Goodman Ken - Cool smoke: the art of great barbecue

PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEN GOODMAN

ST. MARTINS GRIFFIN
NEW YORK

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To my wife, Leslie, and my son, Sam

Many people write books. Many people compete in barbecue competitions. Few do either with the sheer bravura of pit master turned reality TV star Tuffy Stone. In the thirteen years since Tuffy founded the Cool Smoke Barbecue, his team has won more than forty Grand Championships and five World Championships. In 2012, he joined the BBQ Pitmasters TV show, catapulting the former Marine to international barbecue stardom.

It turns out that Tuffy and I have a lot in common. We both came to barbecue through a highly unlikely port of entry: classical French cuisine. I got my start in the food world at the La Varenne cooking school in Paris. Tuffy trained with French chef Alain Vincey and eventually became his partner at the celebrated French restaurant, La Maisonette in Richmond. Maybe thats why his recipes are so thoughtfully organized and precise.

The book you now hold in your hand is the result of a lifetime of cooking experience, more than a decade of that spent in barbecue. The evocative photos will inspire you as much as the recipes. But make no mistake, this isnt just another pretty-face cookbook. Its loaded with practical information and solid common sense on everything from buying and operating your dream smoker to sourcing your gear to competing on the barbecue competition circuit.

As for the recipes, youll certainly want to learn the secrets of Tuffys Competition Brisket Cool Smoke style (hint: spray it with apple juice, wrap it in foil, and let it rest for 2 hours before serving). His Coffee-Rubbed Cowboy Steaks made my mouth water and his Grilled Goose Breast gave me goose bumpsand that was just from reading the recipe. Tuffy is equally at home brining pork loins (to be smoked and served with peanutbrown butter vinaigrette) as he is with grilling oysters, blackening rockfish, and smoking venison (dished up stroganoff style). If youre still hungry (and even if youre not), Im sure youll find room for Tuffys Chocolate Whiskey Balls and Spiced Pecan Pie with Bourbon Whipped Cream.

Cool Smoke sits on an honored shelf in my barbecue library; it certainly belongs in yours.

Steven Raichlen
Miami, Florida

Over the years, Ive learned a lot about cooking good barbecue, and part of what I learned is that it takes a load of stamina and plain hard work to keep up a competition barbecue schedule. Ive pulled my pit across parts of this country over 150 times for barbecue, and have traveled to several other countries to attend competitions, cook for our troops, or teach barbecue classes as well. It can be a rugged lifestyle, and on top of this, I am busy with restaurants, a cooking school, and a catering company.

Dont get me wrong, Im not complaining. These past years have provided me with not only challenges and opportunities that have fed my knowledge of how to create better bbq, but the wonderful gift of endearing friendships and wonderful memories. It has been, and still is, fun to create a little magic with fire and smoketaking that tough cut of meat and coaxing something great from it. I hope to share my enthusiasm for cooking barbecue with you in this book, sharing the tips, tricks, and lessons Ive learned through trial and error, smoking and grilling in various regions and in all types of weather.

We all love barbecue in our own way. Whether you are grilling for family and friends, or thinking of competing on the barbecue competition circuit, the love of creating wonderful food in an outdoor setting is a shared inspiration. Many of us are bitten by the cue bug when were young, watching our fathers tend a backyard grill in the summer; or wistfully wishing we could join the adults who keep an eye on the whole hog pit through the night.

My path to barbecue was a bit more circuitous.

Ive always had an interest in cooking. In college, my roommate and I would prepare gourmet meals in our small apartment. We had a decent collection of cookbooks and were pretty adventurous with our meal planning. I made sourdough bread three times a week using sourdough starter from my grandmother Florence.

Like many college students, I worked to support myself by tending bar and waiting tables. After a while, I began to realize how much I liked cooking at home, and decided it would be more fun to work in the kitchen of a restaurant instead of in the dining room. My thinking was that I might simply learn a little more about cooking and make enough money to pay my bills. At this point, I never really thought about a career in food service. I just figured I could develop some great cooking skills to use in a future domestic setting.

After coming to this decision, I researched all the chefs in Richmond, Virginia, where I was attending college. I made a prioritized list of the best local chefs I wanted to work under. At the top of my list was a French chef named Alain Vincey, who owned a very small, fifty-five-seat restaurant, La Maisonette. He had been the daytime sous chef at Lutce, a famous New York City restaurant; worked at a couple of Michelin 3-star restaurants in France; and had also been the chef for Jacques Cousteau on his research boat, Calypso. I made an appointment to meet with him.

Being fresh out of the Marine Corps, I dressed sharply for our meeting and arrived on time, rsum in hand. Entering the kitchen, I noticed everything was immaculate. Alain and his sous chef both wore clean white chef jackets and toques. Stocks were simmering, and fresh fish were being trimmed. He worked as we talked, and I explained that I wanted to work for him and learn how to cook. He continued to work, listening, then said he would call me. I got the impression he would not.