Congrats to Desiree Robinson of Cozy Corner Restaurant, 2020 BBQ Hall of Fame Inductee and the first African-American woman to be honored with that distinction
“The Cooking Gene” by Michael Twitty has been on my list and I need to get around to it
.@KosherSoul's memoir, "The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South," explores the issue of race in Southern cuisine through his own ancestry. Learn more about the book and where you can purchase it. https://t.co/9e26QlSeQq
Derrick Walker’s of Smoke-A-Holics BBQ in Fort Worth is one of four pitmasters to help the backyard smoker
Four Texas pitmasters share their tips on backyard barbecuing, which really isn't all that different from the meat smoking they do day in and day out, give or take a few pounds. https://t.co/qry1Po0YRQ
Not that we’re anywhere close to being qualified enough to evaluate books but more so as a public service announcement we will periodically discuss barbecue and barbecue-related books.
As for this book Smoked is equal parts travelogue, recipes, and barbecue 101. He has chapters with recipes from the notable pitmasters you might expect – Sam Jones, Elliot Moss, Billy Durney, Carey Bringle, Pat Martin to name a few – but to me the best part of the book are the chapters on the less heralded or more up-and-coming pitmasters. Being a northeastern-based pitmaster, Randolph spotlights several pitmasters from states not normally known as barbecue hot beds. States such as Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. While it may be due to a function of Ed being able to travel to those restaurants more easily, it is nice to see some variety in pitmasters and restaurants in a barbecue book.
That’s not to say that Randolph only focused on the part of the country where he’s from, as he traveled from California to Texas and throughout the southeast to meet with pitmasters and get recipes, as noted by the map at the front of the book.
As for the recipes, there’s good variety in the types of meats that are represented – not just your typical brisket or pork butt – in addition to recipes for sides, sauces, and desserts. The book might be worth its price alone just for the chicken bog recipe from Elliott Moss of Buxton Hall.
Smoked is an easy read from an up and coming name in the barbecue world who followed up this book last year with a Traeger recipe book in April. Also of note is the beautiful photography from Ken Goodman and the foreword by Sean Ludwig of NYC BBQ and The Smoke Sheet.
David McAtee was the owner of Yaya’s BBQ in Louisville who was shot and killed by police who were supposedly returning fire Monday morning
David McAtee owned and operated a barbeque stand at the intersection of 26th and Broadway. He was killed by law enforcement early Monday after police said they were shot at. https://t.co/Rurmu9hcxo
Louisville police chief fired after it was revealed that the officers involved in a shooting that killed David McAtee early Monday did not activate their body cameras, mayor announces. https://t.co/lYSCcpfN9Y
This photo of David McAtee volunteering to feed homeless families hit me hard. He radiates such joy and by all accounts tried to share that joy with others. Another black life snuffed out by police violence. #BlackLivesMatterhttps://t.co/Hp81Fnhkaxpic.twitter.com/s9ypvLMMHe
Monk: Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that I quietly posted my Lexington rankings a few months back through the top navigation bar. Before the pandemic hit, it was my pet project to hit all of the current Lexington-area barbecue restaurants for my definitive* Lexington rankings. I’ve been a longtime fan of Lexington Barbecue and in recent years, The Barbecue Center. But as the self-proclaimed “Barbecue Capital of the World” (one of many cities claiming that title, it should be noted) boasting at times one barbecue restaurant per 1,000 restaurants (though this is not currently the case), I needed to explore the others to understand the quality and depth of the other restaurants.
I’ve broken the 14 restaurants I’ve reviewed thus far into three tiers. Someday I will get to the curiously named Lexington Trimmings for completeness sake but in the meantime, here is the most definitive list of Lexington-area barbecue restaurants on the internet*. Ladies and gentlemen, the Lexington Big Board.
I need to revisit both Smiley’s and Speedy’s asap, as they may no longer be in business for too much longer as a result of the NC Department of Transportation widening Highway 8 that they both sit on. Also, both were reviewed very early in this blog’s life and while I really enjoyed both, I’ve had a lot of barbecue since.
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