested. So glad Netgally granted my request to review this. Cannot wait to buyva finished copy.

Great book for anyone who wants to learn how to smoke their food. I liked the portion devoted to how to build a hot or cold smokehouse. The chapters related to the different types of smoking devices was very helpful. I enjoyed the recipes.

What an amazing read. Not only is it a practical guide for anyone who would want to begin smoking foods, it’s an educational lexicon for anyone who is simply curious about the process. My father falls in the former, i in the later.
It’s breakdown takes you step by step through the process; from the history, the tools and the cuts of meat. It gains its highest praise for finally explaining to me kosher salt. One of those niggles you want answered, but never stays on the mind to search.

I don’t have a smokehouse, but this book makes me want to have one! Comprehensive history on smoked meats, segueing into a very meticulous and thorough instruction on all aspects of smoking meats. A great guide for both beginners and people already using a smokehouse.

The Smokehouse Handbook is an interesting book about smoking. It gives great insights on the general concept of smoking, which food can be smoked and how to smoke food. Also, I like the step by step explanations for the general process and the rest of the book gives you a lot of recipes to practice smoking.