As summer approaches, we happily await each year’s new batch of barbeque books — and grilling and smoking. I’m non-partisan here.
Lately, barbeque books have gotten big: hundreds of pages, quite impossible to absorb in one reading. Well, Barbecue Rules is different. Oh, yes, it does spell barbeque as barbecue but that is no sin.
And, no, this Barbecue Rules is slim at just over 100 pages but it still would be tough to read this in one night. Might take three or so. It’s a very densely packed book that drips with flavor and insights. Meats have to marinate overnight and the ideas here need some time to be absorbed, too.
This is intelligent barbecue, with far more pages devoted to explanations and comparisons than recipes. Although, the recipe selection is outstanding. There are only four sauce recipes here, but they truly span the spectrum you need:
- Sweet
- Vinegar
- Spicy Chile Pepper
- Spicy Mustard
Whether you are from Memphis, Raleigh, Austin, or Nashville, you have your sauce here.
There are four major chapters: Smoked, Sauces, Grilled, and On the Side. The Smoked chapter is nearly half the book and offers a Masters Class in smoking, a cooking style many of us avoid. The techniques, the right way to use the wood, how to judge doneness, and even how to cook a Pulled Leg of Goat are gracefully presented here.
The Grilled ideas bubble with new perspectives. Here is the Lamb Saddle Chops with Mint-Yogurt Sauce. Perhaps you would pair this with one of the quite exciting sides: Baked Beans with Burnt Ends [from pork cooked until it has disintegrated].
This important book can occupy your 2019 summer. And, when 2020 rolls around, I bet you’ll open this book back up and repeat it one recipe at a time. [If you live in a place with warm winters and year-round outside cooking, you’ll never stop using and obeying Barbecue Rules.]