HEAT & SMOKE II, like its predecessor, is a stylish and eye-catching book of 132 pages with high-gloss flexi covers and functional French folds.

The fold from the front cover again carries a listing of the temperatures at which meats are cooked. And the fold from the back cover lists the spices that belong on the shelves of serious grillmasters, and that are to be found in HEAT & SMOKE II recipes. Both folds, again, are interactive: they can be folded into the book to provide instant reference for recipes, and to mark places.

So that once again, this is a book to be kept close at hand whenever the smoke is rising.

HEAT & SMOKE traditions have been maintained in the production of this book. Recipes are achievable, never overblown: ingredients listed are readily available, and recipes that do not belong in the grillmaster’s repertoire are, quite simply, not included. Again, the message here is that it is the awareness of the possibilities and an understanding of the essence of the dark art, and not culinary virtuosity, that will make you a grillmaster.

This is a unique collection of “real” barbecue with an emphasis on the emerging Australian barbecue styles. The astounding photographs in this book are of dishes that were freshly prepared by the author on a range of his own barbecues, and photographed either on the grill, or while they were still hot, by one of the world's finest food photographers. Who then joined the author in the challenging task of polishing off the lot.