Paul Kirk (1)

The recipes in this book are adapted directly from the BBQ joints highlighted in the text and I found nothing particularly new or interesting. I don't like this style of cookbook and found myself dismissing the contents outright. That's awfully harsh, but I own some really good barbecue books and this one is not even close to their league. I was irrationally irritated by the page of barbecue postcard kitsch and by a paragraph on plates that disses butcher paper that should recall, for the serious barbecue enthusiast, Calvin Trillin's ancient wisdom that if a barbecue joint has plates, pass it by. Mr. Trillin walked that rule back in recent years, but this book's bias shows.

The text is straightforward, not lyrical, but also not instructive. Some of it is awfully like advertising pitch for the highlighted joints. Quite a bit of the text is brainless, like the recommendation to drink what tastes good with BBQ, or to make another batch of breading mix if you run out. Obvious stuff like meat should be cooked to the proper degree of doneness.

The book design is somewhat garish, with harsh colors, and a lot of graphics in a rusty red that is color-tuned to the sauce photos. Some of the photos are a bit out of focus

There are lots of better barbecue cookery books out there.

I received a review copy of "America's Best BBQ (revised edition)" by Ardie A. Davis and Chef Paul Kirk (Andrews McMeel) through NetGalley.com.… (more)

What a delicious experience! This book is more than a cookbook. It's an experience of the quintessential American culinary experience: barbecue. The discussion of barbecue pits (no pun intended!) region against region, neighbor against neighbor, father against son, brother against brother, and barbecue fanatic against barbecue fanatic. This book is for anyone who loves the barbecue experience.

Rather than just present page after page of esoteric specialty recipes (of which a goodly number are indeed included), the authors take you inside over a hundred barbecue joints, haunts, eateries, and restaurants across America. They capture the magic, the smell, the lip-smacking taste of the American obsession with the slow smoked, savory and sweet rubbed, lovingly cooked and much sought after barbecue.

You will find yourself turning page after page, your pulse quickening and your mouth watering, unable to stop fantasizing about the delights of this all-American food. I dare you to read this book and NOT seek out the nearest local BBQ joint for just a little fix! For the adventurous among us, there is a state-by-state index of the BBQ joints visited as well as those simply mentioned in this fascinating guide. Highly recommended!… (more)

When I found out that I was getting this book from Member Giveaway, I was very excited. I love everything BBQ. Expecting to receive a book with (hopefully) some new and tasty recipes, was I ever surprised when I received this book! Not only does it contain mouth-watering bbq recipes, there are recipes for appetizers, sides and deserts. The book highlights some of the most popular "BBQ Joints" in America. In addition to your normal bbq and sides, the book contains recipes for gumbo, barbecued baloney, smoked catfish, rattlesnake and barbecue spaghetti. I have picked out the recipes that I want to try first. Now to find the time to try them. The ones I plan to try out first are: Jalapeno Hushpuppies, BBQ shrimp, barbecue pork butt, Memphis-Style barbecued ribs, peach cobbler and apple dumplings. The book also includes BBQ trivia and little known facts. Such as how "Texas Pete" hot sauce got its name. It was first made by a family in Winston-Salem, NC. The book is very colorful and the pictures are mouth-watering. Some of the recipes may be a little too much for the BBQ novice, but it is a fun book overall even if you don't plan to try the recipes. I plan to play around with some of these recipes and see if I can get them to turn out as good as they sound.… (more)

I was fortunate to have received this book as part of the LT Member Giveaway. And I've been horribly late in posting my review of it. But I had a good reason. I didn't just want to say it's a beautiful book full of pretty pictures (which it is). I actually wanted to cook some of the recipes. There are only two of us in my household so I wanted an occasion to invite family over to help us eat all this food; and also to form a well-rounded response.
As I mentioned, this is a beautiful book. Every page is in color and its glossy pages are filled with pictures. But don't get me wrong, it's not ostentatious. I think captures the BBQ culture very well.
It is a very comprehensive book, featuring information on how best to grill on either charcoal or gas and also what to look for when purchasing a grill (or grill accessories). It even has sage advice for those entertaining the notion of opening their own restaurant.
My husband and I read the entire book through twice before deciding which recipes to choose. In fact, my husband said the only thing wrong with the book was that "it was not Scratch-n-Sniff". He did have another complaint, though. Some recipes are not what we consider 'complete' recipes at all because they instruct you to purchase so-and-so's trademarked rub or sauce and slather it on the meat. Recipe over. To us, that's not a fair recipe, it's more like filler and that's why it did not earn a full five stars.
But this book certainly earned the four stars we gave it. We decided to fix the Pork Butt recipe on pages 57 and 58, which includes a homemade spice rub, a basting sauce and BBQ sauce. My husband commented "It seemed a bit involved with dust (rub), mop sauce, and finishing sauce; but I can't argue with the results!"
The Pork Butt will continue to be talked about at family gatherings for years to come. This, as they say, was fine eating!
The spice rub was called Magic Dust. My father-in-law said it was "aptly named. The rub is not too hot or too sweet, making an excellent preamble to the main sauce." And the BBQ sauce! I have made two batches of it so far and I think it's better than anything I've had - store bought or from a restaurant. My father-in-law said "the sauce is so good I'd eat it plain on chips or bread." My mother-in-law said "The barbeque sauce was a definite hit. The sweetness and smoky bacon flavors made the pork sing. I could eat the sauce on other meat it was so flavorful. I would recommend the sauce for any contest. It would win first place every time."
We also fixed the cole slaw (page 139) and apple pie (page 163). None of us cared for the cole slaw. It was not sweet enough for our tastes, even after I doubled the sugar. The apple pie was serviceable. My husband said "The pie filling tasted very good, yet the topping, while visually interesting was bland. Also needs some clearer instructions on apple size or measured volume." We had about a third of the apple-pie filling left over once our pie crust was full.
Our family thoroughly enjoyed cooking from this book. Thanks for the opportunity!… (more)