What I am Reading

This post is the first installment of "What I am Reading." I will list some of the books I am reading for the month and give a brief synopsis of each one. Some of them may be barbecue related while others may not. I would like for you to share what books you are reading so I will know about any good books I will need to read in the future. Here it goes:

1. Finding the Winning Edge by Bill Walsh

I have only made it to page 18 in this book, but it has thus far lived up to its reputation. Bill Walsh explains in detail how he became a great football coach and his philosophies in managing people. This book is a MUST read if you are a football coach or manager. It is hard to find in used book stores. I bought mine on amazon for about $38.00 including shipping and handling. A good price for this book would be anything less than $40.00.

2. not a fan. by Kyle Idleman

I finished reading this book last week. It was actually given to me as a Christmas present by my sister, and for various reasons I had stalled in reading it. I thought the book was decent. The recurring theme was that followers of Christ should give everything to him and not be a follower of Christ only when it is convenient or comfortable. The book has been a big hit with readers since it came out, and the author, Kyle Idleman, has almost reached celebrity status. I read that a DVD about the book will be released in the near future.

3. Winning Sure Beats Losing and Here's What You Can do About it by Dr. Jack H. Llewellyn

I am about halfway through this book, and it has been a good read thus far. Dr. Llewellyn is a sports psychologist who has worked with many professional athletes including former baseball players Tom Glavine and John Smoltz. So far, He has emphasized maintaining a positive attitude, being courageous enough to take the risks necessary to succeed, and constantly setting challenging but attainable goals. His principles are applicable not only to athletes but to anyone who strives to become a more productive person.

4. Don't Bend Over in the Garden, Granny, You Know Them Taters Got Eyes by Lewis Grizzard

This book is one of countless pieces of literature written by the Southern humorist Lewis Grizzard. I plan to start reading this book before the month is over. Most of Grizzard's books were written when I was just a boy, but I find his humor timeless. What many people do not know about him is that he was very opinionated and well informed about barbecue. I will save this tid-bit of information for a later post and debate. Until then, I leave you with one of his comedy routines.

Lewis Grizzard: Georgia Tech Football Tickets

Cooking Techniques: Ribs

I have attached a video with Bob Polan from Boogers Barbecue in Texas. He describes in detail how he prepares and cooks ribs. He explains what he looks for in buying ribs, how he trims them, what marinades and dry rubs he uses, and his smoking techniques. What I find most interesting is that he marinades his ribs overnight before cooking them. Usually I just generously apply a dry rub on the ribs before placing them on my little grill (I am temporarily without a smoker). I then periodically spray apple juice on them while they are smoking to keep them moist. I also apply a barbecue sauce on the ribs towards the end of the smoking process to caramelize.

My techniques, however, may be faulty. I am certainly no cooking guru and consider myself a layman when it comes to preparing barbecue. Thus, I am always open to new ideas and am anxious to try a marinade on my ribs. Hopefully the marinade will make my ribs more tender and flavorful.

Speaking of new ideas, I would like to read about your techniques when cooking ribs. More specifically, I would like to discuss the following questions:

1. Have you ever used a typical backyard grill when cooking ribs? If so, how did they taste?

2. I have heard the argument that good ribs do not need a rub because the smoke flavoring is enough. Is this statement true? Why or why not?

3. What is the best way to remove the lining (that rubbery film which I guess would be considered the membrane) of the ribs?

4. Have you ever eaten ribs from an animal other than a pig or cow? For instance, I once ate venison ribs. This may seem like a strange question, but honestly, I would like to know if the world has a larger variety of ribs to offer.

Thanks again for reading and enjoy the video!

Bob Polan from Booger's Barbecue Preparing Ribs

Legendary Pitmasters Past and Present: Chris Lilly

For the next 12 weeks I will be writing weekly posts about 12 pitmasters who have made significant contributions to barbecue. It can be challenging collecting this type of research because most of these people have not written books and there are no websites including their detailed biographies. Perhaps this will change in the future as barbecue gains popularity.

To start this series, I have chosen one of the most well known faces in barbecue.

Pitmaster: Chris Lilly

Positions: VP of Big Bob Gibson's B-B-Q and head of competition team, corporate pitmaster for Kingsford Charcoal, author, TV personality

Still Living: Yes

Restaurant: Big Bob Gibson's B-B-Q; two locations in Decatur, AL and one location in Monroe, NC

Years in the Business: He began barbecuing after graduating from college. He married the great-granddaughter of Big Bob Gibson and left the pharmaceutical sales business to manage a new Bib Bob Gibson's restaurant. Through a lot of hard work and patience, he grew to become an expert pitmaster.

Vitals: World BBQ Champion, multiple Memphis in May titles, wrote Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book: Recipes and Secrets from a Legendary BBQ Joint

Specialties: He enjoys cooking large cuts of meat. His specialty is pork shoulder. He injects flavors into it, and it is so tender that he can pull the bone out by hand.

Quote: "What I love most about barbecue is actually cooking it.  I like to cross the boundaries of regional cooking styles, flavors, and cooker temperatures.  I don’t think you can classify my barbecue as any one style or category." Chris Lilly, Meet the Pros Interview

Sources:

Chris Lilly's Grilling Tips

Chris Lilly, Meet the Pros

Chris Lilly's Pork Shoulder Barbecue

Chris Lilly at BABBP

Home of BBQ

Videos:

Pork Butt Part One

Pork Butt Part Two

The Finished Product in the Big Apple

 

 

The Blueprint for the Blog

I have decided that I will shoot for updating the blog with four posts each week. Topics will include places I eat at and whether they were good or bad, barbecue cooking tips and recipes, barbecue in print and media, the history of barbecue, updates to my bucket and top 10 lists, monthly survey questions and posts discussing the results, and other miscellaneous topics which are barbecue focused and are sure to be entertaining. The posts will contain plenty of pictures and videos which I hope you find enjoyable. Also, discussion questions will be included in the posts so that you and all of the other readers may chime in and state y'all's 10 cents. Oh, and I almost forgot, each month I will provide a list of books I am reading, and I would like for you to list the books you are reading. Perhaps we may promote literacy by sharing what we enjoy reading during our spare time. Remember, I am a school teacher so I am always looking for new avenues in which to read and learn.

If you have any suggestions for topics which I may write about in the future, please feel free to post them down at the bottom. Thanks for reading, and I encourage you to do something barbecue focused with your family this weekend. Meanwhile, watch this rib eating competition I found on youtube. It was held during halftime of a basketball game in Oklahoma. Brilliant!

The Top 10

I have put together a list of my top 10 favorite barbecue restaurants. This list is fluid however, and I will update it the first week of every month. Even a restaurant that is already on the list may move up or down or out of the top 10 based on its current performance or the performance of other restaurants which I have recently eaten at. I have pasted the list below and also have it as a google gadget on the right side of the blog. Take a look at it and tell me what you think. I encourage you to also leave a post listing your own favorite barbecue restaurants. I enjoy learning about where other people like to eat.

Top 10 (As of 6/6/12):

• 10. Fred's BBQ House Lithia Springs, GA
• 9. Beaver Creek Biscuit and BBQ Austell, GA
• 8. Dreamland BBQ Tuscaloosa, AL
• 7. Dixson BBQ Knoxville, TN
• 6. Barbecue Works Atlanta, GA
• 5. Corky's BBQ Memphis, TN
• 4. Sprayberry's BBQ Newnan, GA
• 3. Thompson Brothers BBQ Smyrna, GA
• 2. Dave Poe's BBQ Marietta, GA
• 1. Wallace BBQ Austell, GA