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Learn to COOK - John Willingham's World Champion Bar-B-q: Over 150 Recipes And Tall Tales For Authentic...
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List Price: $27.50
Our Price: $18.15
Your Save: $ 9.35 ( 34% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: William Morrow Cookbooks
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.5784
EAN: 9780688132873
ISBN: 0688132871
Label: William Morrow Cookbooks
Manufacturer: William Morrow Cookbooks
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 256
Publication Date: 1996-05-17
Publisher: William Morrow Cookbooks
Release Date: 1996-05-17
Studio: William Morrow Cookbooks
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Editorial Reviews:
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Bar-B-Q aficionados from around the world pilgrimage to Memphis for John Willingham's famous, braggin' rights Bar-B-Q Feisty debates have erupted right there, in the midst of fire and smoke, over whether Willingham's ribs with Memphis-style sauce or his World Champion Brisket rubbed with Hot Seasoning are his best. And no one goes home before they've had his gooey, rich shoofly pie. Authentic Bar-B-Q is as American as the Fourth of July, but often it takes a search party to find the real thing. Now, for the first time, John Willingham, winner of more major grand champion Bar-B-Q awards than anyone else in history, shares his celebrated recipes for a complete Bar-B-Q feast. At the heart of this book are Willingham's acclaimed recipes for mouthwatering beef, pork, fish, and chicken Bar-B-Q. Here are clear instructions for determining what type of cooker to use; laying a perfect fire to minimize smoke and maximize taste; preparing and using assorted dry rubs and marinades; getting a rich, marbled taste out of any cut of meat. The result is such triumphs as Grilled Pork Loin Roast, tender on the inside, golden on the outside; fresh, subtle Herbed Shrimp with Basil; Honey Mustard-Glazed Ribs that can be prepared in a snap; and Hot Sauce-Marinated Chicken. But it's not just the perfectly prepared meats and sauces on which Willingham lavishes special attention. No Bar-B-Q feast would be complete without starters, salads, fixin's, slaws, and dessert. And Willingham has the blue ribbon recipes for them all. Take, for example, his Smokin' Fastball Wings cooked overhickory or apple wood, melt-in-your-mouth Angel Biscuits, or stand-up spicy Cajun Coleslaw. To cool off, there's Grandma's Raisin Bread Pudd'n with Rum Sauce, Old-Fashioned Custard Pie, or rich Maple Sauce spooned over ice cream to mention just a few, for dessert. John Willingham explains what real Bar-B-Q isand isn't--and provides the techniques and tips that have won him accolades but are so simple even a backyard 'cuer can use them. Down-home and authentic, John Willingham's World Champion Bar-B-Q is the sourcebook for weekend enthusiasts and world-class chefs ready to follow in the Willingham tradition of creating delicious Bar-B-Q masterpieces.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Overhyped - proof that a BBQ Trophy does NOT translate into good writing
Comment: I found this book to be an overhyped offering by a veteran of the competative BBQ circuit, and I'm of the opinion that their publisher went along for the ride and joined in the overhyping frenzy because they want to make money too ... regardless of whether or not the book lives up to its own hype.
STRENGTHS:
* The author does at least cover some of the basics of classic BBQ, including dry rubs, mop sauces & marinades, basic wood use, and the like, and he waxes nicely poetic in places about the joys of slow cooking. Props for the latter, because it's sadly going out of style.
* There's some modestly decent introductory information in here on hardcore BBQing.
* Some of the recipes in back actually appear fairly decent old fashioned offerings ... like shoofly pie.
WEAKNESSES:
* There's only 150 recipes in here, many of them borrowed from friends and acquaintances, and ranging widely in quality from very good to merely adequate. So in a word, this book is thin on serious content, and it's padded with recipes that aren't even the author's. Wait, lemme re-check the cover ... yes, the cover clearly implies that the book is indeed SUPPOSED to be about 'world champion' BBQ recipes - so how did all the padding by non-champs and non-BBQ get in there ?
