Ardie Davis A - Americas best barbecue : 100 best barbecue recipes from Americas smokehouses, pits, shacks, rib joints, roadhouses, and restaurants

W eve done research for this book for a collective total of more than a hundred years, although when we each got hooked by barbecue, we didnt have this book in mind. Thanks to our agent, Dennis Hayes, we got an offer from Kirsty Melville at Andrews McMeel that we couldnt turn down. Two years later we had a book!

We owe a debt of gratitude to our wives, children, and extended family for tolerating the time we spent researching and writing to complete this project. Extra doses of tolerance and understanding were required from our wives. Thus youll see their names on the dedication page.

In all human endeavors we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us. This is especially true in the culinary realm. Therefore we offer a tip of the hat and a sincere thanks to the millions of cooks, known and unknown, who have advanced todays culinary arts, especially barbecue, from humankinds primal beginnings.

Thanks to barbecue friends Steve Holbrook, Vince Staten, John Raven, Johnny White, Tony Stone, Don McLemore, Chris Lilly, David Klose, Bill and Barbara Milroy, Guy Simpson, Carolyn Wells, Judith Fertig, Karen Adler, Rich Davis, John Willingham, Rick Browne, Bruce Bjorkman, Lolis Eric Elie, Roland Carrier, Paula Peck, Bob Lyon, Chef Louis Szathmary, and many others. Gary Wells, Al Lawson, Cousin Homer, Jim Quessenberry, and Giancarlo Gianelli and other late pitmaster friends, we will always miss you. May you rest in peace.

Special thanks to Dennis Hayes, our friend, our barbecue buddy, and now our agent. Dennis had the idea for this book more than a decade ago. This book is due in large part to his vision and persistence and his passion for good eats, barbecue in particular.

Finally, it has been fun and a pleasure to work with the Book Division team at Andrews McMeel. Kirsty Melville, head of the Book Division, Lane Butler, our editor, our hats are off to you, Tim Lynch, Diane Marsh, Blake Stevens, John Carroll, and the marketing team!

A mix of cars and trucks is parked here. Cadillacs, rusty pickups, fancy SUVs, vans, flashy new pickups, sports cars, limos, sedansthey are all here for one reason: the barbecue. Out back theres hickory, oak, pecan, apple, or mesquite, scrambled like its ready for business. Forget neatness. This is a working woodpile.

Customers are lined up outside the door at 11:15 in the morning. Inside, the people are happy. The joint is already crowded. Be patient. Youll get a seat. Smell the barbecue while diners dig in with gusto. Soon youll be chowing down on Americas best barbecueslathered meats, crunchy fries, corn bread, coleslaw, beans, and other delectable eats. Its worth the wait.

This book honors American barbecue and the people who make it. Here youll find more than 100 recipes for out-of-this-world appetizers, tender and smoky meats cooked low and slow, sweet and spicy sauces and rubs, homemade sides, and even a few decadent down-home dessertsif youve saved room. And because food tastes better when you know the people and stories behind the recipes, well introduce you to some famous and not-so-famous pitmasters and barbecue personalities, living and dead. Some come from long lines of proud pitmasters, some have been at the craft most of their lives, and others are up-and-coming barbecuers. All view barbecue as an art and a craft. Its not a job, its a profession, and they take great care to ensure that each days barbecue is even better than the last.

The next best thing to being at one of the best barbecue joints in America is to get it directif they will ship it to you. Many of the places in this book sell their sauces, rubs, and other products by phone and online. We list the address, phone number, and Web site when available so that you can buy direct from the source and try it for yourself.

Another great way to enjoy Americas best barbecue is to cook it yourself. The usual drill when writers visit a barbecue joint is to take some photos, sample some dishes, then publish a knockoff recipe from the menu. Whenever possible, our recipes and techniques come straight from the source. A frequent reply when we asked for a recipe was, If I tell you, Ill have to shoot you or Sorry. Our recipes are trade secrets. We dont give them out. We expected to hear that, and often enough we didespecially when we were strangers to the owner. Then No turned to Okay, or Sure, Ill give you our recipe, after we got better acquainted. Yes was instant from most pitmasters who know us. Were honored to know quite a few, and many are friends. Many of the recipes that were given to us have never been published before. When original top-secret recipes were denied us, and we thought you would like something similar, we came up with our own version, thanks to Pauls talents as a championship pitmaster and a certified working chef.