Backyard BBQ: The Art of Smokology by Richard W. McPeake
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Book Reviews of Backyard BBQ: The Art of Smokology
Book Review: Finally a book on just Smoking, one of the Best!
Summary: 5 Stars
Since getting into the bbq world, I have purchased many books on this subject. I can honestly say that this book, since receiving it, is a gem! The whole book is all about smoking, not any stories about himself or grilling. It is truely a book about the art of smoking. He does a great job in breaking down the things to do before you get to the smoker, what happens during the process and how to change or improve your results, and what to do after the process.
I have even email the chef and received a respond to one of my questions and in a timely manner.
The book covers all the basic meats of smoking and then touches on the harder to do items, like expensive cuts of meats and the always hard to do seafood. His section on seafood brining and smoking is one of my favorite chapters.
If you are looking for a book that cuts through all the hype and stories about themselves and just focues on the Art, this is the book for you!! It is not a pretty book, but it is a great book for producing some awesome bbq!
Book Review: Great for Beginners and Advanced Smokologist
Summary: 5 Stars
I knew how to smoke and cook decent food before reading this but wanted to know what the "pro's" did. I was amazed that without any training I was following in McPeake's footsteps as far as technique and flavor profiles go. This is BBQ 101 with insights and recipes to higher levels of Q. They may not glare out at you but if you cook enough you can pick out the subtlety's of what takes you from backyard to the competition trail. I have cooked a majority of his recipes and they are all great in their own right. Great rib recipes and an AWESOME model for brisket rub. I have tweaked his recipes to make my own and have done queit well in a few Kansas City Area Competitions with my last contest finishing 13 out 58 teams and never finishing below half in any contest. For a first year competitor thats amazing. I hope to one day take his classes also. Would love pick his brain!
Oh and BBQ'ing is cooking over low heat for long periods of time. Grilling is hot and fast over direct heat. Dont confuse the two.
Book Review: Pure Genius
Summary: 5 Stars
This book has character. It's short, and not particularly eloquent, but the incomplete sentences and grammar mistakes add all the charm you need to the real "meat" of the book- the recipes. He goes over rubs, mops, sauces, sides, and complete recipes of his championship BBQ dishes. The BBQ recipes don't stop with the traditional beef steaks and pork ribs either- he explains the optimal technique for fish and poultry as well.
I love BBQ. I live in Idaho where it's winter 9 of the 12 months and I'm still out there 2-3 days/week smoking some meat. BBQ is definitely an art, and the process and skills get refined over time. This book helps beginners acquire the fine art early on that would debunk any fine restaurant. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in understanding the art of BBQ. It's always good to prepare gourmet BBQ, and this book will certainly help you through the entire spectrum of cooking the simple family dinner to the Bobby Flay throwdown!
Book Review: Best Book I've Found for Smoking Food
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently bought a new meat smoker, and I have bought some books on smoking techniques so I could improve on my smoked meats. This book is the best book for explaining the terms, WHY you use a specific method, how to choose the method/recipe/preparation you want, how long to have the smoker heated (to a specific temperature) before you add the meat. I have smoked meat for years, and this is the first time I have read about some of the tips for creating great food. Sure, there are some typos, but this book was written by a real barbeque competitor who loves to sample barbeque from every part of the U.S. It has recipes for rubs, mops, type of wood for specific meats, barbeque sauce, and a guide for how to modify them to suit your taste. In short, this little book taught me more than the three other books I ordered, COMBINED. I have over 350 cookbooks for everything from pastries to Chinese cooking, and this one is a keeper.Book Review: Great, no-frills book on smoking
Summary: 5 Stars
After a couple of decent but not great attempts at pulled pork and more than one disastrous result with ribs, I decided to invest in a guide to smoking meats. Trouble is, there are a bunch out there...how to pick? McPeake's promised the blend of science and instruction I was looking for and I'm glad I went with it.
It's everything you need and nothing more. Really, the production quality of the book is pretty low. But we're not making foie gras here are we? We're smoking animals and we don't need glossy photos (or, really, photos at all). We need info, and McPeake provides it in bucketloads.
The intro gives a very good background to why smoking works and how to make it work for you. The recipes are easy to follow and execute...many with ingredients I never would have guessed at (an awesome bbq sauce contains a can of Dr. Pepper). I highly recommend it.