5 comments about The Magic of Fire: Hearth Cooking: One Hundred Recipes for the Fireplace or Campfire.

1. This is written by a man who thoroughly understands his subject. The well-produced, beautiful book will take you from being the owner of a fireplace (or, for that matter, any contained open fire) and make you into an accomplished open-fire cook. Rubel shows clearly that open-hearth cooking is not only an old-fashioned way to cook, but a method which offers unparalleled control of the cooking process, sufficient to entice those without any interest in its history. Having lived for 5 years "in 1867" in a one-room apartment on Boston's Beacon Hill, lighting by candle and oil and heating and cooking on an open, Rumford fireplace, I think I can offer a unique perspective on Mr. Rubel's methods and practice. Buy this book--you will not regret it!



2. Cooking in fire and coals wasn't important to me until I ate in a humble farmhouse kitchen in the mountains of the Veneto a few years ago. The flavors of woodsmoke in the roast squab and the wild-mushroom risotto were magical. They transformed simple, lean ingredients into something amazingly rich, complex, and soul-stirring. I was haunted for months after by the memory of those flavors. Then I had one of the greatest meals of my life at Chez Panisse, which featured flame-broiled rabbit sausages and coal-roasted lamb, which was finshed in the kitchen fireplace in a puff of rosemary smoke. From my vantage in the dining room I watched the utterly simple preparation, an immemorial process, and vowed to learn whatever I could about hearth cooking. In lieu of a grandmother with traditional hearth-cooking skills, I had books, and The Magic of Fire continues to stand out above the others.
   
   This book teaches almost everything I've needed to know to cook with fire. It starts with a lucid little essay [TOO little: I would have loved something deeper] on hearth cooking, aptly weaving the poetics of the practice into the pragmatics. It introduces the tools of the craft and provides a quick peek at various hearth-cooking methods. Again, much more detail would have been welcome, but this is a tantalizing glimpse into a craft that can absorb years of practice. There are a couple of pages on the fire itself, and a few coy words on the complications of preparing multicourse meals. Then to the food.
   
   The food: 100 recipes of heartbreaking simplicity and flavor. Have you ever eaten a sweet red pepper roasted to blackness in wood coals? One ingredient, simply transformed, may be the most delicious vegetable you'll ever eat. Unless you've had the great fortune to have eaten a young eggplant prepared the same way. Roasted garlic-sage duck will scent the neighborhood like no lighter-fluid-marinated hamburger patty aver will. And, if you crave an instant return trip to the north Veneto, try the grilled polenta with porcini. It is unaccountably good.
   
   You are unlikely to find such pleasures from such simple preparations anywhere else. A warning: complications, both financial and conjugal, may arrise if your dedication to these hearthside pleasures leeds you to tearing out the patio in preparation for building a dedicated outdoor fireplace and bread oven. But great pleasures are a path of no return.



3. The Magic of Fire is that rare coffee-table sized book -- it's the one you are going to use for more than just drooling over the pretty pictures. (Mind you, the pictures are quite droolworthy.) Rubel carefully describes the techniques of hearth cookery, and then provides a number of recipes to practice upon. Tantalizing glimpses of how fire is and has been used around the world add more spice. A must read for anyone who loves traditional foods, or even just the warmth of a good fire. I recently took my copy with me to the mountains, just because I'd have a chance to play with a campfire, something I can't do at home, and found myself looking at the fire in whole new ways.



4. As a cook I like being able to step away from the stove, the variation of cooking with different "media", the experimentation. I never imagined that I could make anything other than barbeque over an open fire but Rubel's receipes and instructions are so clear and assuring that I surprise myself with every meal I've made. The recipes are outstanding! The paintings by Ian Everard are gorgeous. The actual writings, history and presentation make a beautiful package. In addition to buying a cookbook you are also buying an art book. Leave this one out before dinner for the guests to see.



5. It is a great looking book, but that's where everything good about it ends. The book is big and has great animation but it's not really about cooking. Granted, it has recipes but nothing particular stands out. Also, it skips a fundamental step, FIRE. What is the best way to set it up, best wood to use, how to manage it?
   I was disappointed.

1 comments about New South Grilling: Fresh and Exciting Recipes from the Third Coast.

1. I bought three of these grilling cookbooks for three important men in my life (husband, son & brother)who enjoy grilling. They enjoyed looking at the great pictures and trying some of the no stick marinades and recipes. They have all been successes so far. We are from the same city as Robert St. John and frequent his restaurant,Crescent City Grill,quite often. I have most of his other cookbooks and really enjoy using them.

