How much do you want to know about barbecue?

Super Chef means the serious, smoke for 72-hour kind of barbecue that some people travel the country for, dream about, and write long books about. If your answer is: barbecue is king, then pick up a copy of Aaron Franklin‘s Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto (Ten Speed 2015) and read it cover to cover.

Jordan Mackay, who co-wrote Franklin Barbecue tells the reader exactly why they should read this book:

What I can say after having spent hours and hours cooking with him at all times of day and night is that the reason his food is so successful seems to lie in his personality, his work ethic, and his remarkable talent for comprehending how things work (viii)

So, it isn’t surprising that this is a book to read and study, and that the only parts that look like cookbook with traditional recipes are found at the end of the book in a section on sauces and sides. Aaron Franklin makes barbecue, not grilled meat. This is all about the smoker, the wood, and how get the most out of great meat. If you are seriously into great barbecue and can’t make it to Austin, Texas, and you have a passion for actually making it yourself – then this is the book for you.

And for those of you who are not as passionate, the photographs by Wyatt McSpadden of slabs of slabs of brisket, ribs, pulled pork piled high on a bun, and the faces of well-satisfied patrons, will make you want to take a road trip to Austin as soon as you can.