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Automotive Traveler Magazine: Vol 3 Iss 2 Page 64

The Automotive Traveler's Bookshelf: Barbecue Road Trip: Recipes, Restaurants & Pitmasters from America's Great Barbecue Regions

By Michael Karl Witzel (Voyager Press, $30)

Reviewed by Richard Truesdell

Barbecue Road Trip is my favorite kind of book, since an important aspect of almost every road trip is the cuisine that gives each itinerary its own special flavor. And when it comes to regional cuisine, nothing better defines America than barbeque. No other category of American food elicits more passion than smoked meats. And if you're seeking one book to give you an inside look into the four major distinctions of American barbeque--Texas, North Carolina, Memphis, and Kansas City--then look no further than Michael Karl Witzel's Barbecue Road Trip.

BBQ, Bar-B-Q, barbecue--or however you spell or abbreviate it--is the antithesis of fast food. Barbeque is slow food, American style. It is not the same as cooking a steak over direct heat on the backyard grill. Real barbeque means beef, pork, and chicken cooked over low heat, the fuel imparting a distinctive flavor and texture to the meat.

If you're looking for recipes, you'll be disappointed to find only two dozen or so in Barbecue Road Trip. This book is about the culture that surrounds American barbeque's regional varieties--pork or beef, sweet or spicy, marinated or rubbed, basted or slathered in sauce, cooked slowly or seared, coal or wood chips?

Nationally renowned food commentator Michael Karl Witzel focuses his tour of American barbeque on the histories, techniques, competitions, traditional side dishes, and classic hot spots associated with this signature cuisine. Through his breezy commentary, he provides a rich picture of American barbeque in all its variations. As you read, you can almost smell and taste the food. You'll be close to licking non-existent sauce from your fingers.

Making it easy to plan your own barbeque pilgrimage, the book's 192 pages are deliciously illustrated with 250 images combined with a listing of top barbeque joints in all 50 states. American barbeque has just four main styles, but its eager practitioners exist from coast to coast.

It's no coincidence that two of Automotive Traveler's recent Road-Trip Food reviews have featured barbeque spots: Gates Bar-B-Q in Kansas City, Missouri and Dreamland BBQ in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It is the "joints" as well as the people that make the food so special. Chains that serve up tasty barbeque do exist, but real barbeque is about small, family-run operations--often spanning generations--that provide a truly unique eating experience.

American barbeque is about standing in line, waiting for your order... side dishes like coleslaw, corn bread, hushpuppies, and corn on the cob... walls impregnated with decades of smoke, that give barbeque its unique place on America's culinary landscape. Real barbeque is never pretentious--and with Witzel as your guide, it is the perfect excuse for a great road trip.


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