5 comments about A Man, a Can, a Grill: 50 No-Sweat Meals You Can Fire Up Fast.

1. Let's face it, we all love being a little creative in the kitchen or around the grill every now and then. Who would have thought ordinary canned cola or beer would add great taste to the best meats on the grill? Mix a budweiser with worcestershire sauce, grilling mix, and a small jar of chopped jalapenos and you have a wild barbecue mix making you believe you may be out in the Caribbeans. Or a can of sloppy joe barbecue sauce mixed with jalapenos. There are recipes a plenty guaranteed to fire up your taste buds.

   Author David Joachim, who also penned A MAN, A CAN, A PLAN gives many great tips for perfecting your roastings for the grill. This book is a real must for anybody inviting guests over for a summer barbecue. Whether it's steak fajitas doused in beer, a rotisserie chicken grilled with a can of budweiser up the (orifice), or ordinary St. Louis Style Ribs - there are no limits as to what an ordinary can will do to add flavor to your favorite dishes. Highly recommended for any barbecue chef wannabes out there!




2. This sturdy paperboard cookbook, presented by Men's Health magazine, is geared for guys who are novices at cooking and looking for easy meals to prepare on the grill. These 50 recipes, each of which is enhanced with ingredients out of cans, include beef, chicken, fish, pizza, pork, Spam, turkey, and veggies. Among the recipes are beer-can chicken, red-hot ribs, Dr Pepper-glazed ham, teriyaki turkey, and spuds on a stick.

   The main ingredients and the finished product are illustrated with photographs. The book includes nutritional information, tips on the art of grilling, and a generous dollop of humor. Some of these recipes might be a little tricky for the novice cook to prepare, considering the unpredictability of a grill's flames and heat level, but there are still plenty of foolproof meals here beyond basic burgers and chicken that are great for feeding (and impressing) guests.

   Eileen Rieback




3. My husband has wanted the cook book for a while. I don't know why it took me so long to get it...if it gets your husband excited to be cooking, it is so worth it!:)



4. I bought this book because I hoped it would give me some ideas on quick, simple meals involving a grill. I am a male hobby cook and found plenty of new very simple ideas. I especially enjoy some of the cooking instructions like use so much beer and so much ginger ale and then drink the beer and give the ginger ale to your girl friend.
   The book is written on a very easy beginning level. This is for someone who is just beginning to learn the fun of cooking.



5. So I bought these cookbooks for my husband on his days to cook (yeah right) and I'm really impressed with them. There are some GREAT recipes in this book series that aren't too bad health wise. I've actually used some of the recipes and they came out really tasty. Hubby even was able to make one and follow the easy recipe no problem. Highly recommended!

5 comments about The Big Book of Outdoor Cooking and Entertaining: Spirited Recipes and Expert Tips for Barbecuing, Charcoal and Gas Grilling, Rotisserie Roasting, Smoking, Deep-Frying, and Making Merry.

1. Have not by any means read, or tried, the whole book. But the section on equipment is very helpful. The entire book looks really very good, as are all of their books. This is one of the 2 weeks of the year in which it is nice, as opposed to cooking ON the sidewalk sort of heat where I live. So outdoors is great.
   
   I was just a tad disappointed in the pizza and bread section. The reason was strictly me, I am sure. But I have been really into hand making bread in particular for about 30 years. I usually bake them on a pizza stone in the oven. I recently saw a wood fired pizza baking BBQ sort of thing at the barbeque store- and I have tried to convince my husband to build me one, for my now once-a-month loaf, for 15 years. No luck. So when they mentioned this device in equipment, I was hoping they would check it out and try some. Perhaps for the next book?



2. With 850 recipes, including 200 sauces and rubs, big and thorough are the operative words for this James Beard Award-winning team's latest (after "Good times, Good Grilling").
   
   They begin with solid definitions of the various outdoor techniques. Grilling, for instance, is always done over direct heat, with the cover up. Does that mean you can't make beer can chicken? Sure you can, but don't call it grilled. Actually in the Jamisons' version it's smoked and takes leisurely hours.
   
   Then there's rotisserie roasting, planking, and big-pot frying (corn dogs, catfish, fried Oreos) or boiling or steaming (blue crabs, lobster). But the majority of receipes employ their favorite cooking method - grilling. There's even a skewered grilled cheese sandwich appetizer and grilled fruit parfaits in addition to authoritative instructions on grilling burgers, steaks with mouthwatering sauces, suckling pig, ribs, game, and poultry of all kinds and cuts.
   
