People cook over an open flame the world round, but Americans do it more often and better. Grilling is the essential American culinary art, a glorious birthright celebrated everyday from coast to coast. Its a passion, a party, a way to cook that wont let you call it a chore. Its about playing with fire under an open sky, wielding a mean spatula in one hand, a cool drink in the other.

Most of all, its a surefire means to get yourself from here to a decent meal, having loads of fun along the way. Make that a great meal: In more than 300 recipes, Cheryl and Bill Jamison reveal the tremendous variety of terrific flavors that can come from the primal encounter of food and flame. Authors of the pioneering and bestselling Smoke & Spice, which has shown a generation of backyard chefs how to cook wood-smoked barbecue, the Jamisons now aim their expert sights on grilling, the most popular kind of outdoor cooking. Based on years of testing, the Jamisons argue for a back-to-basics, high heat, open air, open flame approach, a sensual and elemental way to grill that doesnt require equipment with more bells and whistles than the Queen Mary. Though todays grill might be fashioned to roast, bake, or smoke, even boil, steam, and saut these pages remind us that it was, happily for us, made to grill.

The Jamisons open up a road map that will guide the griller beyond steaks, burgers, and hot dogs, but they invite us, in chapters called Serious Steaks and Hot Burgers and Haute Dogs, to delay our departure and explore the depths of those timeless favorites. A Pale Ale Porterhouse, a Basil and Sage T-Bone, A Crunchy Kraut Dog, and more make the decision fully worth our while. Is chicken your choice on your grill grate? Then why not ramble out west, for Hearty Ranch Chicken Halves, or try a Southern-style Cinnamon Chicken with Crunchy Cashew Relish? For fans of seafood, the Jamisons serve up oceans(and lakes and streams) full of tasty fish and shellfish, from one coasts Boston Striper to the others San Francisco Sole. Out on the horizon, Born to Grill uncovers alluring new terrain. Salads, pastas, and soups infused with the smoky taste of flame-kissed ingredients; splendid pizzas and tortilla dishes prepared on the grill; vegetables, juicy and crisp, in main dishes and sides; fruits and desserts for a finger lickin finish-all these and more make the grillers domain bigger and more delectable than its ever been.

In Born to Grill, Cheryl and Bill Jamison celebrate the classic repertoire of the American grill. With down-to-earth wit, expertise you can take to the bank, and, above all, an abundant culinary imagination, they add mightily to it. Theyll make you feel, if you don't already, downright lucky you, too, were born to grill.