With meat being the centerpiece of so many dishes — as well as the easiest thing to mess up — a little extra training can go a long way. Austin-based live-fire cooking specialist Jess Pryles is making the most of meat with her new cookbook, Prime Cuts: The Essential Guide to Choosing and Enjoying Meat, out this October. A press release calls it "part field guide and part meat encyclopedia."

Pryles is the founder of Hardcore Carnivore, a brand that encompasses seasoning, cooking tools, and even apparel. She'll also appear as a judge on the inaugural season of Pitmasters, a Food Network show premiering in July. As an Australian living in Texas, Pryles has a double edge of barbecue knowledge that she's developed over nearly two decades. She even has a Graduate Certificate in Meat Science from Iowa State University.

Prime Cuts is Pryles second cookbook, following 2018's Hardcore Carnivore: Cook Meat Like You Mean It. Of course, there's going to be some topical overlap in the two books, including sections on tools and meat science. Looking at both tables of contents, the first book's recipes were organized by animal and the second book's recipes are organized more meticulously by butchery. The newer book has a longer informational section before the recipes as well as more pages overall.

Each recipe section of Prime Cuts starts with a breakdown of each cut or meat type, getting into sub-primals (smaller cuts like sirloin or different cuts of bacon) and other related science, general preparations, or "meat nerd facts." The book is peppered with diagrams, charts, asides, and other dynamic sections that easily portion the information on offer — fitting for a book about carving up meats. Some sections at the end also give insight into fat and bones, important flavor amplifiers that shouldn't go to waste.

Recipes cover a lot of ground in both cut and cultural origin, including Texas-style brisket, carne asada tacos, sticky sesame wings, and grilled green curry lamb. And they're not just for preparing meats; many also have sides like elotes or rice built in for more balanced meal ideas.

Prime Cuts by Jess PrylesCover courtesy of Murdoch Books

Other key teachings, distilled in the release, include:

• Saving money with smart budgeting
• Making less expensive cuts taste great
• The science behind the product and the cooking methods
• Meat myth-busting

Prime Cuts is published by an Australian company, Murdoch Books. American pre-orders ($33 before seller discounts) are available via Bookshop.org and Amazon.