“Ah, pork. Since that first little piggy went to the market, American barbeque has bowed down to the plump porcine god as slow-cooked royalty. We have entire festivals, competitions, and more than a few bed-and-breakfasts out there that have gone way past cute with collections of all things pig.”
This is how Julie Reinhardt starts the section on pork in her book, She-Smoke: A Backyard Barbecue Book
She-Smoke is smart, witty, and practical. Julie set out to write a guide to everything that someone who wants to learn about barbequing in the backyard needs to know. Charcoals, grills, knife-sharpening steels — these all come into play. Do you want to know when to use a dry rub or what meat does better with an overnight marinade? Julie covers this. I particularly like the chapter called “Grilling Basics.” Assume that the woman reading this chapter does not know anything about barbeque, since her boyfriend or husband has always done this duty. (Of course, it could very well be a man who needs to read this, since his wife has done all the grilling before him.) Julie runs through it all, with clear writing and funny anecdotes.
Really, if you want to cold smoke a pork tenderloin or make dripping-rich pork ribs this summer, this book would be eminently helpful.
On top of that, Julie includes recipes. Here are the pork recipes:
Buried Jerk Pork
Carolina Barbeque Pork
Carolina Pulled Pork
Diva Q East Meets West Pork Loin
Ego-stroking Baby Back Ribs with Apricot-Zing Glaze
Pulled Pork
Smoked Pork Loin with Grilled Apples
Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Drunken Port Sauce
Smoked Scrapple
Smoked Spareribs, Memphis-Dry-Style
Seriously, you want this book.
And now, you can have it. Julie was gracious enough to give us one of her books to share with our readers. Just leave us a comment here about why you are interested in the barbeque. We’ll choose a winner at random, a week from today, by Random.org.
In the meantime, fire up the grill. The sun has to be out somewhere.
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{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Oooooh… would love this book…. it would so go perfectly with our home reared pigs!
Hello from Singapore. In this part of the world, it’s always warm and sunny (and if it’s not, it’s raining). BBQ is something of a national pasttime here, with Singaporeans firing up the grill in backyards, condominiums and parks on weekends. I haven’t enjoyed a BBQ in some time but this book might change things.
Barbeque is the epitome of slow food to me–adding layer on layer of flavor over a long slow afternoon. And it’s such a wonderful excuse to hang out in the yard all day: gotta tend the fire! Plus, it’s the perfect party food–lots of early prep time, but when people show up, all you do is haul the sides out of the fridge, pour some drinks, and dig in. Love it!
Yes! I want that book! (along with every other cook book I can get my hands on, lol.)
Thank you so much for providing me with pork porn. I don’t think my life would be the same without this blog.
- MA
Who doesn’t like to bbq? Those recipes sound fabulous, and I’d love to win the book.
Paul
I am totally in need of this book. When do you need a dry rub vs an overnight marinade? Living in Phoenix, we fire up the grill year round so we could definitely make good use of it. All those BBQ sound great to this daughter of a transplanted Southern Bell - who always has a hankering for BBQ, but not quite the up bringing necessary to fulfill my taste buds.
Living in NYC without a backyard, this book could be completely useless to me. Except, I have amazing friends in my Brooklyn neighborhood who have a backyard and grill. I would looove to have this book to share with them, cook for them, entertain.
Ack, I hate being the first one to comment on a giveaway post - somehow I assume that random.org will never choose #1. In any case, my husband does all the BBQing and I do virtually all the cooking indoors. That division of labor bugs me a bit, so I’d LOVE to get some helpful info to get started.
The description of your time at Kingsford University started my mind percolating about barbeque. Then my co-worker mentioned how much her husband likes smoked meat and described some of the dry rubs and marinades she uses. The recipes above sound mouth-wateringly delicious. My version of grilling is “plop,” “brush on sauce,” “flip,” and “more sauce,” until it starts to look a little burnt…I want to learn a better way.
p.s. I have learned so much about the tasty world of pork from this blog - thank you! In my fridge I have some lard that I rendered from bacon (after reading your blog) and then used to saute sweet potatoes. The leftover lard is a lovely shade of “buttery” yellow and has a mellow sweet flavor. I cannot have dairy and have so enjoyed using this lard to flavor other dishes.
After 10+ years as a vegetarian, pork converted me. I love to experiment with my grill, and picked up a used smoker that I’m a bit frightened of and haven’t used yet. This book would be a great jumping off place for me.
Sheet fire! Would love to own that book to liven up my already smoky backyard! I should buy it though, that way Julie will get some cash.
xo, Biggles
What a fun book! I love BBQ and I love that feeding it to my family is such a showing of love! BBQ, hmmmm!
Wow! Those recipes sound delicious.
I’d love to surprise my husband with my newfound BBQ skills. As it is now, I’m the kitchen cook and he’s the outdoor cook. I’d love to be more well-rounded!
I’m a novice barbecuer for sure, but I do, as they say, love a little squeal with every meal, so this cookbook would be enjoyed (and appreciated!) for sure. Thanks for the great website!
Reasons I would like this book:
1. We have a smoker. That we should use more.
2. Husband’s favorite food is ribs.
3. I would love to “show him up” at the grill.
4. I read cookbooks like some folk read novels.
5. Do we need more reasons?
Love the blog - thanks for the option to enter!
I would love this book. I have a weber grill I have never used. I am scared of it. I am planning on over coming my grill fear this spring and summer. This book would really help me, inspire me.
take care
kathy brodersen
I’d love the book!