   In addition to Smoked Beef Tenderloin, Ground Lamb Kebabs with Black Olive and Lemon Relish, and Planked Salmon, the Jamisons also include chapters on drinks, vegetables (Middle Eastern Peppers with Pomegranate Sauce, French Fries, Lacquered Tofu and Vegetable Skewers), breads, salads and desserts.
   
   Geared to entertaining, most recipes serve six or more. The tone is opinionated, knowledgeable and friendly and we amateurs are encouraged to be creative and reflect our own flair and taste as long as we can refrain from doing anything scandalous, like flattening burgers with the spatula.
   
   There are menus scattered throughout as well as boxed party tips, variations, and sidebars. Recipes cover an international gamut and all occasions from holiday parties to backyard picnics. A primer on grills and smokers explains what to look for and even includes brand names.
   
   Dare I say it? This could be the only American outdoor cookbook you'll ever need.
   
   --Portsmouth Herald



3. To say this book is complete is an understatement. I bought this book after using their "Smoke & Spice" book for several years. "S & S" is strictly about low and slow cooking of beef and pork, while this one is much more broad, with excellent recipes and ideas for entertaining. If you're mainly concerned with making great BBQ pork and beef, I'd start with the "Smoke & Spice" book. The rubs and sauces recipes are super. But my guess is you'll soon graduate to this book if you like outdoor cooking and like to entertain.



4. This book was written to clear up some misunderstandings about grilling, and it exceeds in a winsome and delightful fashion!
   
   Many wrongly think anything on a grill = grilling. This is dispelled and corrected with this book, so get it to learn on!
   
   It is about flavor at the right temp to match with the ingredient being cooked, and here is the full range of methods and equipment: planking and big-pot frying and boiling and charcoal and gas and fire-pit and rotisserie and smoking and deep frying, et al.
   
   It is a big collection well done! Idea is to dine and cook together outside and enjoy, so exploring new recipes, new methods, new equipment, will inspire and delight the cook and the fed, plus there are recipes for sides and desserts which require inside type preparation. It's almost 600 pages of advice and inspiration to take the journey.
   
   From the plethora of offerings here thus far, I've sampled only a few but they were outstanding: Salmon Fillets with Chile Honey Butter; Grilled Lamb Chops with Dill Yogurt Sauce; Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches;
   
   The pleasure from trying these mouth watering delights is the vast untried collection that now awaits.
   
   This is truly nice addition to the seasonsed griller as purchase or gift, as well as for the novice or in-betweener. Only downer which would have spiced up this offering is some color photos.



5. This is by far, the best cookbook we own. It is huge, and contains every recipe you could ever want or need for rubs, marinades, sauces, every kind of meat, great sides, and even cocktails...this book is like a textbook for grilling because it teaches you so much about every which way to use your grill. We have given it as gifts and everybody has loved it and even bought it for their friends and family as gifts! Buy this book and you can throw away any other grilling books you own.

2 comments about Southern Living Secrets of the Souths Best Barbecue (Southern Living).

1. Other books of the same genre' offer more for less money. I'm a BBQ lover and have many books on the subject so I feel qualified to submit this opinion.



2. I purchased this along with Southern Living 40 Years of Our Best Recipes the week before Labor Day and it was delivered within a couple days. This was my first BBQ cookbook and will probably be my only one as I am still reading and finding awesome recipes I want to try. My contribution to our Labor Day cookout was four recipes from this cookbook: Tropical Smoothies, Four-Hour Barbecue, Grilled Asparagus and Honey Barbecue Sauce (which I used on babyback ribs and chicken quarters). ALL of them were a HUGE hit and the cookbook was passed around during the cookout. I have purchased two additional sets as birthday gifts and the recipients have raved about the new recipes they are anxious to try, especially from this BBQ cookbook. I also shared this BBQ cookbook with some of my co-workers and they all want their own copy (I'm not letting this one out of my sight for very long). The recipes are not complicated and so far, have provided wonderful results.
   
   There are other helpful tidbits in the front of the cookbook that were interesting to me: There is a fairly decent list of BBQ places and BBQ events to visit across the country so now I can build my travel plans around those places/events. Reading the grilling tips in the front has even inspired me to purchase a smoker. Although it is a paperback version and may not be able to withstand my constant reading and use, I am very excited about this cookbook and will definitely be using these recipes year-round.

5 comments about Steaks, Chops, Roasts & Ribs.

