We Can't Wait For These Five Upcoming BBQ Books

Five delicious BBQ cookbooks from iconic pitmasters, social media stars, and restaurateurs will be released in 2025.

Every year, several wonderful books on BBQ are published that inspire backyard BBQ and grilling enthusiasts. We do our best to highlight as many of our favorites as we can on a regular basis in The Smoke Sheet. Last year, we shared Five BBQ & Grilling Books ahead of the holiday season and recommended several new cookbooks in 2024.

Several new books from well-respected authors are scheduled to be published this year. We know they will feature delicious recipes and innovative cooking methods. Here are five upcoming barbecue books we can’t wait to get our hands on in 2025.

ArnieTex: Over 100 Recipes for Mexican-American Cooking and Texas-Style BBQ — Arnie Segovia

Arnie Segovia is a Texas guy with Mexican roots, and his cooking is a blend of Texas and Mexican cuisines in the comdia casera (comfort food) and carne asada (Mexican grilling) styles. His creations are a traditional blend of Southwest, Texas, and Norteño cooking techniques, both in the kitchen and over open fire. For authentic Mexican cooking combined with a little bit of Texas and open-fire barbecue, look no further than ArnieTex! As a champion pitmaster and cook with deep knowledge of Mexican-American cuisine, Arnie has built a following of millions of loyal fans who love cooking with Arnie each week. And if you're cooking with Arnie, it will always mean two things: you’re not going to leave the table hungry, and you’ll absolutely leave the table happy.

The Backyard BBQ with Fire and Spice: Filipino- and Cajun-Inspired Recipes for the Smoker and Grill — Tony Ramirez

Tony Ramirez has long blazed his trail under the TFTI (Thanks For The Invite) brand. Maybe you’ve seen his instant classics like spicy Filipino BBQ chicken skewers or Cajun honey butter wings. Or maybe you were hooked by his addictive “Dynamite Lumpia.” No matter what you tried, chances are you agreed with his signature phrase: “That’s Money.” In this book, Tony brings you into his backyard for an insider’s guide to how he crafts his hits. You’ll use a variety of cooking techniques and discover new flavor profiles with one-of-a-kind recipes sure to impress your family and friends. With robust exploration of techniques (five ways to make wings!) in addition to the recipes, this is a book that ups your BBQ game with every cook. Welcome to the party!

Barbacoa: The Heart of Tex-Mex Barbecue — Brandon Hurtado

You’ve seen multiple books on Southern BBQ and African-American BBQ, but nothing on the third great barbecue tradition—Hispanic barbecue. Here to fill that gap at last is Brandon Hurtado, one of the most celebrated practitioners of Tex-Mex barbecue. His Dallas-area restaurant, Hurtado Barbecue, appears on Texas Monthly’s authoritative list of the top 50 barbecue joints in Texas and in Southern Living magazine’s ranking of the 50 best barbecue restaurants in the South. Barbacoa presents Brandon’s masterpiece recipes for everything from Pulled Pork Carnitas and Lobster Tostadas to Barbacoa con Papas and Brisket Birria Tacos—and beyond.

The Meathead Method: A BBQ Hall of Famer's Secrets and Science on BBQ, Grilling, and Outdoor Cooking with 114 Recipes — Meathead

In the follow-up to his New York Times bestseller Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling, BBQ Hall of Famer and founder of AmazingRibs.com, Meathead presents a guide to new methods for great outdoor cooking with 114 creative and inspiring recipes. The Meathead Method is a toolbox to elevate all your cooking, outdoors and indoors. Learn the basics of great barbecue, grilling, and griddling plus new methods and science not covered in his first book (or any other).

Project Griddle: The Versatile Art of Grilling on a Flattop — Steven Raichlen

Prized for their accessibility and versatility—and because they’re so much fun to use—griddles (also known as planchas and flat-tops) are soaring in popularity. Project Griddle features the trademark Raichlen approach, with plenty of practical cooking techniques and nearly 80 hunger-inducing recipes. It traces the history and geography of griddling, from the teppan of Japan to the plancha of Spain to champa grilling in South America. A gear chapter showcases the various types of stand-up and portable flattops and planchas, plus the requisite accessories, how to season and maintain a griddle, how to oil and cook on it, with chefs’ shortcuts, and some pitfalls to watch out for. And then there are the recipes—each one as outrageously delicious and foolproof as the last, for classics like the crispiest smash burgers and tapas bar shrimp to an entire suite of heretofore un-grillable foods—egg-and-bacon breakfast feasts, potato latkes, crepes, French toast, and smoky fried rice. It's Project Smoke for griddles—and don’t think of buying one without its guidance.

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These are just a few barbecue books we look forward to with great anticipation in 2025, and we know even more great books are scheduled for publication in the future. Don’t forget to check out our book recommendations each week in our Watch/Listen/Read section for more great BBQ books.

Ryan Cooper and Sean Ludwig
Co-Founders, The Smoke Sheet