My much-awaited copy of John and Dale Reed's Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue arrived this week, and I've been working my way through it eagerly. It's a three-part book, covering "The Lore" (history and evolution of barbecue in the state of NC), "The Food" (a thorough cataloging of all aspects of the NC style--including recipes!--from cornsticks to Brunswick Stew), and finally "The People" (interviews with a dozen heavy-hitters in the world of NC barbecue).
The material is detailed and definitive--the most thorough volume to date on barbecue in the Tarheel State--but the Reeds have a great light-hearted style, and there are hundreds of priceless pictures, making it an all-around fun book.
I haven't been able to finish the thing yet because everytime I sit down with it I can only make it through about forty pages before I have to grab my keys and head out to find a barbecue joint. If I don't get too much sauce on the pages, I'll give a full report in a few days.
1 comment:
I love Holy Smoke. It really is a fabulous barbecue book. I'm from North Carolina, and I know many of the people and places mentioned. The Reeds did a great job in capturing BBQ in the Carolinas.
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