The Great Meat Cookbook

Just as the consumer electronics industry has split its focus between miniature mobile devices and mammoth home entertainment units, so has the cookbook industry traveled two divergent paths. There are the small, boutique books focused on a single subject such as meatballs, charcuterie, or sandwiches. Then there are the massive tomes that attempt comprehensive coverage of an entire food group. Aidells, whose credentials include 11 cookbooks plus the meat chapters of The All New Joy of Cooking, enters into this latter camp with the print equivalent of a 48-inch HDTV. There are charts, preservation methods, 250 recipes, and more than 100 color photos providing instruction and creative inspiration for dishes of beef, bison, pork, lamb, goat, and veal. To aid in selecting what dinner to prepare, each recipe is tagged with several defining key phrases such as “Fit for Company,” “Family Meal” and “Great Leftovers.” Chapters are organized by meat type and then by cut and cooking method. The veal section, for example, begins with grilled chops, then surveys a roast, ground veal, various stews, and, finally, sweetbreads. There are also a handful of entries that have earned the mantle of “Great Meat Dishes of the World.” These are ethnic classics such as Vietnamese rice noodles and grilled pork, an Italian beef fillet stuffed with prosciutto and cheese, and a good ole U.S. grilled rib eye. (Oct.)