Barbecue Secrets: Unbeatable Recipes, Tips and Tricks from a Barbecue Champion [Paperback]

Barbecue Secrets is much more than a cookbook. There are over 100 recipes -- from appetizers and sides, to great grilled and barbecued meat and seafood, all the way to delicious drinks and desserts. But there's also lots about the history, science and culture of barbecue. In fact, you can think of this not just as a cookbook, but more of a handbook for the Barbecue Lifestyle. It even contains playlists of great music to listen to while you barbecue!

One of the unique features of the book is a gripping account of the 2001 Oregon State Open Barbecue Championship, where my team, Rockin' Ronnie's Butt Shredders, took first place, becoming the only Canadian team to ever win a U.S. barbecue championship. Here's a quick excerpt from Chapter II, entitled To Newberg...and Glory: How Barbecue Changed My Life.

"As the evening rolled on we started to get into the rhythm of what barbecue contests are all about. We were happy. We had abandoned our daily lives and become citizens of Barbecueville, a temporary tent city that needs no laws but the rules of judging set out by the KCBS. The main industry in Barbecueville is a mild form of debauchery that involves drinking, cooking, eating meat and staying up all night listening to Waylon Jennings's greatest hits, as hickory smoke wafts across a skyline glittering with chili-shaped patio lights. Throughout the year our chubby nomadic tribe moves from contest to contest, building and then taking down our ramshackle city like a three-ring circus.

"We call what we do a championship, but it's the only competition where the event and the tailgate party are exactly the same thing. Even so-called sports like curling and darts don't count cribbage boards as standard equipment. And even though we're all "competing," what we're really doing is what we love - cooking and eating barbecue. Once you have had one aromatic, succulent, deeply satisfying bite of real barbecue, fresh out of the cooker, your life has permanently changed. To taste a perfectly cooked slice of brisket, or to experience the texture of pulled pork, piled high on a fluffy white bun, drizzled with vinegary sauce and topped with crunchy, sweet coleslaw, or to bite into a rib and feel the tender meat come gently off the bone as you taste the tangy, salty, sweet, savory pork, is just one step short of heaven. And when you can claim that you not only cook barbecue, but cook the best barbecue, you are not just a winner but a culinary demi-god, bringing a greasy nirvana within reach of those around you."

Barbecue changed my life. I hope this book changes yours!

Cheers,

(...)