BBQ Joints: Stories and Secret Recipes from the Barbeque Belt [Paperback]

David Gelin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2008

In Barbecue Joints, travel the highways and byways with a true barbecue aficionado, David Gelin, and share the scrumptious odors of hickory pits and the tangy sauces and rubs that make barbecue the signature dish of the South. Look closely and you will recognize a South where barbecue is a kind of national dish and the people who cook and serve it are, well, national heroes. This book is not just about the joints, but even more so about the good folks who are the heart and soul of them. Barbecue Joints is more than a heartfelt tale of the colorful characters that run them-it also serves as a travel guide as well as a how-to on barbecue, filled with recipes as well as instruction on building a BBQ pit of your very own!

Recipes Include:

Patricia Newton's Sweet Potato Pie

Abe's Cole Slaw

Duard Dockal's Beans

Scott's BBQ Hot-Sauce

Elvis's Pound Cake

Ricky William's Hot Dog Chil

S.W. Buck's Macaroni & Cheese

Katy Garner's Hog Heaven Fruit Cobbler

Shack by the Tracks Butter Scotch Squares

Author Biography: David Howard Gelin was born in New York and raised outside of Washington, D.C. Fate, college, and mild winters brought him to the South. Along with his aptly named Buddy, an animal rescue dog slated for that big doghouse in the sky, they are most at home on the open road. They hope to see you out there.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Ride shotgun with barbecue aficionado David Gelin as he follows the trail of smoldering hickory and mesquite. BBQ Joints: Stories and Secret Recipes from the Barbecue Belt features the best-sometimes out-of-the-way, sometimes hole-in-the-wall-places to find great barbecue. It tells the stories, histories and philosophies of the joints and their owners. An insider's view of barbecue, BBQ Joints is a wild ride you won't want to miss!

"David Gelin has the ability to capture the true essence of these amazing people and their legendary old BBQ shrines with his camera. When he added the wonderful stories and recipes it became a great book. As a student and fan of these people and places, I'm particularly pleased to see them so well documented for history's sake." -Ray Lampe, aka Dr. BBQ

"Barbecue is as American as baseball, mom and apple pie. David introduces us to the heart and soul of the very real people serving up real barbecue, and sharing their passion for barbecue-America's cuisine." -Carolyn Wells, Executive Director, Kansas City?Barbeque Society

"Gelin's work is not a celebration of barbecue alone-his work reaches much deeper.?His photography communicates the intimacy and passion shared by the people keeping these traditions vibrant and relevant. God bless these folks-they're the reason I keep a pair of elastic-waist pants in my closet." -Saddler Taylor, Chief Curator of Folklife and Research McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Just fire and hickory, brick and Smoke. Don't spice up nothin,''

George Archibald Jr. tells me as he hoses down the coals. I'm sitting at the counter on one of the seven stools. On a nice day, you might want to eat outside. There are three picnic tables under the pines. Otherwise, you're getting it to go.

George Sr. started selling barbecue in this small building behind his home back in 1961. George Jr. remembers mopping the floors for a quarter a day back then. George Jr. is joined behind the counter by his friend Arthur Wilkes. "We're a lot closer than brothers; we're friends," says George. "We're both Juniors, and our fathers were friends. We used to be built for speed, but now we're built for comfort."

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith (March 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423602188
• ISBN-13: 978-1423602187
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #402,413 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Mouth-watering Delight!, April 25, 2008

By 

Andy Lynn "Atlanta Avid Reader" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: BBQ Joints: Stories and Secret Recipes from the Barbeque Belt (Paperback)

From Texas to North Carolina, the author, David Gelin, captures the true spirit of Southern Barbeque. This book highlights the heart and soul of the good folks that make Barbeque almost a religion in the South. It's not so much a book about food, but it is also about the craft itself and the wonderful people behind those mouth-watering dishes. The stories behind the food are rich in detail and the gorgeous photographs illuminate the people and places that make these little joints a piece of heaven. Reading this book left me hungry for some old fashioned "cue". This book is a must have for any Barbeque enthusiast, just don't read it if you are hungry!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining, guided tour and valuable resource, April 7, 2009

By 

Jack L. Fisher (New Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: BBQ Joints: Stories and Secret Recipes from the Barbeque Belt (Paperback)

Mr. Gelin has done well in pointing out the authentic places to find REAL barbeque. In this day of expanding, and sometimes disappointing, franchise eateries, this book is a valuable resource for authentic bbq locations. When in the states from Florida to Missouri - from Texas to North Carolina, and have an appetite for the real stuff, from old fashion corn bread to famous ribs or chicken, be sure to get this guide book. It can save you miles of hunting for the good stuff. Not only has this author compiled a list of real bbq joints through the southeast, with photographs, he has included their recipes, and biographical tales. The book is fun to read, as well as an educational resource. It is not an expense; it is an investment in good eating. Don't miss it.

11 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good book, but it has been done before, and better., May 10, 2008

By 

Charles J. Yeager (Norristown, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: BBQ Joints: Stories and Secret Recipes from the Barbeque Belt (Paperback)

I actually liked this book but there was a feeling of deja vu while reading it. There should be; a book like this has been written before, and it was bigger and better. For the life of me I can not remember the name of it, but I bought it on Amazon. It is now out of print.

In any case this book does a nice job of telling us about the BBQ joints the author visited. I always enjoy stories like these. They inspire me to the point of "almost" opening my own BBQ place.

My problem with this book is what caused me to take away one star, and that is the title is rather misleading. It mentions "Secret Recipes" on the cover. Well, yes and no. Most of the included recipes are SIMILAR to the ones that these BBQ joints use, but not EXACTLY the recipe they use. And many of the recipes provided are pretty standard fare. Of all the recipes included, I am only tempted to make 2 or 3 of them. I guess what I am saying is DO NOT buy this book for the recipes; buy it for the stories behind the BBQ joints.

Had the recipes been better - or complete - I would have given this book 4 stars instead of 3. Oh, and there is ONE floor plan for building a smoker, and while I didn't exactly study the plans, on first glance, they look like they may be incomplete, or at least in need of further explanation.

It was a fun book to read. I read the whole thing in 2 days, but it is not the best book of its kind.