1. In general, this book is reliable, complete, and extremely useful to anyone who eats meat more than once in a while. It is good addition to your bookshelf and recommended highly. The primary value of this book is completeness. No matter what type of meat or cut you have, there is a relevant chapter and recipes for it; this book covers it all. Systematically developing recipes for all types of meat must have been a daunting task. Although this book is seriously flawed, if you cook based on the wonderful piece of meat you got at the supermarket or butcher rather than cooking from a cookbook from a famous celebrity chef, this book is pretty much the only game in town and rather indispensable. My main warning about this book: the recipes are focused on the proper procedure and technique, not on what is easy or convenient; some of the fussiest recipes I have ever seen come from this meat cookbook (I will refrain from complaining about the futility of Yankees trying to cook oriental food, chili, or barbecue).
   
   The authors have focused on those wonky little details that are usually glossed over and can make or break a good meat dish: correct breading technique, meat thickness, internal temperature, proper resting method, etc. The first part of the book has a valuable catalog of meat cuts. Each cut has alternate names, a drawing, and ratings for flavor and cost. Only professional references available to butchers are more comprehensive. The chapter organization based on cut (ground, steak, etc.) rather than the usual type of meat (lamb, beef, pork, veal) is a good educational tool: it emphasizes proper preparation technique rather than animal type. Some recipes have been successfully re-engineered (mock Cassoulet; Beef Wellington, halleluiah), while others (osso buco, pot au feu) are no better than the ones I got from Joy of Cooking.
   
   Although this book is indispensable to everyone but vegetarians, there is plenty to criticize and much room for improvement.
   1) The authors have bland, Yankee taste buds (Cook's Illustrated facilities are located in New England). Many of the dishes are boring and insipid, and their renovations amount to little more than cutting back on spices and flavors (steak au poivre and pan-based wine reduction sauces to name just two disappointments).
   2) The procedures seem to be rather fussy; I doubt that their version of blanquette de veau is any better than the one I have prepared successfully several times in a number of different circumstances (Professional Cooking, Gisslen).
   3) The book suffers from side-bar mania: putting important information in little asides in random places in the text where you will never find them if you try to look them up.
   4) There is the problem with names: they vary greatly depending on which part of the country you are in, and this issue is never addressed (ask a butcher in California for a spencer steak or shell steak and you will get a blank stare unless he is an old-timer).
   5) The chapter organization by type of cut and preparation method (e.g. stew, chops outdoors, skewers, etc.) is intellectually more satisfying than a traditional one based on meat type (beef, veal, pork, lamb), but is more difficult to use. If you come home from the supermarket with some meat you got on sale, you will have to thumb through several different chapters to find relevant recipes.
   6) The catalog of meat types would have been more useful if it also included tenderness, preferred preparation method, and recommended best recipes.
   7) There are a few cases of sloppy editing (dried fig ingredient in a lamb dish disappeared halfway through the recipe; title confusion of Au Jus versus Yorkshire Pudding; skillets that magically become roasting pans ; not telling whether accumulated oil should be drained or used in the next step; the page reference on p. 347 should be "350", not "35"; p. 384 has "see page 000").
   8) The home made tonkatsu sauce (Japanese pork cutlet) is a terrible, grade school imitation of the real stuff.
   9) One sidebar suggests a dangerous procedure: picking up an electric wok by the handle with one hand and scraping out ingredients with the other hand (woks, electric or otherwise, should never be picked up with one hand, even those with western style stick handles). To remove ingredients from a wok, use one of those funny, shovel shaped wok spatulas.
   10) The recipes tend to be long and fussy. Working your way through multiple steps can be frustrating.
   11) A "time to execute" for each recipe would have been useful for beginners, as some recipes take many hours (or even days) to execute from beginning to end.
   12) Some of the recipes are diffcult and for seasoned carnivores only. A difficulty rating would have been useful.
   13) Even though a plurality of recipes require a grill, the authors never cover which one to get (also for gas grill recipes). It is clear that the recipe procedures assume that you have a Weber kettle grill; the recipes make no sense for some other commonly available grills.
   
   It has chapers on: steak (grilled and indoors), kabobs, chops (grilled and indoors), cutlets, stir fry, stew, pot roast, roast (grilled and indoors), chili, barbecue, burgers, cured pork, and sauces.



