Intro -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- Introduction -- About This Book -- Foolish Assumptions -- Icons Used in This Book -- Beyond the Book -- Where to Go from Here -- Part 1 Getting Started with Barbecue -- Chapter 1 Taking a Closer Look at Barbecue -- Barbecue Beginnings -- Barbecue in the United States and abroad -- From humble beginnings to art form -- Going for a Regional Spin -- The Carolinas -- Kansas City -- West Tennessee -- Texas -- Other important players -- Applying Heat to Meat, Slowly -- Smoke + heat = magic -- Keeping it low and slow -- Starting with Great Ingredients -- Sourcing and choosing meat -- Keeping your spice shelf fresh -- Preparing the Meat -- Trimming the fat -- Adding spices or liquid -- The Moment (or Hours) of Truth: Cooking -- Getting the grill or smoker ready -- Setting up for success -- Chapter 2 Uncovering the Science of Smoking -- Choosing Hot or Cold Smoking -- How Meat Changes as It Cooks -- What to watch for when you're smoking -- Cooking hot and fast or low and slow -- Muscling into structure and fibers -- Straight Talk about Indirect Cooking -- Debating direct versus indirect -- Making the most of the method -- Some Words about Wood -- Flavoring as You Smoke -- Adding flavor with smoke -- Testing the effects of brines and rubs -- Chapter 3 Stocking Up on Barbecue Tools -- Starting a Fire -- A Mop, Some Tongs, and More -- The essentials -- Nice but not necessary -- Chapter 4 Looking at Smokers -- Getting by with a Grill -- Considering charcoal -- Grilling with gas -- Leveling Up: Considering Smokers -- Standing up to a vertical smoker -- Siding with an offset smoker -- Relying on electric pits for renegade smoking -- Spinning through rotisserie basics -- Adding pellet smokers: A trend for good reason -- Joining the cult of ceramic cookers -- Building an open pit smoker.

Buying a Cooker: What to Look For -- Part 2 Knowing the Ingredients for Success -- Chapter 5 Starting with the Meat -- Making Friends with a Butcher and Other Ways to Start Strong -- Searching for your butcher -- Being knowledgeable about meat -- Knowing Butt from Belly: Cuts of Meat -- Smoking beef -- Grilling cuts of beef -- Cutting up chicken -- Looking at lamb -- Portioning pork -- Savoring seafood -- Chapter 6 Preparing the Meat: Rubs, Brines, and Marinades -- Prepping Meat for Heat -- Previewing the preparations -- Planning reactions -- Choosing a method -- Melding Meat and Liquid: Brines and Marinades -- The juice on brining -- Making memorable marinades -- Building a Bodacious Rub -- Combining salt, sugar, and seasoning -- Matching rub to meat -- Chapter 7 Finishing Strong: The Sauce -- Building Your Own Sauce -- Choosing a base -- Balancing acid, salt, sweet, and heat -- Using seasonings and spices -- Experimenting as You Go -- Leaning on the experts -- Using sauces like a pro -- Part 3 Barbecue Recipes, Meat by Meat -- Chapter 8 Beef -- Chapter 9 Chicken and Seafood -- Chapter 10 Lamb -- Chapter 11 Pork -- Part 4 Sides, Sauces, and Then Some -- Chapter 12 Rubs, Brines, and Marinades -- Chapter 13 Sauces -- Chapter 14 Appetizers -- Chapter 15 Sides -- Chapter 16 Desserts -- Part 5 The Part of Tens -- Chapter 17 Ten Rookie Mistakes to Avoid -- Not Paying Close Attention to Temperature -- Not Being Prepared -- Over-Smoking Your Meat -- Using Too Much Seasoning -- Not Wearing the Proper Clothes -- Not Using the Proper Wood -- Trusting a Bad Thermometer or Placing Your Thermometer in a Bad Spot -- Powering through the Stall -- Being Too Rushed -- Stressing Out -- Chapter 18 Ten Questions to Ask Your Butcher -- Where Do You Source Your Meat? -- What Interesting Cuts Do You Have Available? -- How Do I Prepare a Particular Cut of Meat?.

Can You Make Me a Custom Cut? -- How Do I Slice This Piece of Meat to Make It the Most Useful and Tender? -- Do You Have Serving Suggestions for Me? -- How Long Will This Meat Stay Fresh? -- Do You Have Any Aged Meats? -- Do You Have Any Pre-Prepared Entrees? -- What's Your Recommended Burger Blend? -- Chapter 19 Ten Seasonings to Keep on Hand -- Salt -- Pepper -- Garlic Powder -- Onion Powder -- Cayenne Pepper -- Chili Powder -- Rosemary -- Thyme -- Allspice -- Paprika -- Chapter 20 Ten Iconic Barbecue Restaurants -- The Rendezvous (Memphis, Tennessee) -- Arthur Bryant's (Kansas City, Missouri) -- The Bar-B-Q Shop (Memphis, Tennessee) -- Louis Mueller Barbecue (Taylor, Texas) -- Kreuz Market (Lockhart, Texas) -- Skylight Inn BBQ (Ayden, North Carolina) -- Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q (Decatur, Alabama) -- 17th Street BBQ (Murphysboro, Illinois) -- Lem's Bar-B-Q (Chicago, Illinois) -- Peg Leg Porker (Nashville, Tennessee) -- Part 6 Appendixes -- Appendix A Metric Conversion Guide -- Appendix B Time and Temperature Guide -- Index -- Supplemental Images -- EULA.