By Michelle Waltos

Librarian

Fresh steaks sizzling, Italian sausage bursting open, vegetables caramelizing — there is nothing quite like the sights, sounds and smells that come from delicious food being cooked on a hot grill!

The return of fair weather marks the beginning of grilling season for many, and although we often turn to favorite tried-and-true recipes, it’s fun to throw some new ones into the mix. Here a few grilling and barbecuing books that we recommend to take your cookouts to the next level:

“Meathead,” by Meathead Goldwyn and Greg Blonder

Blends chemistry, physics, meat science and humor. Contains hundreds of full-color photos along with recipes for all the great sauces, rubs and cuts. This is “the definitive guide to the concepts, methods, equipment, and accessories of barbecue and grilling.”

“The essential New York Times grilling cookbook,” by Peter Kaminsky and Mark Bittman

Over the past 100 years, the New York Times has published thousands of articles on barbecuing and grilling, and they’ve gathered the best of them here. There is something for everyone — recipes, expert advice, and good stories.

“Ultimate book of BBQ,” by the Editors of Southern Living and Chris Prieto

Features hundreds of top-rated recipes for barbecued meats and sides, with full color step-by-step photos, plus pit-proven tips, techniques, and secrets for year-round smoking, grilling and barbecuing.

“Master of the Grill,” by America’s Test Kitchen

Part field guide and part cookbook, you’ll find kitchen-texted recipes for meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables, pizza and more. A section on grilling essentials will help you decide what type of grill might be right for you, and which tools you’ll need to get started.

These grilling books can be found at the Northern Onondaga Public Library (NOPL) along with many others, and hundreds more can be requested from other libraries throughout the county for pickup at your nearest NOPL location. Stop in today or visit nopl.org to search our catalog. Happy grilling!