While there are many courses and tutorials online, learning from a book is still one of the best ways to greatly improve your skills. Below I have selected top Barbecue books.
- Smokelore: A Short History of Barbecue in America (2019)
- Smokin’ with Myron Mixon: Recipes Made Simple, from the Winningest Man in Barbecue: A Cookbook (2011)
- Operation BBQ: 200 Smokin’ Recipes from Competition Grand Champions (2019)
- Barbecue Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades–Bastes, Butters & Glazes, Too (2017)
- Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ Book: Recipes and Secrets from a Legendary Barbecue Joint: A Cookbook (2009)
- The Barbecue! Bible (2008)
- Peace, Love, & Barbecue: Recipes, Secrets, Tall Tales, and Outright Lies from the Legends of Barbecue: A Cookbook (2005)
- Everyday Barbecue: At Home with America’s Favorite Pitmaster: A Cookbook (2013)
- Pitmaster’s Log Book: Barbecue Notes & Perfected Recipes (2018)
- BBQ USA: 425 Fiery Recipes from All Across America (2003)
- Sous Vide BBQ: Delicious Recipes and Precision Techniques that Guarantee Smoky, Fall-Off-The-Bone BBQ Every Time (2018)
- Arkansas Cookin’ (1975)
Smokelore: A Short History of Barbecue in America (2019)
Barbecue: It’s America in a mouthful. The story of barbecue touches almost every aspect of our history. It involves indigenous culture, the colonial era, slavery, the Civil War, the settling of the West, the coming of immigrants, the Great Migration, the rise of the automobile, the expansion of suburbia, the rejiggering of gender roles. It encompasses every region and demographic group.
Smokin’ with Myron Mixon: Recipes Made Simple, from the Winningest Man in Barbecue: A Cookbook (2011)
In the world of competitive barbecue, nobody’s won more prize money, more trophies, or more adulation than Myron Mixon. And he comes by it honestly: From the time he was old enough to stoke a pit, Mixon learned the art of barbecue at his father’s side. He grew up to expand his parent’s sauce business, Jack’s Old South, and in the process became the leader of the winningest team in competitive barbecue.
Operation BBQ: 200 Smokin’ Recipes from Competition Grand Champions (2019)
Operation BBQ is a compilation of recipes from championship-winning barbecue teams who volunteer for disaster relief efforts across the United States. These unsung heroes develop BBQ dishes that wow crowds and judges everywhere, and then help feed displaced residents and emergency personnel―putting the “comfort” in “comfort food.” Here, more than 70 teams of grand and world champion pitmasters bring their prized recipes and powerful stories to life in this exceptional cookbook.
Barbecue Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades–Bastes, Butters & Glazes, Too (2017)
Barbecue sauces, rubs, and marinades are every griller’s secret weapon—the flavor boosters that give grilled food its character, personality, depth, and soul. Steven Raichlen, America’s “master griller” (Esquire), has completely updated and revised his bestselling encyclopedia of chile-fired rubs, lemony marinades, buttery bastes, pack-a-wallop sauces, plus mops, slathers, sambals, and chutneys.
Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ Book: Recipes and Secrets from a Legendary Barbecue Joint: A Cookbook (2009)
Winners of the World Championship BBQ Cook-Off for six years in a row and with hundreds of other contest ribbons as well, nobody does barbecue better than Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur, Alabama.
The Barbecue! Bible (2008)
Now the biggest and the best recipe collection for the grill is getting better: Announcing the full-color edition of The Barbecue! Bible, the 900,000-copy bestseller and winner of the IACP/Julia Child Cookbook Award. Redesigned inside and out for its 10th anniversary, The Barbecue! Bible now includes full-color photographs illustrating food preparation, grilling techniques, ingredients, and of course those irresistible finished dishes.
Peace, Love, & Barbecue: Recipes, Secrets, Tall Tales, and Outright Lies from the Legends of Barbecue: A Cookbook (2005)
A one-of-a-kind collection of recipes, photographs, and behind-the-scenes stories from legendary pitmaster Mike Mills.In Peace, Love, & Barbecue – a unique combination of cookbook, memoir, and travelogue – Mike Mills, the unrivalled king of barbecue, shares his passion for America’s favorite cuisine–its intense smoky flavors, its lore and traditions, and its wild cast of characters.Through conversational anecdotes and black-and-white photographs, readers meet a diverse circle of colleagues and…
Everyday Barbecue: At Home with America’s Favorite Pitmaster: A Cookbook (2013)
As the winningest man in barbecue, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, and a judge on the hit show BBQ Pitmasters on Discovery’s Destination America, Myron Mixon knows more about smoking meat than any man alive. And now he’s on a mission to prove to home cooks everywhere that they can make great barbecue any day of the week—in the comfort of their own backyard or kitchen, no matter their skill level.
Pitmaster’s Log Book: Barbecue Notes & Perfected Recipes (2018)
Pitmaster’s Log Book is your shortcut to Competition Quality Barbecue Document & capture all the essential variables of each cook. Then, with the easy to use page layout, figure out what you did right and where you can improve. In no time you will achieve a mastery of barbecue.
BBQ USA: 425 Fiery Recipes from All Across America (2003)
Steven Raichlen, a national barbecue treasure and author of The Barbecue! Bible, How to Grill, and other books in the Barbecue! Bible series, embarks on a quest to find the soul of American barbecue, from barbecue-belt classics-Lone Star Brisket, Lexington Pulled Pork, K.C. Pepper Rub, Tennessee Mop Sauce-to the grilling genius of backyards, tailgate parties, competitions, and local restaurants.
Sous Vide BBQ: Delicious Recipes and Precision Techniques that Guarantee Smoky, Fall-Off-The-Bone BBQ Every Time (2018)
Packed with professional tips, helpful photos and step-by-step tutorials, this book shows how to use your sous vide’s precision temperature control to cook moist, flavorful meats every time.Then it goes further.Author Greg Mrvich reveals his proven techniques and secret tricks for juicy, tender meat with a crispy, caramelized bark and perfect, smoky flavor.
Arkansas Cookin’ (1975)
Classic Arkansas Recipes
Best Barbecue Books You Must Read
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Library Genesis and download some barbecue books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
Guga: Breaking the Barbecue Rules
Author(s): Gustavo Tosta
ID: 3708682, Publisher: Alpha, Year: 2023, Size: 92 Mb, Format: epub
Vegan Barbecue More Than 100 Recipes for Smoky
Author(s): Sargent, Terry;
ID: 3717386, Publisher: Harvard Common Press, Year: 2023, Size: 13 Mb, Format: epub
Global Smoke: Bold New Barbecue Inspired by The World's Great Cuisines
Author(s): Cheryl Jamison
ID: 3719333, Publisher: Harvard Common Press, Year: 2023, Size: 11 Mb, Format: epub
Please note that this booklist is not absolute. Some books are absolutely best-sellers according to USA Today, others are composed by unknown writers. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant resources you could recommend? Drop a comment if you have any feedback on the list.