Backyard BBQ: The Art of Smokology
by Richard W. McPeake
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Book Reviews of Backyard BBQ: The Art of Smokology
Book Review: Limited recipes, limited help
Summary: 2 Stars
This is my 3rd smoking book and probably 5th "BBQ" book overall.
What I like: The author (Richard Peake) does know his stuff. There is interesting information about rubs, sauces, woods to use etc. There is a lot of good information - and recipes - on brining.......the author is very big on brining. There are also lots of sauce and mop recipes.
What I don't like: There's a limited number of recipes for food. Take a look at the "Contents" page provided by Amazon in their "Look inside". Quite varied information, but not too much on recipes: p135-179 so 44 pages of the 219 are "main meal" recipes and only 1 duck recipe for Duck Pastrami for instance. I also didn't like the "feel" of the recipes that are there. This one is subjective, but to me they're very "mechanical" compared to other books (no enthusiasm, no tips or things to learn), and they're very broad on timings "45-60 minutes" (or worse). There's just not a good "feel" to the recipes to me. I also find the book quite disorganized: he talks about Brine's early in the book (around page 40) but recipes for Brines are on p103.
For my smoker my go-to book is still Smoke & Spice. I generally only consult this for brine or rub recipes.
If you are still interested in this book I urge you to take a look at the Contents or Index first (or otherwise use the "Look Inside" feature).
Caveat emptor.
Book Review: GREAT TEACHING BOOK!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had this book for a while and refer to it each time I have a question. If you are looking for pretty, that it is not. if you are looking great information on Smoking this is a great book to have.
For a self authored book (no publisher included) this book has it flaws, but the information in this book regarding The art of smoking is almost matched by none. This book is all about smoking, nothing in it is about grilling. One of the first books I have bought that really focuses on this fashion of cooking.
The recipes are very good and loaded with flavors and different ways of doing the same item. It has a very good section on meat tips and buying and the chapter on the brining chicken and the secrets to smoking seafood (hot smoking) are very good!
My BBQ has gone up to a level that I am very proud and I haven't even tried all the recipes yet. The Jambayala Rice is awesome! and the cool section on salsas and relishes are refreshing.
The chapters on Proper Smoking Techniques, Basics of a Dry Rub and Making a BBQ Sauce, will save you months or years on the learning curve.
I agree with the national book reviews on this book, not pretty, but a important manual to have on your shelf if you are interested in this art!
You can not go wrong with this one!
Book Review: All Smoke...No Substance here...Don't Waste your wood chips!
Summary: 1 Stars
Well, I ordered this book ...Backyard BBQ, "The Art of Smokology", actually thinking it may be helpful. There were no other reviews, so I took a chance on the self serving description supplied on Amazon.
Some of the recipes are just rehashes of basic smoking recipes that are everywhere and pretty standard. The alleged chef here is obviously self anointed and not a trained chef by anyone's real culinary standards.
Others recipes are just plain awful, or rather, "off the wall". No one would ever ruin a good piece of food using them. I have tried 3 of the recipes so far, and they will be the last, as they were nothing special to say the least. Some of his "BBQ Sauces"...well they don't even sound enticing, let alone wanting to make them. The first 90 pages of the book doesn't have a recipe, it is just taking up valuable book space by giving basic definitions of foods and cuts of meat, chicken, etc. Total space filler and in large type and spacing to boot.
This book is on it's way to the Goodwill Store, so they can resell it for $.50 and make some money, as I have totally wasted mine in buying it.I would recommend a better, classier, hard cover cookbook for your smoking needs and education.
This one is all smoke and zero substance!
Book Review: SMOKOLOGY 101
Summary: 4 Stars
Just so were on the same page, this book is on smoking, as opposed to be purely another book on BBQ. Smoking is a technique that takes time and patience and don't expect to get things perfect the first several tries. McPeake opens the book by discussing different types of smokers. McPeake says bigger is not better. I would also add that more expensive is not necessarily better either as you can achieve great results with an inexpensive water smoker. No smoker? No problem. McPeake also explains how you can use your kettle grill...even your gas grill for smoking and still make great smoked BBQ. It does work well with a gas grill once you get your technique down. McPeake provides a list of different wood types and the tastes they will provide. I love apple wood with chicken, it gives it a great flavor. In additon to the techniques which I consider the most valuable section, there's chapters on meat selection, temperatures, rubs, etc. Fully 1/2 the book is technique oriented before te 2nd half gets into some recipes. Very good, funamental and advanced smoking book.Book Review: Taking the guesswork out of the smoking process
Summary: 5 Stars
Smoking meat is not a trivial process, as I learned when I bought my first smoker. My first attempt was a disaster, producing a burned, woody, unpleasant product. In fact, it was so bad, I had thoughts of never firing up my smoker again. But, after my wife bought this book for me, and I read the "basics" chapters, I immediately realized the several mistakes I made. While my second attempt wasn't nearly as bad as the first, it wasn't what I was hoping for. By reading and following Richard's instructions, tips and following his basic recipes, the third attempt at producing brisket turned out wonderful. What I like about this book is that it's written for both the beginning novice as well as the advanced smoker, with great, easy to follow recipes for rubs, mops, and sauces. And, it's not just dedicated to smoking brisket and ribs, but all sorts of other meats including seafood and poultry. If you struggle to produce a well-smoked product or are interested in improving your technique, I highly recommend this book! No other book has been as helpful as this one for me.