Rodney Scott's World of BBQ; Recipes & Perspectives from the Legendary Pitmaster

Barbecue books abound. We turn down at least three times as many as we carry. But Rodney Scott’s name was all we needed to see on this book. And it didn’t hurt that it was written with Lolis Eric Elie, who made his mark in the barbecue world 25 years ago with Smokestack Lightning.

Scott grew up in a barbecue family and has joints in three states, including South Carolina, where he was raised. Barbecue for him first means pork, cooked over hardwood in a raised pit outdoors. (This is not a book for a patio grill.) His instructions for building your own pit are detailed and include the caution that the pit itself is a commitment, which makes sense, given that a whole hog takes about 12 hours to cook.

There are recipes for things other than a whole hog: spare ribs, a smoked prime rib, a lemon and herb chicken. And of course sides, including pork skin “nachos,” collard greens, hushpuppies, and macaroni and cheese unlike any we’ve ever seen.

A barbecue book that truly add to the body of work.

Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.