JP and I have some great news to announce to you.
If you listen to Monday BBQ and JP Hour, you've probably heard us talk about a project we've been working on for a long time. Something "BIG".
Well, today we are proud to tell you that our new book, The Art of BBQ , is now available!!! 🎉 🎉 🎉 We worked on it for over a year, but it covers content that we have been perfecting for years. I can tell you, we have been busy!
What is “The Art of BBQ”?
The Art of BBQ is the biggest collection of our best recipes. It's a book that we were able to write following our years of practice, research, and the astronomical quantities of food cooking that we did. It's like... the pinnacle, the best of the best, of everything we've tested. It's a collection of our most artistic, most "watatatow" recipes. 🤩
Not only that, we also matched the best techniques to prepare each recipe/cut of meat. No joke, this is a book that I could have next to my BBQ every day for inspiration. I would even say that it could be my new bedside book. 👀
The origin of the name
Why did we decide to call our 3rd book “The Art of BBQ”? Because there are 2 things that created the human being we are today: art, and fire. BBQ, in fact, is fire. The name “barbecue” itself actually comes from the word “barbacoa”, a word originating from the Caribbean designating a cooking method for meats. And cooking food and creating recipes is Art! (Yes, “Art” with a capital “A”.)
You know us, we love meat, so you won't be surprised to learn that there are a lot of meat-based recipes in our book. The reason we decided to name our book like that is because we wanted to create something that would give meat and flame back their noble notes. We wanted to pay homage to them by creating artistic recipes. (If you are vegetarian, don't worry, there are also vegetable-based recipes in our book. 😉)
When you think about it, BBQing is art. At first, it's rudimentary, but as you keep doing it, you'll master your art better and better. (And, let's be honest, whether you're good or not, you're still making art. 😜) It's the same thing for a painter.
Cooking on the BBQ therefore means giving new life to our food and transforming it into works of art by putting it on our plates.
The difference with our other books
The Art of BBQ is our 3rd book. The great thing is that you can really see our evolution by comparing it to our first 2.
Our first book, BBQ au Max , was launched in the early days of BBQ Québec. It contains lots of funky recipes, but not really advanced in terms of execution. They can all be made in about 1 hour. It's more of a book for beginners.
Then, the level of difficulty increases in our second book, Lavoie du BBQ . Always keeping a little "funny" touch, then simple, we talk about how to make several recipes (a whole pig and large pieces of meat, for example) based on our travel experiences, competitions... There is a big evolution between this one and the first.
Finally, our 3rd book, The Art of BBQ, is, as we said earlier, a book that follows our evolution and shows how much BBQ Québec has "leveled up". It is very advanced and complete in terms of techniques. Not only does it contain incredible recipes, it also shows several ways to achieve "wow" meals. For example, for each "brisket" recipe, we took the time to dissect the best ways to serve the meat.
With this book, we show people that they can entertain in style. Gone are the classic chicken breasts, we serve steaks, burgers, tomahawks and beautiful big chunks of beef on the table. All of this, of course, with a superb presentation that highlights the food. This is a book that will make you want to celebrate at all times.
Who is this book for?
Anyone can read this book and make the recipes it contains without any problem. If you are used to cooking on the BBQ, you will learn new tricks and if you are new to the world of grilling, you will progress at high speed. (That's true, because, whatever your case, we based ourselves on the learnings of Man, from the discovery of fire until now, in addition to our own experiences to write The Art of BBQ.)
If we had to target a type of person, however, we would say that this book is particularly perfect if you are an individual who wants to discover techniques that are out of the ordinary, wow the gallery with mind-blowing presentations, and taste flavors that your palate has never experienced before.
With it, you'll go from zero to BBQ hero in no time (you may not be at zero right now, but you get the point 😉). 🦸♂️
The content
The Art of BBQ is over 100 great BBQ recipes to make. And there's seriously something for everyone.
In fact, we decided to mix great classics: French gastronomic classics (and cuisine in general), then the classics of the “pitmasters” of the United States.
We would even go so far as to say that there is everything, literally "everything", in this book. There are recipes for briskets, ribs, pork, chicken, fish, vegetables, sauces, sides, aspics (yes, yes! 😳), desserts... Even the basics are there! "Yes", there are even recipes for pizza dough, naan dough, burger buns and hot dog buns. We have even added gluten-free and low-carb alternatives! Of course, in all cases, everything is 100% delicious.
In fact, it should be mentioned that there are a lot of beef recipes in our book. We know that beef is a relatively expensive meat, so we wanted to make sure that you didn't mess up your cooking. We even went to the trouble of including cuts of beef that are often forgotten, neglected and, ultimately, turned into ground steak. We really wanted you to maximize the use of each of your cuts.
