While growing up in the South I ate my fair share of great BBQ. But many of my friends don’t know that I was a BBQ Pit Man at the Old Hickory House in Stone Mountain, Georgia while in High School. Two old school BBQ Pit men named JuneBug and Lawrence spent many an afternoon passing down their very own trade secrets to me. So whenever my friends and family are in the mood for some real BBQ I employ many of the techniques that were passed down to me over 20 years ago. Watching and reading about BBQ competitions over the past few months has been getting me excited about BBQ again. I just moved back stateside after being gone for about 7 years. So with the spring BBQ season closing in fast I decided to brush up on my BBQ skills before I decided to fire up my smoker or dare to enter a competition.
Competition BBQ Secrets by Bill Anderson is exactly the kind of book that I needed to update my BBQ skills. Bill’s book is a very detailed education on the exact science of cooking championship ribs, pork butts, and chicken. It’s a real education and well worth the read even if you are not interested in competitions. He even goes into detail about brisket—which I’ve never actually cooked before. The chapter on barbecue science was like going back to BBQ Grad School and was a much needed extension of what JuneBug and Lawrence taught me over 20 years ago at The Old Hickory House. Bill’s book reviews every facet of BBQ—from choosing a Cooker and how your wood choice will impact your recipe, to the correct way to use finishing sauces and glazes. In case you were wondering, yes we did use real Hickory wood at the Old Hickory House. This book is a must have if you are considering hitting the BBQ competition circuit or just want to wow everyone at your next family get together. One of the best features of this book is the extensive list of BBQ associations. He even lists where you can find out about all the competitions. Which is a great resource even if you aren’t interested in competing—heck someone’s got to eat all that BBQ. Competition BBQ Secrets is available on Bill’s website as an e-book or hardcover—I choose the e-book option so I could get started using it right away.
