More than just a grilling cookbook, this guide explains broiling, roasting, hot and cold smoking, and barbecuing. With great wit and wisdom, a variety of grills are explained by examining their operation, design, construction, and function. Instruction is given on selecting the proper cuts of meat, fish, fowl, and vegetables, so that recipes such as the Super Swine Sizzlers will taste their best. Also included are tips, advice, and dozens of recipes for rubs, marinades, bastes, and finishing sauces -- ranging from the Italian Connection marinade to Greek Rub for Lamb or Basic Eastern North Carolina Basting Sauce.

Like jazz, barbecue is a uniquely American original, and few subjects ignite more passion, excitement, controversy, and competition. In Celebrating Barbecue, Dotty Griffith, restaurant critic for The Dallas Morning News, gives readers the lowdown on real barbecue, identifying the four great regional styles of American 'cue (Carolina, Memphis, Texas, and Kansas City), as well as what Griffith calls "micro-styles" like Santa Maria Beef Barbecue or St. Louis Barbecued Snouts. Though reducing barbecue to a set of rules and specifications is, as Griffith says, "like teaching a cat to bark," Celebrating Barbecue attempts (and succeeds!) in doing just that, beginning with the history of barbecue, defining each region's preferences for meat, fuel, and seasonings. There are classic authentic recipes for slow-cooked meats such as Texas Brisket and North Carolina-Style Pulled Pork, with cooking temperatures, seasonings, woods, and techniques (including fail-safe techniques for bad weather or uncooperative equipment or fuels) explained in detail. Griffith includes recipes for mops, rubs, sauces, and marinades, as well as sources for ready-made flavor enhancers. A full complement of appetizers, sides, and desserts rounds out the more than 85 recipes. Menus are provided for each regional style so you can create your own barbecue feast. Travelers will find lists of barbecue restaurants, cook-offs, and festivals, and stay-at-homes will find the best places to mail-order 'cue, as well as a directory of pit masters and a section on cookers. Opinionated and informed, Celebrating Barbecue is written with wit, passion, and verve. A pleasure to read and to cook from, it's the only book you'll need to enjoy this most American of foods.

Cookoff: Recipe Fever in America is an anecdotal and entertaining look at the amazingly extensive subculture of cooking contests in America. Such contests range in importance from Spam contests at county fairs to the granddaddy of them all, the Pillsbury Bake-Off in San Francisco, where the grand prize is a cool million. In between are contests local and national, sponsored by agricultural groups, corporations, and neighborhoods. Competing in these contests are not only casual entrants, but “contesters”—mostly women—for whom the recipe contest is a way of life. Journalist Amy Sutherland follows a small group of such contesters through a year on the contest circuit, beginning with the National Chicken Cook-off and culminating in the Pillsbury Bake-Off. Along the way, we’ll be introduced to well-known cook-off luminaries as well as to some of the most bizarre cooks, and the recipes concocted for their national contests.

This cultural journey down memory lane showcases how major Western figures, events, and places have been portrayed in folk legends, art, literature, and popular culture. Ever since the days of the 49ers and George Armstrong Custer, the Old West has been America's most potent source of legend. But it is sometimes hard to separate fact from fiction. Did you know, for example, that Annie Oakley was a talented marksman who shot an estimated 40,000 rounds per year while practicing and performing for Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show in the late l800s? Or that many interpreters believe that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is not just a fairy tale, but also a Populist allegory? These are just two of the folk legends dissected and examined in this veritable cultural geography. The volume covers everything from billionaire Howard Hughes and composer Aaron Copeland to Aztlan (the legendary first city of the Aztecs) and Area 51, the top-secret U.S. Air Force base at Groom Lake, Nevada, that has fascinated UFO and conspiracy buffs.

Presents stories, recipes, and photographs of barbecue cooking in the South, recording the pitmasters and legendary joints that make this food culture famous.

Think only master chefs can create the savory, succulent barbecue masterpieces you love to eat? Nonsense! BBQ Sauces, Rubs & Marinades For Dummies shows you everything you need to dig in, get your apron dirty, and start stirring up scrumptious sauces, magical marinades, and rubs to remember. Featuring 100 bold new recipes, along with lots of savvy tips for spicing up your backyard barbecue, this get-the-flavor guide a healthy dose of barbecue passion as it delivers practical advice and great recipes from some of America's best competition barbecue cooks. You get formulas for spicing up chicken, beef, pork, and even seafood, plus plenty of suggestions on equipment, side dishes, and much more. Discover how to: Choose the right types of meat Build a BBQ tool set Craft your own sauces Smoke and grill like a pro Marinate like a master Choose the perfect time to add sauce Rub your meat the right way Whip up fantastic sides Add flavor with the right fuel Plan hours (and hours) ahead Cook low and slow for the best results Avoid flavoring pitfalls Turn BBQ leftovers into ambrosia Complete with helpful lists of dos and don’ts, as well as major barbecue events and associations, BBQ Sauces, Rubs & Marinades For Dummies is the secret ingredient that will have your family, friends, and neighborhoods begging for more.

This three-volume encyclopedia on the history of American food and beverages serves as an ideal companion resource for social studies and American history courses, covering topics ranging from early American Indian foods to mandatory nutrition information at fast food restaurants. The expression "you are what you eat" certainly applies to Americans, not just in terms of our physical health, but also in the myriad ways that our taste preferences, eating habits, and food culture are intrinsically tied to our society and history. This standout reference work comprises two volumes containing more than 600 alphabetically arranged historical entries on American foods and beverages, as well as dozens of historical recipes for traditional American foods; and a third volume of more than 120 primary source documents. Never before has there been a reference work that coalesces this diverse range of information into a single set. The entries in this set provide information that will transform any American history research project into an engaging learning experience. Examples include explanations of how tuna fish became a staple food product for Americans, how the canning industry emerged from the Civil War, the difference between Americans and people of other countries in terms of what percentage of their income is spent on food and beverages, and how taxation on beverages like tea, rum, and whisky set off important political rebellions in U.S. history.