There's a new grill book in town

For more than 10 years there had been one authoritative grill book: "The Barbecue! Bible" by Steve Raichlen.

Now, "Mastering the Grill: The Owner's Manual for Outdoor Cooking" is poised to take that spot on the shelf.

Spend $24.95 (a bargain!) on Andrew Schloss and David Joachim's "Mastering the Grill" and you will never need or buy another grill book again.

This weighty tome covers grill cooking from start (picking out equipment) to end (dessert). This book is so comprehensive, covering so much territory it's hard to present a complete picture here in just a few words. I'll try, though.

Beginning with equipment, Schloss and Joachim (a longtime grill expert who wrote the foreword for my book, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Grilling") present an all-encompassing review with detailed descriptions and good-quality photographs of everything from tools to fuels.

The techniques section covers mastering the fire (starting to maintaining) and the science of heat transference as well as differentiating between grilling, barbecuing, rotisserie grilling and even cooking in the coals.

Schloss and Joachim cover ingredients next, discussing in great detail meat grades, cuts, the debate over grain-fed and organic... You'll find a mother-load of info about fish and shellfish, fruits and vegetables, leaves and even flowers, as well as cheese and doughs.

From there, they move onto mastering flavor where they look in-depth at seasonings, rubs (dry and wet), mops, brines, marinades, glazes and sauces. All this just in the first 90 of more than 400 pages.

If you read only that far, you could talk like a longtime master griller. But wait, there's more! The recipes. Oh, what recipes!

The recipes cover everything from death-defying Cajun burgers and espresso-glazed rib-eye to Jamaican jerk lamb steaks, Cajun pecan catfish and ribs. You'll be intrigued by recipes for sweet heat barbecued chicken, apple-sage barbecued turkey legs, Balsamic-black pepper beef short ribs, grilled side of salmon in chili paste and Thai basil roasted tuna loin.

Schloss and Joachim kick it up a notch in the chapter Mastering the Big Kahuna and Other Grill Projects. That's big Kahuna, as in whole pig. Other projects include Texas barbecued brisket, grilled Peking duck, clambake on the grill, spit-roasted whole spring lamb and trash-can turkey (think up-sized, beer-can chicken). Vegetables and side dishes, fruit and desserts, dough and dips also get their due. Phew!

From this short taste you can tell "Mastering the Grill" isn't your run-of-the-mill grill book. Once you pick this book up, you'll have a hard time putting it down. Here's a sample of what you'll find.

• Don Mauer appears Wednesdays in Food. He welcomes questions, shared recipes and makeover requests for your favorite dishes. Address them to Don Mauer, Daily Herald Food section, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006 or don@theleanwizard.com.

Tandoori Yogurt Marinade

¾ cup (6 ounces) plain yogurt

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger root

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons garam masala

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon ground paprika

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Mix the ingredients in a bowl until blended.

Add ingredients to be marinated, toss to coat and cover. Refrigerate for the suggested time.

Makes about 1¼ cups.

Recipe nutrition:Nutrition values per 2 tablespoons: 17 calories (37.3 percent from fat), 0.7 g fat (0.4 g saturated), 1.9 g carbohydrates, trace amount fiber, 0.6 g protein, 2 mg cholesterol, 183 mg sodium.

"Mastering the Grill: The Owner's Manual for Outdoor Cooking" by Andrew Schloss and David Joachim (2008 Chronicle Books, $24.95)