A backyard field manual
American
Fire
The complete BBQ helper and guide — Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, the Carolinas, Kansas City, Alabama, and the smoke belt. For a first-timer who will cook, and a pitmaster who will not be bored.
Pick a first fire
Do not start with a packer unless you already know your pit. The book will still be here Sunday.
Saturday ribs
The first real cook · Start at noon, eat at 6
One afternoon. A bend test you can see. Hickory you can smell. If you can hold 250°F (121°C) on a kettle or a vertical, you can do this.
WeekendSunday shoulder
Feeds the week · On at 8 a.m., eat at 6–7 p.m.
A shoulder forgives more than a brisket. Chop it Eastern with Tidewater Dip, or run River City Stack if you want a Memphis bun. Leftovers are the point.
Overnight brisket
The one you tell people about · Trim Friday night. On at 10 p.m. or 4 a.m. Rest before noon.
Do this after a shoulder. You already know your pit. Post oak, salt-pepper-coffee, paper wrap, probe-tender, long rest. Do not schedule a 2 p.m. party on your first packer.
BeginnerThursday night
School night fire · Home at 5:30, eat at 7:15
If the kettle is not a weeknight tool, it becomes furniture. One chimney, one bird, two zones.
Chapter 02
The smoke map
One page per style. Meat, wood, sauce, a common mistake.
Chapter 05
The core craft
Stall, wrap, probe, rest. The chapter people keep.
Thermometer · Gloves · Contained fire · Rest