This book is an education in all things Kentucky barbecue—smoke, time, pork, burgoo, and the ever-whangy, sometimes misunderstood mutton. With Wes Berry's Kentucky Barbecue Book in hand, readers are sure to embark on a lip-smacking trip through the best BBQ in the Bluegrass State.
~Maggie Green, author of The Kentucky Fresh Cookbook
This is a love letter to the old Kentucky. It's written from the heart, and Berry used his barbecue quest as an excuse to get off the interstates and savor the landscapes and people found along the blue highways and country roads of your state. Next time I come to Kentucky, I hope to have a copy in my glove compartment.
~John Shelton Reed, coauthor of Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue
Berry has given us a first-person tour through a state he loves, through foods prepared with care, humor, and devotion. He and the people he meets can turn a phrase, sniff out a story, and dig into history on the plate. The Kentucky Barbecue Book is the cure for all your Upper South barbecue blues.
~Elizabeth Engelhardt, author of Republic of Barbecue: Stories beyond the Brisket
Read Wes Berry's book and you'll recognize: 1) He's a cantankerous thinker, with a pleasantly skewed sense of humor. 2) He's an able observer and compiler of culinary culture, whose time in Kentucky barbecue pits is unmatched.
~John T. Edge, author of Southern Belly: The Ultimate Food Lover's Companion to the South
In The Kentucky Barbecue Book, Wes Berry does all the hard work for you. He's been to the places, good and bad, so you can stop only at the best ones. He's dug up the ancient history of the state's smoked art, so you don't have to get sauce prints on the library's rare volumes. He's traveled to other states and sampled their smoked meat so you can understand Kentucky barbecue in context. If your curiosity extends beyond the plate, give Wes Berry and his book your attention. He will tell you more about Kentucky barbecue than any one else has ever committed to print.
~Lolis Eric Elie, author of Smokestack Lightning: Adventures in the Heart of Barbecue Country
Forget about Texas, Tennessee, Kansas, and the Carolinas. Kentucky has some of the best American barbecue you've never heard of. Wes Berry may suffer from HEBD (Hyper Enthusiastic Barbecue Disorder), but he's determined get the word out about the wood-burning pits, lip-stinging sauces, and belt-loosening barbecue pork, beef, turkey, and yes, mutton of his beloved Kentucky. In this lively, authoritative, irreverent, and meticulously researched book, you'll experience everything from Monroe Country dip (made with vinegar and lard) to Owensboro-style barbecued mutton, from burgoo (Kentucky's iconic stew) to banana pudding.
~Steven Raichlen, author of The Barbecue! Bible
Beginning in western Kentucky and moving eastward, Berry takes readers on a barbecue pilgrimage, profiling each stop with care, humor, and devotion.... This book is a love letter to the landscapes, people, and rich barbecue traditions of the Commonwealth. Honoring the wood-burning pits, lip-stinging sauces, and belt-loosening barbecue pork, beef, turkey, and mutton of his beloved home state, Berry asserts that Kentucky's barbecue is worthy of recognition and exploration.
~Cookbook Digest
A lively, often humorous, always hunger-inducing 356-page love song to Kentucky barbecue.... [The Kentucky Barbecue Book] strikes the perfect tone between worshipfulness and irreverence. A must-read for any serious student of American barbecue.
~Steven Raichlen's Barbecue! Bible
Berry's guide not only puts Kentucky barbecue on the map for foodies, but it also recognizes and describes a folk culture unique to the state's borders.
~Farmer's Market Online
Don't miss this passionate exploration of the recipes, traditions, and people who have helped shaped Kentucky's uniquely regional slow-food dish.
~Taste of the South