John Willingham's World Champion Bar-B-q: Over 150 Recipes And Tall Tales For Authentic... Book

Bar-B-Q aficionados from around the world pilgrimage to Memphis for John Willingham's famous, braggin' rights Bar-B-Q Feisty debates have erupted right there, in the midst of fire and smoke, over whether Willingham's ribs with Memphis-style sauce or his World Champion Brisket rubbed with Hot Seasoning are his best. And no one goes home before they've had his gooey, rich shoofly pie.

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 acclaimed 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 Herbed 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 overhickory 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 Maple Sauce spooned over ice cream to mention just a few, for dessert.

John Willingham explains what real Bar-B-Q isand isn't—and provides the techniques and tips that have won him accolades but are so simple even a backyard 'cuer can use them. Down-home and authentic, John Willingham's World Champion Bar-B-Q is the sourcebook for weekend enthusiasts and world-class chefs ready to follow in the Willingham tradition of creating delicious Bar-B-Q masterpieces.

Publishers Weekly

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 gas, 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 beer 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. (May)