Five Great BBQ Books to Buy This Holiday Season

Here are five of the best BBQ books released this year that every barbecue enthusiast must have in their collection.

Every year, several fantastic new BBQ books are published, and we do our best to share new titles that offer insights into the BBQ world and inspiration to try new recipes. As it is once again that time of year when people shop for gifts and stocking stuffers (or putting together their wish lists), we’re highlighting a few of our favorite BBQ books published in 2023.

Here are five of this year’s best BBQ books every barbecue fanatic should have on their bookshelves.

The Big Texas Cookbook: The Food That Defines the Lone Star State — Editors of Texas Monthly

In The Big Texas Cookbook, the editors of the award-winning magazine Texas Monthly have gathered an expansive collection of recipes that reflect the state’s food traditions, eclectically grouped by how Texans like to start and end the day (Rise and Shine, There Stands the Glass), how they revere their native-born ingredients (Made in Texas), and how they love the people, places, and rituals that surround their favorite meals (On Holiday, Home Plates). Getting their very own chapters—no surprise—are the behemoths mentioned above, barbecue and Tex-Mex (Smoke Signals, Con Todo). With recipes for über-regional specialties like venison parisa, home cooking favorites like King Ranch casserole, and contemporary riffs like a remarkable Lao beef chili, The Big Texas Cookbook pays homage to the cooks who long ago shaped the state’s food culture and the ones who are building on those traditions in surprising and delightful ways.

Ed Mitchell’s Barbeque — Ed Mitchell, Ryan Mitchell, and Zella Palmer

In his first cookbook, pitmaster Ed Mitchell explores the tradition of whole-hog barbeque that has made him famous. It’s a method passed down through generations over the course of 125 years and hearkens back even further than that to his ancestors who were plantation sharecroppers and, before that, enslaved. Ed is one of the few remaining pitmasters to keep this barbeque tradition alive. In Ed Mitchell’s Barbeque, he will share his methods for the first time and fill in the unwritten chapters of the rich and complex history of North Carolina whole-hog barbeque. From cracklin’ to hush puppies, fried green tomatoes to deviled eggs, okra poppers, skillet cornbread, potato salad, and pickled pigs’ feet, this cookbook is filled with delicious and essential recipes honed over decades. And, of course, there is the barbeque—mouth-watering baby back ribs, smoked pork chops, backyard brisket, and barbequed chicken—all paired with lively and warmly told stories from the Mitchell family. Ed Mitchell’s Barbeque is rich with the history of Wilson, North Carolina, and yet promises to bring barbeque to the next level.

Franklin Smoke: Wood. Fire. Food. — Aaron Franklin and Jordan Mackay

Aaron Franklin, bestselling author and proprietor of Austin hotspot Franklin Barbecue, turns to backyard live-fire grilling and smoking in Franklin Smoke. Along with award-winning food writer Jordan Mackay, Franklin addresses the mysterious area where the smoker and grill intersect, describing when and how to combine the two best. This complete resource, which features inspiring and helpful photographs, proves that lighting a backyard fire is no big deal on a weeknight — and that you can (and should!) cook this way for fuller flavors and a deeper engagement with the elements. Whether you're an old pro looking for new tips or have just purchased your first grill or smoker, the book shares expert techniques designed for any type of backyard grill, from inexpensive kettle-style grills, Big Green Eggs, offset cookers, and hand-built fire pits.

From Barbycu to Barbecue: The Untold History of an American Tradition — Joseph R. Haynes

The origin story of barbecue is a popular topic with a ravenous audience, but commonly held understandings of barbecue are often plagued by half-truths and misconceptions. From Barbycu to Barbecue offers a fresh new look at the story of southern barbecuing. Award-winning barbecue cook Joseph R. Haynes sets out to correct one of the most common barbecue myths, the "Caribbean Origins Theory," which holds that the original southern barbecuing technique was imported from the Caribbean to what is today the American South. Rather, Haynes argues, the southern whole carcass barbecuing technique that came to define the American tradition developed via direct and indirect collaboration between Native Americans, Europeans, and free and enslaved people of African descent during the seventeenth century. Haynes's barbycu-to-barbecue history analyzes historical sources throughout the Americas that show that the southern barbecuing technique is as unique to the United States as jerked hog is to Jamaica and barbacoa is to Mexico. A recipe in each chapter provides a contemporary interpretation of a historical technique.

The Grill Sisters’ Guide to Legendary BBQ: 60 Irresistible Recipes that Guarantee Mouthwatering, Finger-Lickin' Results — Desi Longinidis and Irene Sharp

Kick your grilling into high gear with this how-to manual for cooks of all levels. If you want your food to explode with flavor, The Grill Sisters’ easy-to-follow recipes are just what the backyard chef ordered. Having competed alongside world-renowned BBQ experts and as brand ambassadors for Barbeque Galore, these ladies know their way around a grill. They walk you through setting up your grilling equipment, the art of using wood chips and cooking your meat to the perfect temperature, along with all the best ways to prepare food on your grill ― searing, basting, smoking, and more. Armed with this guide to all things BBQ, you have everything you need to make your next outdoor gathering a sizzling success.

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These are just a few of our favorite new books for fans of barbecue and grilling. Let us know if we missed one of your favorites!

Ryan Cooper and Sean Ludwig
Co-Founders, The Smoke Sheet