Customer Reviews

Republic of Barbecue: Stories Beyond the Brisket

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
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This is a fantastic book.

Broken into essays on different aspects of central Texas barbecue this book gets into the cracks of the culture which fostered and made barbecue in this region of the counry what it is.

Highly recommended for people who want to understand why Texas barbecue is the fascinating cross cultural mishmash that it is today.

Barbecue is the ultimate American peasant food which breaks down and transcends economic, class, and racial differences.

This is not a book for people looking for recipes but plenty of important teqnique is discussed.

I found this book to be a novel approach to the subject of barbecue. As a long time foodie and a native Texan who grew up grillin', it was a fascinating to see an exploration of the culture of central Texas smoker cooking from so many different angles. From barbacoa to brisket, the subject is explored from the standpoint of the numerous entrepeneurs that have made their lives cooking meat. These men and women range from black to Hispanic to the Germans and Czechs that settled in Central Texas. Their stories are engaging and their spirit are beautifully captured in the great photography in the pages of this book. The material was collected by students and faculty of the American Studies Department at the University of Texas. Remiscent of the books of Margaret Visser or even Peter Mayle, I highly recommended it to anyone who is interested in the history and culture of food.
I'Saving The Whales: A Bwana Doc Adventure

Simply stated, Texas is home to the best barbecue on the planet. But there's more to great barbecue than what is basted on a rotating spit. That's why Elizabeth Englehardt's "Republic Of Barbecue: Stories Beyond The Brisket" is such an informative and fascinating read. It places the culinary art of the barbecue within a cultural framework ranging from feedlots, factories, and hardwood forests (fuel for the barbecue pits), to pit masters, proprietors, themes, histories, music, drinks, films, and more. Profusely illustrated throughout, this is a superbly researched, deftly written, and impressively presented American history as reflected through that enduringly popular culinary phenomena called 'the barbecue'.