Searching for the Dixie Barbecue, with its thought-provoking text and many black and white photos, is a culinary and cultural saga. Here are glimpses of a fragment of society still tenaciously clinging to deep-rooted, primal instincts; to legends of the American frontier; and to the hand-me-down, rural traditions of the Deep South. This is a story about (among other things) regional pride, homespun cookery, backwoods lore, self-effacing redneck humor, shameless braggadocio, macho self-imagery, carnivorous bravado, porcine fundamentalism, boldfaced lies, and both culinary and social intransigence. This book will supply you with the elusive answers to three questions: What is real barbecue? How do you find it? and What does it mean to be Southern?

The definitive history of an iconic American food, with new chapters, sidebars, and updated historical accounts The full story of barbecue in the United States had been virtually untold before Robert F. Moss revealed its long, rich history in his 2010 book Barbecue: The History of an American Institution. Moss researched hundreds of sources—newspapers, letters, journals, diaries, and travel narratives—to document the evolution of barbecue from its origins among Native Americans to its present status as an icon of American culture. He mapped out the development of the rich array of regional barbecue styles, chronicled the rise of barbecue restaurants, and profiled the famed pitmasters who made the tradition what it is today. Barbecue is the story not just of a dish but also of a social institution that helped shape many regional cultures of the United States. The history begins with British colonists’ adoption of barbecuing techniques from Native Americans in the 17th and 18th centuries, moves to barbecue’s establishment as the preeminent form of public celebration in the 19th century, and is carried through to barbecue’s ubiquitous standing today. From the very beginning, barbecues were powerful social magnets, drawing together people from a wide range of classes and geographic backgrounds. Barbecue played a key role in three centuries of American history, both reflecting and influencing the direction of an evolving society. By tracing the story of barbecue from its origins to today, Barbecue: The History of an American Institution traces the very thread of American social history. Moss has made significant updates in this new edition, offering a wealth of new historical research, sources, illustrations, and anecdotes.

"In the spirit of the oral historians who tracked down and told the stories of America original bluesmen, this is a journey into the southern heartland (the Pork Belt) to discover the last of the great roadside whole hog pitmasters who hold onto the heritage and the secrets of America traditional barbecue, "--Amazon.com.

Too often depicted as a region with a single, dominant history and a static culture, the American South actually comprises a wide range of unique places and cultures, each with its own history and evolving identity. John Shelton Reed’s Mixing It Up is a medley of writings that examine how ideas of the South, and what it means to be southern, have changed over the last century. Through essays, op-eds, speeches, statistical reports, elegies, panegyrics, feuilletons, rants, and more, Reed’s penetrating observations, wry humor, and expansive knowledge help him to examine the South’s past, survey its present, and venture a few modest predictions about its future. Touching on an array of topics from the region’s speech, manners, and food, to politics, religion, and race relations, Reed also assesses the work of other pundits, scholars, and South-watchers. From Appalachia to New Orleans, Mixing it Up: A South-Watcher’s Miscellany offers a collection of lively prose and provocative observations about this ever-changing region and its people.

“The guru of ’que . . . [is] well equipped for his mission: securing South Carolina’s rightful claim as home to the nation’s first and best barbeque” (South Carolina Living). South Carolina has been home to good, old-fashioned barbeque for quite a long time. Hundreds of restaurants, stands and food trucks sell tons of the southern staple every day. But the history of Palmetto State barbeque goes deeper than many might believe—it predates the rest of America. Native Americans barbequed pork on makeshift grills as far back as the 1500s after the Spanish introduced the pig into the Americas. Since the early 1920s, South Carolinians have been perfecting the craft and producing some of the best-tastin’ ’que in the country. Join author and president of the South Carolina Barbeque Association Lake E. High Jr. as he traces the delectable history from its pre-colonial roots to a thriving modern-day tradition that fuels an endless debate over where to find the best plate. Includes photos! “Of course, if one wants to taste the best, one needs to eat barbecue in South Carolina. As High repeatedly thumps into readers, the South, and South Carolina in particular, is home to real barbecue. Nevermind that hippie California TV-producer gobbledegook or those misguided cooking attempts by confused Northerners. Bless their hearts.” —The Island Packet

North Carolina is home to the longest continuous barbecue tradition on the North American mainland. Authoritative, spirited, and opinionated (in the best way), Holy Smoke is a passionate exploration of the lore, recipes, traditions, and people who have helped shape North Carolina's signature slow-food dish. Three barbecue devotees, John Shelton Reed, Dale Volberg Reed, and William McKinney, trace the origins of North Carolina 'cue and the emergence of the heated rivalry between Eastern and Piedmont styles. They provide detailed instructions for cooking barbecue at home, along with recipes for the traditional array of side dishes that should accompany it. The final section of the book presents some of the people who cook barbecue for a living, recording firsthand what experts say about the past and future of North Carolina barbecue. Filled with historic and contemporary photographs showing centuries of North Carolina's "barbeculture," as the authors call it, Holy Smoke is one of a kind, offering a comprehensive exploration of the Tar Heel barbecue tradition.