BBQ Makes Everything Better covers recipes from all over the United States, and even includes an international section–Barbecued Chicken Pad Thai, anyone? And they throw in a section on desserts that can be made on the grill. (If you decide to try Grilled Candy Bars, let us know how it went!)
Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ is the first cookbook by a Black pitmaster! Scott was born to barbeque–he was working at his parents’ BBQ spot in South Carolina by age 11. The recipes are mouthwatering, and his tales of growing up Black in a small Southern town and working in the smokehouse and the tobacco fields are memorable.
Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue covers BBQ history, folklore, recipes and rivalry from the Tarheel State. (The rivalry is between fans of the Piedmont tomato-focused sauce and the clearly superior Eastern vinegar-based sauce. I may be slightly biased.) The authors take you on a tour of glorious BBQ restaurants in the state, and tell you how to cook your own–up to and including building your own pit.
The Barbeque Lover’s series covers multiple regional specialties, discussing restaurants, markets, recipes and traditions for each style. Access the Memphis, Kansas City or Carolinas titles online to cook your own–or to plan your future travel around the best restaurants!
While Barbecue: A Global History includes some recipes–including an 1877 Minneapolis guideline to making a whole roast sheep–it also focuses on historical and sociological aspects of BBQ. The authors discuss everything from the growth of “competitive barbecueing” in the US to the cooking style’s status as a “masculine activity.”
Grab one of these titles–or another one from our large cookbook collection–and enjoy cooking out on your long weekend!