2. I first encounted this book in the library, I was attracted by the title. I was a little skeptical at first, thinking it would be extremely boring since there is no fancy picture in the book, but as I started reading it, I was amazed by the info in the book, they tell you every single detail involved to make sure everything turns out perfect. And they tell you the every single little things e.g. the science behind aging your beef...
   Even my husband who never cook in the kitchen enjoys reading it. One of our favourite receipe is beef kebob. My family and friends were all amazed how tasy they are, and begging for receipe. I like the book so much, so I ended up ordering if from Amazon, and since then I have also ordered a few more book published by the same published. I would strongly recommended this book to everyone.



3. If you are not familiar with Cook's Illustrated magazine and their numerous cookbooks, let me introduce them to you. What they do is they take a recipe into their test kitchen, prepare it over and over again until they reach the very best way to make it, and then publish the recipe, along with a detailed report on their testing and how they arrived at their findings. This is a wonderful concept for the serious home cook and baker, because aside from their delicious (mostly) foolproof recipes, the cook is invited to learn the science behind the recipe, and this is a valuable learning tool. To me, the people behind Cook's Illustrated and their cookbooks are more than just a source of good recipes, they are EDUCATORS. And I have learned a great deal from them in the couple years that I have been exposed to them. "Steaks, Chops, Roasts and Ribs" is one of the wonderful cookbooks in the Cook's Illustrated series that I wholeheartedly recommend to the home cook who wants to learn more about the art of preparing various meats. Although some of the recipes within can be found in their much more comprehensive and all-encompassing cookbook "The New Best Recipe", this book stands apart if not solely for its wonderful and fully detailed section on the various cuts of meat. Every type and cut of meat imaginable is addressed in the beginning of the book, with a description of the cut, its alternate names, a rating of its flavor and an idea of its cost. There is also an informative section about the primal cuts of meat, what "branding" means and basic cooking methods. The information doesn't stop there, however, because scattered throughout the book are many other tidbits of information, like how to successfully make pan sauces, the best wines for cooking, product reviews, and helpful cooking illustrations. The recipes themselves (and their cooking methods) are varied enough to placate any home cook, from the grill maniac to the stew lover. There is something for everyone in this wonderful book. And unless you're already an expert on meat, I feel confident that you will learn something new from this book!



4. I have been a cook for last 6years in Australia and working in Korea at the moment. The restaurant that I am working is very busy and always looking for new menues. Someone gave me this book and I tried to make some of dishes and rubs. The result was fantastic. I strongly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in cooking. Also it will be very helpful to professional cooks to get ideas.



5. Informative book. You may not agree with the lengthiness of some of the recipes but it all serves a purpose. They disregarded some really good steaks which turned me off.

1 comments about Parties, Potlucks, and Barbecues: Recipes for Casual Gatherings (Taste of Home Annual Recipes).

1. Great book! Contains many family style recipes that are also a hit when entertaining. It's an Americana cooking style that Taste of Home is known for. This is a comprehensive book that includes all types of recipes. For me, it was a "gotta have it" recipe book.

5 comments about Pig Perfect : Encounters with Remarkable Swine and Some Great Ways to Cook Them.

1. This book is brilliant. The author keeps the readers engaged from cover to cover. It is definitely a book for foodies, particularly those of us who are obsessed with pork, but it would be an entertaining read for most anyone.



2. real informative book on how to raise a pig the old and real way.raising world class hams



3. Most ham is the U.S. is barely edible. There are exceptional country hams put up in the South, but these are seldom available to the casual shopper. If you do love ham, you just have to try the Pure Bellota Iberian ham from Spain.
   
   Now what this book does is illustrate, educate, and sharpen you taste buds for the incredible delight of eating great ham. There are taste matches made by the Creator: Iberian Pure Bellota ham with an ice-cold glass of Fino Sherry is one of them.



4. I am a lover of all pork products. This book presents the history of pigs, ham, and how it has evolved to what we know today. The author has an entertaining style, and his love of ham shines through. I was moved to buy a Kentucky Country Ham, just after I had finished the first third of the book. My knowledge on the history, raising, breeding, and processing of hogs has increased dramatically from this book. An interesting look into the present and future of pigs is given. This brings back memories of Fast Food Nation, and its description of the cattle industry.



5. God, I loved this book! At times fascinating (why is pork eschewed rather than chewed by millions of muslims and jews?), funny (the stuffing of sausage), and evocative (virtually every description of a meal well set), I was enthralled by this most excellent jaunt through the porcine world. Kaminsky pulls off a difficult balance: making us admire and care for the pigs even as we long to eat them as soon as we can apply some of the author's recipes. He makes a valid argument that we must eat them in order to save them, offers a call to arms to take back pork production from the industrial torture chambers that pass as 'agriculture' and return to a more humane and respectful treatment of this remarkable animal.

