Table of Contents
Introduction 1 About This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 3
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 4
Where to Go from Here 4
Part 1: Getting Started with Barbecue 5
Chapter 1: Taking a Closer Look at Barbecue 7
Barbecue Beginnings 7
Barbecue in the United States and abroad 8
From humble beginnings to art form 8
Going for a Regional Spin 9
The Carolinas 9
Kansas City 10
West Tennessee 11
Texas 12
Other important players 12
Applying Heat to Meat, Slowly 13
Smoke + heat = magic 13
Keeping it low and slow 14
Starting with Great Ingredients 14
Sourcing and choosing meat 15
Keeping your spice shelf fresh 15
Preparing the Meat 16
Trimming the fat 16
Adding spices or liquid 16
The Moment (or Hours) of Truth: Cooking 17
Getting the grill or smoker ready 17
Setting up for success 18
Chapter 2: Uncovering the Science of Smoking 21
Choosing Hot or Cold Smoking 21
How Meat Changes as It Cooks 22
What to watch for when you’re smoking 23
Cooking hot and fast or low and slow 24
Muscling into structure and fibers 25
Straight Talk about Indirect Cooking 26
Debating direct versus indirect 26
Making the most of the method 27
Some Words about Wood 28
Flavoring as You Smoke 30
Adding flavor with smoke 30
Testing the effects of brines and rubs 30
Chapter 3: Stocking Up on Barbecue Tools 33
Starting a Fire 33
A Mop, Some Tongs, and More 36
The essentials 36
Nice but not necessary 38
Chapter 4: Looking at Smokers 39
Getting by with a Grill 40
Considering charcoal 41
Grilling with gas 42
Leveling Up: Considering Smokers 44
Standing up to a vertical smoker 45
Siding with an offset smoker 47
Relying on electric pits for renegade smoking 51
Spinning through rotisserie basics 53
Adding pellet smokers: A trend for good reason 54
Joining the cult of ceramic cookers 56
Building an open pit smoker 57
Buying a Cooker: What to Look For 59
Part 2: Knowing the Ingredients for Success 63
Chapter 5: Starting with the Meat 65
Making Friends with a Butcher and Other Ways to Start Strong 65
Searching for your butcher 65
Being knowledgeable about meat 66
Knowing Butt from Belly: Cuts of Meat 67
Smoking beef 67
Grilling cuts of beef 70
Cutting up chicken 72
Looking at lamb 74
Portioning pork 75
Savoring seafood 77
Chapter 6: Preparing the Meat: Rubs, Brines, and Marinades 79
Prepping Meat for Heat 79
Previewing the preparations 80
Planning reactions 80
Choosing a method 81
Melding Meat and Liquid: Brines and Marinades 82
The juice on brining 82
Making memorable marinades 83
Building a Bodacious Rub 84
Combining salt, sugar, and seasoning 85
Matching rub to meat 85
Chapter 7: Finishing Strong: The Sauce 87
Building Your Own Sauce 88
Choosing a base 88
Balancing acid, salt, sweet, and heat 90
Using seasonings and spices 91
Experimenting as You Go 91
Leaning on the experts 91
Using sauces like a pro 92
Part 3: Barbecue Recipes, Meat by Meat 93
Chapter 8: Beef 95
Chapter 9: Chicken and Seafood 105
Chapter 10: Lamb 119
Chapter 11: Pork 131
Part 4: Sides, Sauces, and Then Some 149
Chapter 12: Rubs, Brines, and Marinades 151
Chapter 13: Sauces 165
Chapter 14: Appetizers 179
Chapter 15: Sides 191
Chapter 16: Desserts 207
Part 5: The Part of Tens 219
Chapter 17: Ten Rookie Mistakes to Avoid 221
Not Paying Close Attention to Temperature 221
Not Being Prepared 222
Over-Smoking Your Meat 222
Using Too Much Seasoning 223
Not Wearing the Proper Clothes 223
Not Using the Proper Wood 224
Trusting a Bad Thermometer or Placing Your Thermometer in a Bad Spot 224
Powering through the Stall 225
Being Too Rushed 225
Stressing Out 226
Chapter 18: Ten Questions to Ask Your Butcher 227
Where Do You Source Your Meat? 227
What Interesting Cuts Do You Have Available? 228
How Do I Prepare a Particular Cut of Meat? 228
Can You Make Me a Custom Cut? 228
How Do I Slice This Piece of Meat to Make It the Most Useful and Tender? 229
Do You Have Serving Suggestions for Me? 229
How Long Will This Meat Stay Fresh? 230
Do You Have Any Aged Meats? 230
Do You Have Any Pre-Prepared Entrees? 231
What’s Your Recommended Burger Blend? 231
Chapter 19: Ten Seasonings to Keep on Hand 233
Salt 233
Pepper 234
Garlic Powder 234
Onion Powder 235
Cayenne Pepper 235
Chili Powder 235
Rosemary 235
Thyme 236
Allspice 236
Paprika 236
Chapter 20: Ten Iconic Barbecue Restaurants 237
The Rendezvous (Memphis, Tennessee) 237
Arthur Bryant’s (Kansas City, Missouri) 238
The Bar-B-Q Shop (Memphis, Tennessee) 238
Louis Mueller Barbecue (Taylor, Texas) 238
Kreuz Market (Lockhart, Texas) 238
Skylight Inn BBQ (Ayden, North Carolina) 239
Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q (Decatur, Alabama) 239
17th Street BBQ (Murphysboro, Illinois) 239
Lem’s Bar-B-Q (Chicago, Illinois) 239
Peg Leg Porker (Nashville, Tennessee) 240
Part 6: Appendixes 241
Appendix A: Metric Conversion Guide 243
Appendix B: Time and Temperature Guide 247
Index 249