Praise the Lard

February 6, 2017
Barbecue is in the blood of this father and daughter duo, who share a definite fondness for hog fat, beef tallow, and the barbecue “holy trinity” of seasoning, smoke, and sauce. Champion pitmaster Mike is a partner at New York’s Blue Smoke and overseer of the 17th Street Bar & Grill in Murphysboro, Ill. Amy runs OnCue, a barbecue consultancy. Here they provide 100 family recipes, some more down-home than others. Brisket dumplings, for example, employ a Korean marinade and a dipping sauce with rice vinegar and pear juice, and their pork belly porchetta is stuffed with Italian sausage. But in an excellent chapter of pit-smoked meats, poetry and Americana run deep in dishes such as bourbon-buttered reverse-sear double-cut pork chops, and “Meat Me in St. Louis” ribs flavored with apple juice and a raspberry-chipotle sauce. Mason jars become parfait cups for a grits and collard parfait, as well as for a barbecue parfait that begins with layers of Fritos and baked beans and then is topped with whatever leftovers are at hand. The authors take porcine liberties in a chapter of libations that include a Salty Pig (ironically rimmed with kosher salt) and a Pork and Stormy, with bacon-washed bourbon and ginger beer.

May 1, 2017
Southern Illinois' Murphysboro held no special magnetism for outsiders until the Mills family turned its attention from making dentures to turning out barbecue. The father's avocation became the son's passion, and soon Murphysboro attracted foodies from everywhere. National media crowned it as home to the nation's finest barbecue. Mike Mills now holds court annually in New York City at the barbeque festival he founded there. While meat is fundamental to barbecue, the secret to greatness lies more in technique: right wood, right smoking, right timing, right temperature. Mike and daughter Amy offer advice on achieving barbecue excellence in the home setting. Recipes for rubs and sauces abound, each offering unique flavors. Side dishes include potato salad, baked beans, and coleslaw. There are fusion dishes such as soul rolls, a sort of Chinese egg roll packed with collard greens and pulled pork. Cakes and pies fill out this very country cookbook.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)