From Publishers Weekly
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Willingham, who competes in contests nationwide,
moves in a subculture where serious barbecuers guard their
recipes like the most valuable of trade secrets. He defines
barbecue, in contrast to grilling or roasting, as cooking meat at
250 degrees or lower for a long time with indirect heat. He
encourages 'cuers to build their own cookers and to use wood fuel
rather than charcoal. No , please. Recipes (more than 150)
kick off with starters and breads (using mostly indoor methods)
and reach a section called Slow-Cooked Heaven?Real Barbecue,
which contains Willingham's World-Champion Ribs: beef, pork or
lamb rib slabs marinated and massaged with a dry rub,
refrigerated for 12 hours and cooked at 250 degrees for up to
five hours. World-Champion Brisket cooks for up to 10 hours at
210 degrees. For those unable (or unwilling) to build or buy a
serious barbecue cooker, Willingham provides a recipe for
Screamin' Mean Oven-Roasted Beef Barbecue, a three-hour chuck
roast. Among the unusual ploys for standard backyard grills is
Dancing Chicken, in which the bird is grilled with a half-full
can of in the cavity. Although he provides many sauces, rubs
and marinades, Willingham emphasizes the authentic barbecue
cooking process, which makes his book most useful to those with
the space and time for a serious commitment to 'cuing.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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From Library Journal
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Summer is upon us, and there's something for
everyone in the latest crop of books on outdoor cooking. Butel,
the author of several popular books on Southwestern food, also
runs a cooking school in Albuquerque. She starts with a good
introduction to grilling and smoking, with information on
rotisserie cooking as well. Her recipes, from Appetizers to Quick
Smoking to Desserts from the Grill, are appealing and fairly
sophisticated. Readers expecting typical Southwestern cooking,
however, will be surprised to find Bayou Gumbo, Hot Tuna Teriyaki
with Sushi Rice, and other ethnic and "fusion" dishes. In any
case, there are lots of good and imaginative recipes here. For
most collections. The Jamisons, who covered classic barbecue in
Smoke & Spice (LJ 4/15/94), are back with a more contemporary
approach, creating an array of delicious dishes from Southwest
Shrimp and Corn Nuggets to Salmon with Summer s. They stop
short of smoking desserts, but they do offer menu suggestions for
each of their tempting recipes. Recommended for most collections.
The old school of barbecuing is represented by Venable and
Willingham. Venable offers Rick's Hot Wings, Down and Dirty Ribs,
Kansas City Steaks with Red Wine, and other recipes in that vein;
most are short and simple. Willingham, who has won awards at
barbecue competitions all over the country, includes many recipes
from other barbecues as well as his own recipes. There are
recipes for both grilled and barbecued meats and fish, along with
appetizers, side dishes, and barbecue sauces, rubs, marinades, et
al., presented with lots of folksy humor. Spieler's contribution
is a beautifully photographed collection of mouthwatering dishes,
but it's not exactly classic barbecue: Thai-Style Shrimp,
Provencal Fish in Grape Leaves, and Yucatan Turkey. (Almost all
the recipes are for grilled dishes rather than true barbecue.)
Buy this for its eclectic assortment of internationally inspired
summery recipes, not as the basic introduction to outdoor cooking
that its title might suggest.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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From Booklist ( /gp/feature.html/?docId=1000027801 )
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Willingham explains the hows and whys of this long,
slow-cooking method and includes information on equipment,
temperature, ingredients, and even cook-off contests. Important
to remember when perusing the more than 150 recipes is that no
two chefs will agree on the parameters of barbecue; however,
Willingham tries his best to feature many variations on a theme,
from Memphis-style sauce to Arkansas country sauce. Little is
omitted here. Barbara Jacobs
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From the Back Cover
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Authentic Bar-B-Q is as American as the Fourth of
July, but often it takes a search party to find the real thing.
Now, for the first time, John Willingham, winner of more major
grand champion Bar-B-Q awards than anyone else in history, shares
his celebrated recipes for a complete Bar-B-Q feast. At the heart
of this book are Willingham's accled recipes for mouthwatering
beef, pork, fish, and chicken Bar-B-Q. Here are clear
instructions for determining what type of cooker to use; laying a
perfect fire to minimize smoke and maximize taste; preparing and
using assorted dry rubs and marinades; getting a rich, marbled
taste out of any cut of meat. The result is such triumphs as
Grilled Pork Loin Roast, tender on the inside, golden on the
outside; fresh, subtle ed Shrimp with Basil; Honey
Mustard-Glazed Ribs that can be prepared in a snap; and Hot
Sauce-Marinated Chicken. But it's not just the perfectly prepared
meats and sauces on which Willingham lavishes special attention.
No Bar-B-Q feast would be complete without starters, salads,
fixin's, slaws, and dessert. And Willingham has the blue ribbon
recipes for them all. Take, for example, his Smokin' Fastball
Wings cooked over hickory or apple wood, melt-in-your-mouth Angel
Biscuits, or stand-up spicy Cajun Coleslaw. To cool off, there's
Grandma's Raisin Bread Pudd'n with Rum Sauce, Old-Fashioned
Custard Pie, or rich le Sauce spooned over ice cream, to
mention just a few, for dessert. John Willingham explains what
real Bar-B-Q is - and isn't - and provides the techniques and
tips that have won him accolades but are so simple even a
backyard 'cuer can use them.
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About the Author
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John Willingham is the most accled Bar-B-Q chef in the world.
A Memphis native, he has created his own line of sauces, rubs,
and marinades and invented the famous W'ham Turbo Cooker.
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