"Celebrating Barbecue: The Four Great Styles of Regional 'Cue" by Dotty Griffith

Dotty Griffith, legendary restaurant critic for the Dallas Morning News, will personalize this latest book on the celebration of barbecue.

"Barbecue is the most American of foods; to hell with apple pie," says Dotty Griffith, author of Celebrating Barbecue. Her book serves up a mildly interesting and informative look at America's four regional styles of 'cue: Carolina, known for its shredded pork and vinegar-based sauce; Memphis, whose ribs are "the real signature of Southern barbecue"; Texas, where beef brisket rules the range; and Kansas City, whose hot, sticky, tomatoey sauce was the prototype for the bottled commercial sauces now found in supermarkets everywhere. Each regional chapter offers recipes, a complete sample menu, and, handy for travelers, a list of legendary regional barbecue joints. Notable recipes include Carolina-Style Barbecued Whole Hog, for which a 75- to 80-pound pig is cooked up to 12 hours; Kansas City-Style Sticky Ribs, a "pièce de résistance"; and, for hardcore carnivores, South Texas Cabrito: tortillas filled with shredded barbecue goat. The book also contains directions for sauces and rubs; sections on appetizers, sides, and desserts; a calendar of barbecue cook-offs and festivals; and sources for ingredients and equipment. --Andy Boynton of Amazon.com

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