Father’s Day is right around the corner, and if you’re still searching for the perfect gift, we’ve got you covered. Skip the generic tie and the gift card, this year, give Dad something he’ll reach for again and again. We’ve rounded up six of our favorite cookbooks, from a Michelin-starred pitmaster’s BBQ bible to an iconic Austin institution’s family saga, a cocktail book from Texas’s favorite vodka brand, and a cheese-lover’s dream. Whether your dad rules the grill, tends the bar, or just loves a good story told over good food, there’s something here for every kind of dad.

New School Barbecue: Recipes for Next-Level Smoking and Grilling

By Evan LeRoy & Paula Forbes | Harry N. Abrams | $35

If your dad thinks he knows BBQ, this book will make him think again, in the best possible way. Michelin-starred pitmaster Evan LeRoy of Austin’s legendary LeRoy and Lewis (ranked #2 on Texas Monthly’s Top 50 BBQ List in 2025) breaks down nearly 100 innovative recipes that have made his restaurant one of the most acclaimed barbecue joints in the country.

This isn’t your classic “low and slow” handbook. LeRoy’s philosophy is that barbecue is a cooking method, not a menu, which means anything goes, from Sichuan beef ribs and cauliflower burnt ends to the famous L&L burger and smoked banana pudding. Step-by-step photography, illustrations, and a 16-page brisket breakdown make this as educational as it is inspiring. Co-written by Texas Monthly senior food and drinks writer Paula Forbes, the storytelling matches the recipes in quality.

“Evan LeRoy is making some of the best barbecue in the universe. These recipes find the perfect balance between honoring tradition and writing new rules.” – José Andrés

Perfect for: The dad who lives for the weekend smoke session and is ready to take things to the next level.

Hardcore Carnivore: Cook Meat Like You Mean It

By Jess Pryles | Agate Surrey

Dubbed “a carnivore’s bible” by Esquire, this bestselling book from Austin-based meat scientist, television personality, and live-fire cooking authority Jess Pryles is exactly what it sounds like: an unapologetic, science-backed guide to cooking meat with confidence.

Australian-born and Austin-based, Jess holds a Graduate Certificate in Meat Science from Iowa State University, a credential as rare in the culinary world as the book’s approach. She’s appeared on Food Network, NBC’s TODAY Show, and Hulu’s BBQuest, and this summer she’ll star in a new Outdoor Channel series, “Feast by Fire,” filmed across Texas. In 2016, she founded the Hardcore Carnivore brand, a globally distributed line of seasonings, sauces, tools, and gear trusted by backyard grillers and professional pitmasters alike.

Pryles is also preparing to launch her next book, PRIME CUTS, which is due to release in October. It’s currently available for pre-order now on Amazon!

Perfect for: The serious meat-lover dad who wants to understand the why behind the cook, not just follow a recipe.

The Salt Lick Cookbook: A Story of Land, Family, and Love

By Scott Roberts & Jessica Dupuy | University of Texas Press / Salt Lick Press

Some cookbooks teach you to cook. This one takes you somewhere. The Salt Lick is a Texas institution, a legendary barbecue restaurant outside Driftwood that has been serving more than 600,000 customers a year since 1967, built on a family heritage that stretches back over 130 years. Owner Scott Roberts, working with writer and Certified Sommelier Jessica Dupuy, turns the story of the Salt Lick into a personal memoir of family, food, and the Central Texas Hill Country.

At more than 330 beautifully photographed pages, shot by Austin photographer Kenny Braun, this oversized hardcover covers the recipes served daily at the restaurant alongside the down-home cooking Roberts grew up on, all wrapped in a story that’s as much about Texas as it is about brisket. Foreword by Adam Richman of Man v. Food.

Perfect for: The Texas-proud dad with deep roots or anyone who’s ever made the pilgrimage to Driftwood and left with smoke in their hair and a smile on their face.

Pizza Love: 100+ Recipes Perfected for the Home Cook

By Maestro Leo Spizzirri | Weldon Owen | On Sale June 23

This one lands just in time for Father’s Day. Chicago native and renowned Maestro Pizzaiolo Leo Spizzirri the same chef behind Austin’s own Moderna Bar & Pizzeria, releases his debut cookbook on June 23, and it’s a love letter to pizza in every form.

With more than 100 recipes perfected for the home cook and veteran alike, Pizza Love shares Spizzirri’s treasured secrets for dough, sauce, and technique adaptable to any oven or stovetop, no wood-fired setup required. From classic Neapolitan pies to focaccia-style flatbreads and everything in between, this book teaches the method so readers can make consistently delicious pizza with whatever equipment they have. Beautiful photography and Leo’s warmth as a teacher make it a joy to read cover to cover, not just recipe by recipe.

Perfect for: The dad who has a pizza stone gathering dust and has always wanted to nail homemade dough, or the pizza obsessive who wants to go deeper than delivery.

Cheesy: 50 Boards & Recipes

By Farideh Sadeghin, Photography by Justin Walker | Chronicle Books | Coming September 8, 2026

Get ahead of the curve with this one it ships this fall and makes a standout belated or birthday gift for any dad with a soft spot for something melty. Former SAVEUR kitchen director and VICE Munchies executive culinary director Farideh Sadeghin delivers the ultimate guide to the world’s most craveable food in all its rich, tangy, melty glory.

Organized by season to highlight cheese paired with in-season ingredients, the book’s 50 recipes run from crowd-pleasing classics (gooey mac and cheese, fried mozzarella balls, proper grilled cheese) to inspired showstoppers like Black Sesame Basque Cheesecake with Brownie Crust, Asiago and Kimchi Biscuits with Gochujang Butter, and Miso and Lemon Cacio e Pepe. Practical tips on how to buy, store, pair, and cook with all kinds of cheese make it as useful as it is delicious.

“The ultimate guide to the world’s most craveable food in all its rich, tangy, melty glory.” Chronicle Books

Perfect for: The dad who considers a well-assembled cheese board a valid form of self-expression.

Spirit in a Bottle: Tales and Drinks from Tito’s Handmade Vodka

By Tito’s Handmade Vodka | HarperCollins / Forager’s Harvest | $25

Everyone knows the best stories are told over a good drink and this one proves it. Spirit in a Bottle is an instant national bestseller and the first-ever cocktail book from Austin’s own Tito’s Handmade Vodka, America’s favorite vodka, dreamed up and distilled right here in Texas by sixth-generation Texan Tito Beveridge.

Part brand memoir, part cocktail guide, this fully illustrated hardcover offers a never-before-seen look at Tito’s journey from the hustle of a one-room distillery and the first-ever bottles to copper caps lining shelves around the world. Along the way, it shares helpful lessons for the home cocktail enthusiast: vodka infusions, bar cart basics, at-home mixology tips, and seasonal ingredients, plus a selection of cocktail recipes ranging from classics like the Tito’s Espresso Martini and Tito’s Cosmo to brand-new originals like The Grackle and Lake Breakfast.

In the spirit of Tito’s giving-back ethos, the brand donated $150,000 to the USBG Foundation in honor of the book’s launch.

Perfect for: The dad who’s always the one behind the bar at every family gathering especially if he’s a Tito’s loyalist.

The Short List

All books are available on Amazon and at major booksellers. New School Barbecue and Pizza Love are also available directly through the authors’ and publishers’ websites. Spirit in a Bottle can be ordered at store.titosvodka.com.

Happy Father’s Day from Austin Food Magazine. Tell him we said cheers!