Taming the Flame: Secrets for Hot-and-Quick Grilling and Low-and-Slow BBQ 
—Rick Bayless, chef and owner of Frontera Grill/Topolobampo and host of Public Television's Mexico: One Plate at a Time
"Elizabeth Karmel was born in North Carolina, weaned on pulled pork, and has spice and smoke in her bones. This authoritative, opinionated, and just plain mouth-watering book will tell you everything you need to know about barbecue from someone who's spent a lifetime walking the walk and talking the talk."
—Steven Raichlen, author of How to Grill and BBQ USA and host of Barbecue University on PBS
"Finally, the woman who has taught me everything I know about grilling has come out with her own book. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned grillmeister, Taming the Flame is the book for you."
—Sara Moulton host, Food Network's Sara's Secrets, and executive chef, Gourmet magazine
"Just when you thought grilling could not get any more straightforward or delicious, Elizabeth Karmel shows you what you were missing: skillful techniques and remarkable flavors. Great grilling starts here!"
—Chef Charlie Trotter, Chicago
"Elizabeth Karmel is a breath of fresh air on the barbecue circuit. In Taming the Flame, she gives expert instruction and she tells all the barbecue secrets we boys tend to keep to ourselves."
—Mike Mills four-time World Champion,Memphis-in-May BBQ competition
Reviews
This book is different in that it really helps to develop an understanding of how grilling works. This allows me to develop skill, rather than just repeat instructions (with mixed results).
I am most fond of the "101" sections at the beginning of each food type. It really helps to lay out the process. These sections often repeat information shown elsewhere in the book, which at first annoyed me. However, I now find that having it all in one place allows me to quickly review before grilling.
On the negative, I think they went a little overboard with the number of recipes. For example, there are several steak recipes that really are just about how to make a sauce to put on the steak after grilling. The book is fairly priced even if I never use them, but it does force me to sort through a lot of these "quasi" ideas to find the good recipes. Related to that, the attempts to personalize each recipe became tiring. In a few places it was kind of nice, but after a while you feel like you are reading her diary. As my rating shows, neither of these was a big enough issue to detract from the overall excellent nature of the book.
I will be giving a copy out to many people on my Christmas list.
-Lisa Taylor, VT