Table of Contents

Contents

PART ONE

An Invitation to Die

Me and 'Cue

Barbecue: Past, Present, and Future

The Right Stuff

Using This Book

PART TWO

Carolina Barbecue:
Where Vinegar, Tomato, and Mustard Factions Wage Taste Wars

Memphis Barbecue:
Dry vs. Wet Ribs, or The Town of Pork and Bones

Texas Barbecue:
Here's the Beef!

Kansas City Barbecue:
Where East Meets West

Wild Cards:
Santa Maria Beef Barbecue, Owensboro Mutton Barbecue, St. Louis Barbecued Snouts, and Playing Chicken

Hot Bites and Sides

Sweet Endings:
Pies, Cakes, and Other Regional Favorites

SOURCES

Barbecue Associations

Barbecue Contests

Classes on Barbecue

Barbecue Publications

Sources of Ingredients

Sources of Equipment

On-Line Sources

GLOSSARY

BIBLIOGRAPHY

LIQUID AND DRY MEASURE EQUIVALENCIES

INDEX

About the Author

Dotty Griffith is the dining editor and restaurant critic of The Dallas Morning News, and has judged numerous recipe contests. She is the author of nine cookbooks, including The Texas Holiday Cookbook, and has written for magazines, including Gourmet and Travel & Leisure. She lives in Dallas, Texas.

Reviews

Jim "Trim" Tabb of Tabby's Dotty Griffith very effectively blows aside the smoke of barbecue to show how eclectic this old and controversial subject can be.

Jim White "CBS Radio Dallas, The KRLD Restaurant Show with Jim White""Celebrating Barbecue" is filled with great recipes and 'cue rivalries. Get ready to take a delicious journey of discovery across America for the best barbecue you ever wrapped your lips around!

John Egerton author of "Southern Food: At Home, on the Road, in History" Dotty Griffith deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for attempting to bring the warring tribes of American barbecue into a demilitarized pit zone for a serious exchange of meats and sauces. Only the most narrow-minded true believer could resist her ecumenical appeal to the higher virtues of pan-American 'cue.

John F. Mariani food and travel columnist for "Esquire" magazine; author of "The Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink" and coauthor of "Grilling for Dummies" A lot of grilling books have gotten away from where the real focus on outdoor cooking should be -- celebrating barbecue -- which just happens to be the title and great appeal of Dotty Griffith's delectably comprehensive and rigorously authentic book on America's greatest contribution to the culinary arts.

Michael LeMaster of the Pit Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse Yee-haw! "Celebrating Barbecue" is a hoot and holler!

Paul Kirk author of "Paul Kirk's Championship Barbecue Sauces""Celebrating Barbecue" has what I look for in a cookbook. It's not just a barbecue cookbook, it's history and tradition. It's a celebration of some great food and gives you the means and direction to achieve great barbecue yourself. It will be one of my prized cookbooks in my collection of over two thousand.

Smoky Hale author of "The Great American Barbecue & Grilling Manual""Celebrating Barbecue" reeks of barbecue aromas and of Dotty Griffith's reportorial skill and writing expertise. Her enthusiasm for barbecue glistens and gleams like the glaze on a gorgeous goody from a gourmet's grill.

W. Park Kerr founder, El Paso Chile Company, and distiller, Tequila Nacional BBQ: it's not about a food, it's about a lifestyle. In "Celebrating Barbecue, " Dotty tempts, teases, torments, and slow-cooks us through the world of 'cue. She leaves me with four questions: Memphis or Kansas City ribs, Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding or Fried Fruit Pies for dessert, how soon can I get the grill going, and does she offer home delivery?