What book to buy

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garyt

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
Apr 6, 2007
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I have been looking at books on smoking and I an wondering which would best to buy for the first one, I am not new to this and I am not looking for recipes I get most of them here or from friends. I have a Side fire box smoker and a gas smoker also, and had excellent results with both and like most of us, a few that were not too good. Just a general all around guide that some of you use. What would recommend.
 
I have a number of books and of them, I would recommend:

"Smoke & Spice" by Cheryl and Bill Jamison from Harvard Common Press, this one is mostly recipies.

and

"Mastering the Craft of Smoking Food" by Warren Anderson from Burford Books, this one has some ideas on building smokers and their use.
 
Peace, Love and BBQ is a great read. I donlt know how much you'll learn about technique but it's full of lies and entertaining :)
 
guide?

this place is a pretty good place for using as a guide.........cause in the end............you can read all about it.......but you have to roll up your sleeves and dig in and get dirty.........

lots of tips here........but no two smokers.......weither being the man, or the piece of equipment...........are alike

now......for a GREAT book on bbq..........

Peace, Love, and Barbecue
by Mike Mills is a EXCELLANT book..........see if your library has it first........
 
I agree Ron, very intertaining, and hard to put down. The book was over too soon. I may hafta read it again.

My favorite is Paul Kirk's "championship Barbeque". He knows what he is talking about, and probably teaches more people how to BBQ than anyone these days. It is about as thick as a phone book, and you can be overwhelmed with info. A bazillion recipes from meats to desserts to veggies!
 
Thank you, I will check these out and any others that are suggested Maybe buy a couple. Thank you for replying to my post.
 
i have several of the aformentioned books as well as a pile of others i'm a book phobe too so others i liked were smoky hale "great american grillin manual" and another one i really liked is "legends of texas bar-b-q" just my opinion but really liked these
 
I really like "Smoke and Spice" not only does it have a lot of recipes, but it has a lot of history and little "stories from the pit" If ever a recipe book was a good read this would be it.
 
This book got me wanting to learn to cook the real way. I know that I am just a newbie, but I own this book and it rocks, it was given to me as a gift and it got me started.
 
This one hasn't been listed:

Sublime Smoke
Cheyl and Bill Jamison
ISBN: 1-55832-107-1

Another useful book:
Marinades
Dry Rubs, Pastes, and Marinades
Jim Tarantino
ISBN:0-89594-531-2
 
I have both Smoke & Spice and Sublime Smoke. I like Smoke & Spice better. The recipes in Sublime Smoke seem to be "fancier", at least IMHO.

Just my $.02 worth.
 
I agree with you Homebrew. I also have both and Smoke and Spice is more down to earth and less foo foo. Just trying to be comprehensive.

A little off topic, but I also have The Border Cookbook by Cheryl and Bill Jamison if you like Tex-Mex and Mexican. It's more in the style of S&S; down to earth and full of extra info. I think smoked meat goes well with some of these recipes. (ISBN: 1-55832-103-9)
 
I just finished Peace, Love, & BBQ. Wow, this book rocks. I almost felt like I was there with Mike Mills. I thought I had a grasp on the whole smoking meat thing but after reading this book I feel like a virgin. I have already tried 3 of the recipies in the book and plan to try alot more. Anyone out there who likes a good read and some good recipies should buy this book.
 
I have Sublime Smoke but not the other. I like Sublime Smoke because it has lots of international recipes. Sometimes we forget that smoking and grilling is a key cooking component to many cuisines. If you're only interested in doing the same ole thing everytime (US style ribs, brisket, pork butt, etc), then you really don't need a book at all. You can get all of the pertinent technical information you need right here. But if you are adventurous, or have interest in other cuisines like Indian, Thai, Chinese, Mexican/Spanish, Greek, Italian or other cuisines that have a long history of grilling/smoking, then Sublime Smoke is a worthy addition to a library.

Another book work noting is The Grilling Book, by A. Cort Sinnes. Lots of good info in the first third of the book (but not much that most people here don't already know) and lots of tips included with the recipes. The recipes aren't so wild as to overwhelm people. As the title indicates, it's mostly about grilling, but it also covers smoking as well. It's also pretty cheap at $10.95 back in 1985 (if still in print that is - I found it for $4 at a local used book store). ISBN 0-671-55788-2

I also like Cooking with Fire and Smoke by Phillip Stephen Schulz. This is also an older book (1986) that has lots of good information. It has some useful tables for each type of meat, with recommended methods and suggested timings for different cuts. The recipes are fairly well-rounded and easy to follow. Once again, I don't know if this book is still in print. ISBN 0-671-73309-5. This one was also $10.95.
 
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