McKinney William - Holy smoke: the big book of North Carolina barbecue

PRAISE FOR

Holy Smoke

The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue

Part cultural history, part cookbook, Holy Smoke may be the best tome ever written about pulled pork.The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

[A] funny, fantastically southern memoir of the infamous East-West brawl over North Carolina barbecue. Everything we ever wanted to know about the history of the cue, the sauce, and the people behind this Tar Heel tradition.

Southern Living

This heartfelt, thorough, witty compendium of the states barbecue places, pitmasters, pig pickins, history lessons, tall tales, and basic recipes makes me bone-deep homesick in a way I havent felt in years.Rachel Wharton, The Art of Eating

Sheer fun. Informative, fast-paced, thorough, and filled with facts. I was reading through it the other evening and could have sworn I smelled the sharp, smoky aroma of pork slowly cooking over hickory coals. Jack Betts, Charlotte Observer

Maybe youre wondering where the difference in barbecue styles comes from and why this difference is so fiercely contested. Or maybe youre interested in history or cultural history or North Carolina history. Ive got just the book for you. True Tar Heels will have a hard time giving this one away, so buy two.Moreton Neal, MetroMagazine

The book leaves no glowing coal unturned in its examination of our states barbecue history, cooking techniques, recipes, and characters who have honed the fine art of turning hogs into something heavenly.Our State

In a state where barbecue rules, this is the constitution. Its also a field guide and a backyard manual for how to prepare barbecue and the proper sides properly. Brightly written and profusely illustrated, its often funny, too. Good food writing is always fun. This rates as a treat.News-Record.com, Greensboro

Part cookbook, part how-to manual for the backyard barbecuer, and part historical treatise this well-researched book is a hymn of praise to those pitmasters who have long labored over fires fueled by hickory and smoke.

Blue Ridge Country

A fine book, one that every Tar Heel, whether born and bred or merely welcomed and fed, needs to read carefully.

Tim Tyson, Raleigh News & Observer

A dance through the legends, history, fables, and reality of North Carolina barbecue. While laughing along with the fun stories, dont forget to take the recipes seriously.Edible Piedmont

An apogee on all things barbecue. Much more than a simple collection of recipes, the book supplements its exploration of this regional favorite by delving into the history of North Carolina barbecue. And of course, theres no shortage of recipes and cooking techniques presented here, covering not only the meat, but a variety of side dishes, desserts, and even that signature Southern beverage, iced tea.WNC Magazine

I admire the heck out of Holy Smoke. Its smart. And its oftentimes funny. For believers in North Carolina barbecue, for the faithful who seek the smoky grail, this is it, the gospel truth.

John T Edge, author of Southern Belly: The Ultimate Food Lovers Companion to the South

Brimming with factoids, field intelligence, received wisdom, and fine art, Holy Smoke is a harmonic convergence that resonates with good-natured humor. It is as entertaining as it is informative.

John Egerton, author of Southern Food: At Home, on the Road, in History

Jam-packed with entertaining and authoritative history, culture, personality sketches, and thoughtful opinion.D.G. Martin, syndicated columnist

Holy Smoke embraces the subtleties and complexities of our exquisite state dish and all the lore that surrounds it. Whether considering Eastern style or Lexington style, this wonderful book is as enticing as a tray of outside coarse-chopped with hushpuppies and a Cheerwine at Lexingtonnot that Im preferential.Jerry Bledsoe

Holy Smoke gets an A+ for design. Its crisply graphic, a stroll down memory lane with reproductions of old-timey menus, barbecue signs, cartoons, and package labels scattered throughout its 316 pages along with vintage black and white photographs. Few books are such fun to read and precious few as well written.

Jean Anderson, author of The American Century Cookbook

Even if it didnt taste so good, we would like North Carolina barbecue for its inspirational nature. Like chile in New Mexico and cheese curds in Wisconsin, its rituals and lore stir passionate symposia, infusing Holy Smoke with a sense of purpose that is biblical.Jane and Michael Stern, Roadfood.com

HOLY SMOKE

This book was published with the assistance of the Blythe Family Fund of the University of North Carolina Press.

2008 The University of North Carolina Press

Preface to the paperback edition 2016 The University of North Carolina Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Designed by Rich Hendel with Steve Frame
Set in Quadraat and Kaoss types by Tseng Information Systems, Inc.
Title page illustration: Jess Swicegood, in hat and apron, cooking in Lexington, ca. 1929

Pig ornament iStockphoto.com/Kathy Konkle.

The University of North Carolina Press has been a member of the Green Press
Initiative since 2003.

A list of credits appears before the index.

Cover illustrations: front, Mark C. Conner, graphic artist for LIB
Screenprinting & Embroidery of Kinston, N.C.; pig ornament,
iStockphoto.com/Kathy Konkle.

ISBN 978-1-4696-2966-7 (pbk.: alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4696-2967-4 (ebook)
The Library of Congress has cataloged the original edition of this book as follows:
Reed, John Shelton.
Holy smoke : the big book of North Carolina barbecue / John Shelton Reed and
Dale Volberg Reed; with William McKinney. 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8078-3243-1 (cloth: alk. paper)
1. Barbecue cookeryNorth Carolina. I. Reed, Dale Volberg. II. McKinney,
William. III. Title
TX840.B3R445 2008
641.7609756dc222008017084

HOLY SMOKE

Holy Smoke! What smells so good?

Is someone burnin hickory wood?

Whats that cookin on those coals?

Why its a pig! Lord bless my soul!

Were gonna have some barbecue.

Boiled potatoes, Brunswick stew,

Slaw thats white or maybe red,

Hushpuppies or fried cornbread,

And sauce from an old recipe,

Known only to the family.

A great big glass of sweet ice tea.

Holy smoke! Thats heavn to me.

Tommy Edwards

Tommy Edwards is the lead singer and guitarist for the Bluegrass Experience, from Chatham County. Hes also a songwriter, and when we told him the title of our book, he dashed this off. Its on his CD North Carolina: History, Mystery, Lore & More, and has also been recorded by the Ocracoke band Molasses Creek.