Best Meat Cooking Books of 2026

Guga: Breaking the Barbecue Rules is a daring new cookbook by the popular BBQ guru, Guga. This cookbook offers a unique twist on traditional barbecue recipes, including Brazilian specialties like picanha and Korean-style chicken wings. In addition to meat dishes, Guga provides recipes for sides, sauces, rubs, and more. With expert cooking tips and beautiful photography throughout the book, this cookbook is perfect for both seasoned BBQ enthusiasts and beginners looking to take their skills to the next level. Overall, Guga: Breaking the Barbecue Rules is an excellent addition to any meat lover's cookbook collection.

The Great American Burger Book (Expanded and Updated Edition) is a definitive guide to creating mouthwatering hamburgers by America’s leading burger expert, George Motz. This book showcases a wide range of regional burger styles and cooking methods, including traditional grilling techniques as well as smoking, steaming, poaching, smashing, and deep-frying. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific regional burger, and includes the history of the method and details on how to create your own piece of American food history right at home. This book is perfect for anyone who loves a great burger, unique or classic. Overall, this book is a must-read for burger enthusiasts who want to learn how to create authentic regional hamburgers at home.

The Bob's Burgers Burger Book is a New York Times Bestseller that offers seventy-five original, practical recipes for fans to eat Bob Belcher's specialty Burgers of the Day. The book showcases the entire Belcher family, including beloved characters such as Teddy, Jimmy Pesto Jr., and Aunt Gayle. The recipes come from the fan-created blog "The Bob’s Burger Experiment," and the book is fully illustrated with all-new art in the series’s signature style. The Wall Street Journal calls it a "humorous but hands-on guide to offbeat burgers that will add variety to routine summer grilling." Overall, this book is a fun and unique addition to any meat cooking book collection.

The MeatEater Fish and Game Cookbook is a comprehensive guide to cooking wild game, including fish and fowl, with over 100 new recipes. The author, Steven Rinella, is an accomplished wild game cook and offers techniques and strategies for butchering and cooking all types of game, from small game to big game, waterfowl, upland birds, freshwater fish, saltwater fish, and more. The book is a must-have for any hunter or angler who wants to make the most of their catch. The author's expertise and passion for cooking wild game shine through in every recipe. This book is a great addition to any cookbook collection.

The book "Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto" is a must-read for anyone interested in the art of barbecue. Written by Aaron Franklin, the owner of the highly popular Franklin Barbecue restaurant in Austin, Texas, and coauthor Jordan Mackay, the book provides a comprehensive guide to building and customizing your smoker, sourcing top-quality meat, and cooking mind-blowing barbecue. The authors share years of hard-won knowledge and secrets behind truly great barbecue. The book is a definitive resource for backyard pitmasters and is highly recommended for anyone looking to up their barbecue game.

A Guide to Canning, Freezing, Curing & Smoking Meat, Fish & Game is an essential reference book for anyone interested in preserving meat. It covers all the major meat preservation techniques, including corning, pickling, smoking, and curing, without using harsh chemicals. The late Wilbur F. Eastman, Jr., author of the book, provides detailed instructions and tips on how to preserve meat properly, ensuring unparalleled flavor when it is ready to eat. The book is a must-have for anyone looking to fry up homemade bacon for breakfast or packing tender jerky for snack time. Storey Publishing, LLC has done an excellent job of putting together this comprehensive guide.

Cook's Illustrated has produced a comprehensive guide to meat cooking with Meat Illustrated. This cookbook and handbook combo is organized by animal and its primal cuts, offering over 300 kitchen-tested recipes that empower readers to try new options at the supermarket or butcher shop. The book also includes essential information and techniques for shopping, storage, and preparation. With its clear essays, step-by-step photos, and hundreds of hand-drawn illustrations, Meat Illustrated makes meat cooking accessible to all levels of home cooks. Overall, it's a great resource for meat lovers of all kinds.

The Carnivore Code Cookbook is an essential companion to Dr. Paul Saladino's best-selling book, The Carnivore Code. This cookbook features over 100 delicious recipes that help readers reap the incredible benefits of an animal-based diet. The recipes range from satisfying mains such as One-Pan Honey-Glazed Brisket and Grilled Mediterranean Lamb Chops to decadent desserts like Yogurt Cheesecake with Blueberry-Lemon Compote. Additionally, the cookbook provides a pantry guide to help readers stock up on the least toxic fruits and vegetables while avoiding toxic plants and so-called health foods. Overall, this cookbook is an essential resource for anyone interested in transforming their health with the carnivore diet.

Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling is the ultimate guide for mastering the art of grilling. Written by the founder of AmazingRibs.com, Meathead provides readers with a comprehensive understanding of the science behind the perfect barbecue. With over 100 tested recipes and contributions from physicist and food scientist Prof. Greg Blonder, PhD, of Boston University, readers will learn the difference between dry and wet brining, the importance of digital thermometers, and much more. The book is filled with humor, beautiful photos, and shatters common myths about grilling. Overall, Meathead is a must-have for anyone looking to up their grilling game.

Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn is the ultimate guide to the culinary movement of curing meats, making sausage, pâtés, and confits. The book explores the ancient culinary craft of charcuterie, which was once a critical factor in human survival, and now has blossomed into a bona fide culinary movement throughout America and beyond. The book is organized into chapters on key practices, including salt-cured meats, dry-cured meats, forcemeats, and smoked meats and fish. The updated edition is thoroughly instructive and fully illustrated, making it a stunning addition to any contemporary menu.