5 comments about The New Gas Grill Gourmet, Updated and expanded : Great Grilled Food for Everyday Meals and Fantastic Feasts.

1. I love this cookbook and have given copies to friends and family. I purchased this new edition because my old one fell apart from use.



2. However, many are too fancy or require ingredients that I don't have in my "meat and potatoes" kitchen.



3. This is an excellent grill book. It gives you new ideas on how to grill better. Well illustrated and it is written by someone that enjoys cooking on the grill. This is a keeper



4. Just what i needed still a charcoal man but wanted to know how to grill on gas since i got a gas grill for my birthday



5. I originally found this book at Half Price Books. If you love herbs, vinegars, marinades that are relativly easy, you will love this book. I pick a recipe for every Saturday Night to enjoy. The instructions are almost fool proof because working with the flame of the grill can be challenging.

5 comments about Smokestack Lightning: Adventures In The Heart Of Barbecue Country.

1. I have not finished reading the book yet but thus far the author is doing a very thorough and detailed accounting of the origin of barbeque, various styles and some places with good barbeque.
   The author seems to be a little harsh on those that do not barbeque in the most primative and rustic way. A well run place like 'Corky's' in Memphis, which I've been to, is downrated as being too slick. Too clean and organized. He prefers shacks where the meat is cooked for 12 hours in a pit and served in a place with just the basics. I prefer the comfort and good food and service of a Corky's style restaurant.
   All in all it is well written and contains a lot of good information.



2. First off, if you are buying this book expecting a cookbook, don't. Buy it because it is a hell of an entertaining read instead. The book itself is one man's story of traveling the backroads of the US searching for and eating a lot of good barbecue. It is also his opinion of what makes good barbecue - some folks take exception to what his opinions are. This is almost always the way with barbecue. As with religion and politics, an almost certain way to start an argument at a party is do discuss what makes "good barbecue" with others who have their own opinions. If you cannot handle reading another man's opinions, don't bother with this book. For me it proved to be interesting if not educational, and I certainly don't agree with all or even many of his opinions.
   
   Also, as others have said, he often mimics the speech of locals when quoting them. "Under it" becomes "Un'er it" etc. I don't personally see this as making fun of them or ridiculing them at all. To the contrary, I feel it is done to give the audience a little insight into what it was like to interact with these folks. Many of the quotes in question would have seemed downright bizarre if written in proper English rather than dialect. Again, if you can't stand to read quotes that include semi-gibberish because you find it offensive, this book may not be for you. I found it entertaining.
   
   This book was OOP for several years. Personally I'm glad to see that it's available again. In my opinion it's one of the best of its breed.



3. I bought this book after reading John Thorne's comnments on it in his excellent book "Serious Pig".
   
   Barbecue means something very different in Australia so the draw of a book on great American BBQ was a seller and yet this book is so much more than a book about food - its a travelogue, bursting with characters, stories and some superb photographic work which illustrates what is obviously a labor of love for the author - its a fascinating and superb read if you enjoy reading about food and the people who make it, its well worth the purchase price and you will enjoy the ride.
   
   This is a book that makes you want to eat BBQ, it makes you want to see the places hes talking about and meet the people, he does a superb job of evoking an image in your mind which draws you in and entertains and its a superb travelogue to boot that makes you want to eat where he's eaten and seen where hes seen.
   
   Not its not a cookbook, and he's a purist who disdains the chain cleanliness of mass produced BBQ shacks preferring the old fashioned traditional methods but you could argue thats the whole point of setting out to find the best BBQ - its going to be subjective and thats alright - its a hell of a read and a great ride to boot.



4. LOVED IT! I purchased the book for research purposes and couldn't put it down. What a marvelous education about the history, evolution and pure love of barbecue! The pictures are excellent and Lolis Eric Elie really made the stories come to life, as if I was traveling along with him. It certainly sparked a new-found interest in barbecue for me and I couldn't wait to read more. Check out Cornbread Nation II - another brilliant book edited by Lolis.



5. I was in the process of setting out on a bar b que tour and had solicited the names/locations of restaurants from the Motorcycle Tourers Forum. One of the forum members recommended the book.
   
   The book was an entertaining read. I did get a couple of ideas of places to visit. Not sure what I expected from the book, so I'm not disappointed but it was not a definative list of bar b que joints.