THE COMPLETE AUSTRALIAN BARBECUE

KETTLE COOKBOOK

By Ross McDonald and Margaret Kirkwood

This publication, now in its umpteenth printing, was written by Australian Weber Representative Ross McDonald and Margaret Kirkwood a gourmet cook and well known cookery educator.

It's a big book containing 216 oversize pages and many of these feature enormous photographs of beautifully presented dishes. Everything is there from bacon and eggs for breakfast through to barbecued leg of goat, braised buffalo and smoked wild duck. Salads, dressings, desserts and sauces are also featured in this full-colour, hard-cover publication.

In Australia, this book has long been a favourite present for the kids to give their Dad (or Mum for that matter) on the Christmas or birthday when he/she receives their first kettle barbecue. I think one of its great strengths is that it assumes nothing - absolutely nothing. The first 30 pages (and they're very big pages remember) take the novice through preparing the kettle for grilling or roasting including how to stack the charcoal, controlling the temperature, carving meat and trouble shooting.

The rest of the book has many tips and new ideas for even the most experienced kettle cook. And many of the recipes can be readily adpated to indirect cooking in most hooded gas barbeques.

My brother-in-law managed to cook a more than edible roast on his brand new kettle barbecue by following this book. The closest thing he owned to a cooking appliance before he was given the new Weber was a mobile phone (used for reserving tables at restaurants!).

ORIGIN: Australia
FIRST PUBLISHED: 1988
VERDICT: You can't call yourself a dinkum downunder barbequer if you don't have a copy of this book.