* You can't have a serious book on BBQ without spending a decent portion of the page count on primal cuts of beef and pork, how best to break them down and approach each. The author spends too little time on such material, to the book's detriment. I expected more effort from a 'world champion' - not that the title really means all that much.
* Many of the condiments, mixes, rubs, and sauces called out are proprietary, and are primarily available from the author's own little startup company (very convenient and opportunistic, yes ?). The author does deign to lay out recipes for a dry rub or two, and a basic mop sauce or two, but he could have done more on that. My philosophy is simple - either tell me how to make it (and why), or keep the book (and the product placements) and get stuffed.
* Much of the equipment that the author waxes poetic about is his own personal (and highly customized) BBQing rig, which the readers will never have a chance to work with. He doesn't spend enough time/depth covering the type of equipment commonly available to most readers (ex: basic 'bullet' water smokers, basic offset smokers, electric smokers), and the result of this somewhat self-serving focus is that the usefulness of the book to the everyday reader is significantly undermined.
BOTTOM LINE: Lots of hype, and a pretty cover photo, but thinnish on genuinely useful content. I'm not saying that the author can't cook - rather, I'm saying that he doesn't do nearly a good enough job passing such skill on the readers. So, this book is a bit like a meatball hero ... it looks pretty when you order it, but one you bite in, it's mostly filler and not enough meat. There are LOTS of better book on BBQ out there. Save your money, and avoid this one. This book is proof positive that having BBQ trophies on one's wall does NOT mean that someone's any good at writing cookbooks.
Incidentally, shame on everyone who raves about this book - it seems rather clear to me that people who do either know relatively little about serious cooking or reviewing books about the same, or they're chiefly interested in boosting their personal amazon stats ... perhaps both.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good book, for BBQ novices
Comment: This book has very good tips and methods on HOW to BBQ, and is then followed by a decent number of recipes. The recipes are not quite my style, but they are good anyway. One big positive thing about this book is how it describes building your own pit. Not all books do that, and information on building your own pit is fairly scarce. I agree with an earlier reviewer that this book tended to advertise the authors products a bit, but the author also gave some knock-off recipes so you don't have to buy his products. I would recommend this book for a beginner who doesn't want a really big book. This book is thinner than some of the other big BBQ compilations, and that is nice, but I prefer some of the larger books personally. My favorites and "Smoke and Spice" by Cheryl Jamison and "Paul Kirks Championship Barbecue". These are both large books, but worth every ounce in pure BBQ heaven!
Customer Rating:
Summary: How to Barbecue like a Champion
Comment: I received John Willingham's book as a gift and have read it cover to cover. It's packed full of bbq secrets from the greatest bbq contest cook to ever put on an apron. Willingham details basic cooking methods including what wood to use and what wood not to use, temperatures to cook at, and he provides his personal recipes. I especially like the rib recipe and his recipe for pork shoulder. These recipes can be used as written, or you can tweak them slightly to suit your personal taste. The recipes alone would be worth the price of the book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great BBQ Book
Comment: Love this book. Haven't found a bad recipe yet. The hot wings got raves from eveyone I've made them for. Have a huge collection of BBQ books. This one is in the top 10.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good Book for Starting
Comment: I have had Mr Willingham's book for over 8 years now and still consider it part of my bbq inner sanctum. It's not just his great rubs and sauces but his enthusiasm for the process! In my opinion the key to having fun with BBQ is experementing with various rubs, mops, marinades and pastes (wet rubs if you will). John's book for me was what got me started "Having fun". I highly suggest John's rubs and sauses, espicially if you ar just starting out. They are very good and work with a wide variety of meat, poultry or fish. John's instructions are very straight forward. If you catch the bug I also recomend Paul Kirk's "Championship Barbecue Sauces". Paul's book will take you deeper into the variaties of rubs, sauces etc. Above all remember - Have Fun and eat well!
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