Do you change how you cook in the summer? Do you tend to hit the farmers’ market and pick up fresh local fruits and vegetables? Do you put the recipes for heavier casseroles away and look for lighter fare? Do you tend to put more things on the grill or barbecue more?

Lots of people change it up – and the grills tend to get a good workout during the summer months.

If you love grilling and barbecuing, then take a look at a couple of great books that might provide you with a few more tips and tricks.

• How to Grill: The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniques by Steven Raichlen
  • A full-color, photograph-by-photograph, step-by-step technique book, How to Grill gets to the core of the grilling experience by showing and telling exactly how it’s done. With more than 1,000 full-color photographs, How to Grill shows 100 techniques, from how to set up a three-tiered fire to how to grill a prime rib, a porterhouse, a pork tenderloin, or a chicken breast. There are techniques for smoking ribs, cooking the perfect burger, rotissering a whole chicken, barbecuing a fish; for grilling pizza, shellfish, vegetables, tofu, fruit, and s’mores. Bringing the techniques to life are over 100 all-new recipes—Beef Ribs with Chinese Spices, Grilled Side of Salmon with Mustard Glaze, Prosciutto-Wrapped, Rosemary-Grilled Scallops—and hundreds of inside tips.
• How to Grill Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Flame-Cooked Food by Mark Bittman
  • Here’s how to grill absolutely everything—from the perfect steak to cedar-plank salmon to pizza—explained in Mark Bittman’s trademark simple, straightforward style. Featuring 1,000 recipes and variations, plus Bittman’s practical advice on all the grilling basics, this book is an exploration of the grill’s nearly endless possibilities. Recipes cover every part of the meal, including appetizers, seafood, meat and poultry, vegetables (including vegetarian mains), and even desserts. Plenty of quick, high-heat recipes will get dinner on the table in short order (Spanish-Style Garlic Shrimp, Green Chile Cheeseburgers); low and slow “project” recipes (Texas-Style Smoked Brisket, Pulled Pork with Lexington BBQ Sauce) are ideal for leisurely weekend cookouts. You’ll also find unexpected grilled treats like avocado, watermelon, or pound cake, and innovative surprises—like cooking meat loaf or from-scratch Rosemary Olive Oil Bread on the grill—to get the most out of every fire.
• Master of the Grill: Foolproof Recipes, Top-Rated Gadgets, Gear & Ingredients Plus Clever Test Kitchen Tips & Fascinating Science by America’s Test Kitchen
  • Part field guide to grilling and barbecuing and part cookbook, Master of the Grill features a wide variety of kitchen-tested recipes for meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables, pizza, and more. These are the recipes everyone should know how to make— the juiciest burgers, barbecue chicken that’s moist not tough, tender grill-smoked pork ribs, the greatest steak (and grilled potatoes to serve alongside). Regional specialties are included, too—learn how to make Cowboy Steaks, Alabama BBQ Chicken, and Kansas City Sticky Ribs. Colorful photography captures the beauty of the recipes and step-by-step shots guide you through everything you need to know. A section on grilling essentials covers the pros and cons of gas and charcoal grills and which might be right for you, as well as the tools you’ll use with them— such as grill brushes, tongs, vegetable baskets, and wood chips and chunks.
• American Barbecue Sauces: Marinades, Ribs, and More from the South and Beyond by Greg Mrvich
  • Every barbecue master knows―the secret’s in the sauce. American Barbecue Sauces is packed with savory recipes for bastes, glazes, mops, wet and dry rubs, marinades, condiments―and of course, sauces―from all over the United States. Fire up the grill!
  • From Central Texas to Chicago, and Memphis to the Southwest and beyond, get to know America’s barbecue belt with these explosively flavorful sauces and seasonings. Complete with classic favorites, creative concoctions, and a list of online resources that offer even more mouthwatering recipes, this book has everything you need to take your taste buds on a delicious road trip across the country.
  • This saucy book includes:
    • Barbecue basics―Discover details about American barbecue, including the big four BBQ regions, the five mother sauces, lesser-known BBQ styles, and more.
    • Marinades, mops, and more―Explore other ways to heat up your barbecue game, with recipes like Cowboy Coffee Beef Rub, Basic Poultry Brine, and Old-Fashioned Glaze.
    • Essential equipment―Convenient lists for stocking your kitchen include pantry items, necessary tools like basting brushes, and nice-to-haves like disposable gloves.
  • Make your cookout really cook with tasty barbecue sauce recipes from the heart of America. Let’s get cooking!

No matter what you like to throw on the grill, summer is the ideal time to do it! And you can up your grilling game this summer when you try a few of the recipes or tips from these books.

(*Book descriptions courtesy of Amazon.com)