[.uk] Sticks & Stones: The Art of Grilling on Plank, Vine and ... (ISBN 1572232218)

Salmon recipe on cover is to-die-for!:
Everyone who loves salmon or who loves to barbecue needs to read this book; it's amazing what a wood plank can do to a fish! We weren't sure at first if Reader was nuts, or a genius. He's a genius! We didn't have exactly what we needed (a cedar plank instead of alder, a Copper River Coho instead of Chinook), but the results were incredibly delicious! The combination of the wood smoke and the marinade ingredients made for an exotic, but simple and fast way to prepare an entire fish. Four of us did our best to devour a 10+ lb fish in one sitting. We didn't succeed, but had a good time trying. We are eager to try other recipes, but are at the wood-gathering stage. We wish the book had a guide to different woods and the foods they work well with so we'd feel more comfortable with our own experimenting (cooking this way is expensive if you have to go to the lumber yard for wood). We live near orchard country and have access to a variety of fruit woods in addition to apple, and aren't too far from both coastal and interior forests where different types of trees grow. Folks who are lucky enough to figure out what to do with a few salmon every year need to try this cooking method.

The Sticks & Stones Cookbook:
This cookbook has shown me a whole new way of grilling. I'd never planked before and this cookbook told me how and let me know what to expect. Grilling and smoking at the same time - what great flavor and simple to do. You just have to make sure your planks are well soaked as the instructions point out. I've used recipes from this book to entertain friends and has it ever made me look good. Several have even gone out and purchased the book. This book proves you don't have to eat out to have fabulous meals.

Does not rate five stars!:
Very disappointed. The 2 lead recipes used in the TV cooking demo as well as in the book are very good. That's it. Many ingredients are either difficult to find or unobtainable which makes some recipes practically useless, if you want to follow it for the correct results. Other recipes include the use of store-bought BBQ sauces, which can alter the taste completely, depending on what brand used. BBQ sauce recipes should have been included. Certainly not worth (the money spent on it)! Don't waste your money. Go to the BBQ or Food.tv websites for not only free, but much better results.

You can cook more than just fish on a plank!:
And I thought the only thing you could cook on a plank was fish or steak! This book has everything from appetizers to veggies to dessert! Cook it all on the grill! Some of the recipes are more involved than I would want to do on a plank. I like the plank for simplicity, and this book goes beyond that. But if you love the plank and you love the BBQ, you'll love this book!

Thin and lacking in content:
I bought this book because it was the only book available on plank grilling at the time. Unfortunately, it is just a collection of unrelated recipes with nothing about technique. The book tells you to get untreated wood and soak it in water ahead of time. That is the entire content on technique. There is only one recipe that uses whole fish and it is for arctic char. The book is less than a hundred pages. Most of it is soups, salads and side dishes. There are much better books on plank grilling available now. Don't waste your money on this one.