What's also particularly interesting is that our book is extremely inclusive. We made sure that people who have allergies or intolerances, or who don't eat gluten or who follow a keto diet, for example, can find something for them in it.
We wanted to make a book that represented us. I myself do not eat gluten or processed products, and practically no sugar. We were therefore determined to include people like me when writing our book. The majority of our recipes therefore have a gluten-free option and are reduced in carbohydrates. However, when it comes to flavor, nothing has been neglected. We did not "replace" foods to try to make something good, we created excellence with top-quality fresh foods!
Something that's really "hot" too is that Steven Raichlen even allowed us to add his famous recipe for bourbon-bacon apple crumble. And... that's not all! We worked with him to modify it in the Quebec style. So we changed a few ingredients to replace them with those from our region. (Just to make you salivate a little, we can tell you that there is now maple syrup in it. Mmmm! 🤤) And... (yes, yes, "and", again!) we also included a gluten-free version of this fantastic dessert. 👌
Otherwise, as mentioned above, there are also many techniques in this book. Each technique is a technique that we have learned over the years. Whether in competition, while traveling, at an event, or simply by testing a recipe. Whatever recipe you want to make, our many methods will allow you to choose the way that seems best suited to the result you want to obtain.
Our favorite recipes
Ouuuu! THE killer question. It's really not easy, there are so many good choices...
If I absolutely have to answer something, I would say that the "all you can beef" section is my favorite. The "short ribs" section is very "hot" too, though... Hmmm. Yeah... "All you can beef", because of its bone broth and smoked beef fat recipes. Final answer. 😜
In JP's case, it's the whole prime rib recipe that he prefers. "Oh yeaaah!" 😍
With answers like that, you can clearly see that we like beef. Ariane, my wife, on the other hand, clearly has sea blood. For her, it's the Thai soup with grilled shrimp that she prefers. Our children love the pocket pizzas with brisket and pulled pork... There really is something for everyone!
The source of inspiration for recipes
Our greatest source of inspiration is simply our love of BBQ. Our desire to respect art and fire, while adding a touch of madness.
We are BBQ enthusiasts who like to try everything. We are always looking for the best content and the best flavor combinations, so we let our creativity run wild, telling ourselves that everything we do is a work of art.
Of course, we also want everyone to be happy. You, those who support us, also inspire us, which is why we want to offer you as many options as possible. We were inspired by the best recipes "ever" that we have made in our lives, and we have concocted something awesome for you.
Do you need a specific BBQ to make the recipes?
Our recipes can all be made with any BBQ. In fact, the only exception to mention is that there are some that are more suited to smokers, but you can still smoke your food in another type of BBQ. Ideally, your BBQ also maintains its temperature very well and gives good results during slow cooking if you want to try all the recipes.
In any case, whatever the fuel of your BBQ, your food will be the best you have ever enjoyed on your BBQ, because you will have followed our recipe. 😉
Our greatest prides
JP and I are both very proud of what we have produced. We have different reasons, but we are really happy to have brought our 3rd baby into the world.
For my part, what I am most proud of is that we have remained true to ourselves. The name of the book, the design, the concept, the recipes, it is really us. Earlier, I said that it could be my bedside book, it is true, everything in this book is what I eat.
Like any artist, we want people to find our work beautiful, but not everyone creates by thinking of themselves as well as others. That's what I did with JP, and I'm very happy about it.
For JP, it's simple, what he's most proud of is the whole work. He and I didn't cut corners. We left nothing to chance. It's all there. We worked and reworked many, many hours to get this result.
He also adds a special mention to the photos, which give glory to the recipes in the things he is most proud of. 😉 (We all know, it's not always easy to take beautiful ones, especially when, in addition, we have to restrain ourselves from swallowing beautiful pieces of meat! 😬)
In summary
This book is years in the making. It is so complete that if there was a university BBQ course, I think it would be one of the required books. It is a book that is perfect for cooking daring meals on the BBQ while respecting the food and presenting it with love in the form of a work of art.
Seriously, we recommend it to everyone.
By the way, if you ever want to have a special edition of our book, we invite you to get a copy in our stores. Why? Because this version will have a different cover photo and will be offered in hardcover format. (A version, which, by the way, makes JP crazy! 😉) We will also only have a limited quantity! 😮
The bar is high for a next book, but who knows… maybe it will happen one day!
Hoping to hear from you soon! 🤩
Happy BBQ!