Description:
"Barbecue is the most American of foods; to hell with apple pie," says Dotty Griffith, author of Celebrating Barbecue. Her book serves up a mildly interesting and informative look at America's four regional styles of 'cue: Carolina, known for its shredded pork and vinegar-based sauce; Memphis, whose ribs are "the real signature of Southern barbecue"; Texas, where beef brisket rules the range; and Kansas City, whose hot, sticky, tomatoey sauce was the prototype for the bottled commercial sauces now found in supermarkets everywhere. Each regional chapter offers recipes, a complete sample menu, and, handy for travelers, a list of legendary regional barbecue joints. Notable recipes include Carolina-Style Barbecued Whole Hog, for which a 75- to 80-pound pig is cooked up to 12 hours; Kansas City-Style Sticky Ribs, a "pièce de résistance"; and, for hardcore carnivores, South Texas Cabrito: tortillas filled with shredded barbecue goat. The book also contains directions for sauces and rubs; sections on appetizers, sides, and desserts; a calendar of barbecue cook-offs and festivals; and sources for ingredients and equipment. --Andy Boynton
|