Cover Image: Southern Smoke

Southern Smoke

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Southern Smoke teaches you the basics of smoking when grilling. Very well detailed I really enjoyed reading it so much that it is will be part of my coffee table books. You will definitely want to get your copy of Southern Smoke.

Was this review helpful?

This book opens with how to set up your grill types of wood to use and the difference between each one as in flavors and also the difference between wood and charcoal. He then takes you through the different regions of North Carolina, Memphis, the Delta, and the Low Country. The author gives you many different recipes that are unique to each region. Having visited a few of those places and had their barbeque I can say each one is truly different. Much, much better than having grown up in Southern California dealing with people trying to copy. Now you have recipes for vinegar sauce, a mustard crème sauce which sounded good, also a pork belly sweet potato hash that if you like hash you have to try, made this very good. You also get a Memphis dry rub and BBQ SAUCE. I had to make the Memphis slaw for it reminded my wife and me when we visited there. You also have a dessert section with the author giving you a pie crust recipe in a BBQ book go figure, win, win. A book for any cook and a must for any person wanting to enhance their skills at the grill or if they are just beginning.

Was this review helpful?

An informative book on barbecuing and smoking. This would make a great gift for anyone who is new to smoking. I will be putting ma y of the tips to good use this summer.

Was this review helpful?

A terrific guide for serious pit masters and for backyard weekend warriors alike. Loved it and am sure to use the tips over this holiday season!

Was this review helpful?

One thing Southerners learn from the time they can walk is how to grill. Sunday dinners, birthdays, holidays revolve around bbq hamburgers, cookouts, ribs, and good 'ole fashioned pulled pork. Of course that also has to include all of the trimmings - the side and the marvelous desserts. Southern Smoke by Matthew Register, is compilation of some of the very best recipes from all across the south because each region has its own set of flavors and delicacies. As someone who has moved north, this book was a godsend. I thought that creole cooking would always be available to me, or the flavor of Memphis style bar-b-que sauce but sadly I was mistaken. Southern Smoke has helped me re-created some of the flavors I have been missing for the past decade.

Whether you are new to grilling or bbq or a pro looking for new ideas, I highly recommend Southern Smoke.

Was this review helpful?

This is a must-have for anyone who loves Barbecue!! This has everything you need in one handy place! Beautiful pictures. hints, tips, rubs, recipes and everything you ever need to know for the best Barbecue ever!! I found this very helpful and a must have for my kitchen! 5 mouth-watering, lip-smacking stars from me!

Was this review helpful?

Anyone who loves the South, Southern cooking, or barbecue of any kind will love Southern Smoke. It is inviting, eclectic, and practical while being fun and interesting. The recipes seem primarily to be from the restaurant of the same name (which I am now dying to try!), but are nonetheless manageable by home cooks. Some of the ingredients--namely, the fresh seafood--won't be accessible to many, but there are a lot of other options, and the anecdotes and backgrounds provided help to make up for that disappointment. Recommended not just to cooks, but to anyone with an interest in the culture of the BBQ parts of the U.S.

Was this review helpful?

Really looking forward to reading this book - I do like my recipe books and am always on the lookout for books to add to my collection. But this isn't going to be one of them. Whilst I found the recipes interesting, I found the style and pictures old-fashioned (but not in a fashionable sense. I thought this may have been a re-publication from the 80's garishness, and did check the front cover, but it turns out this is a 2019 book, which I found surprising. The recipes were okay, and there weren't 'cheats' that I find in so many American recipe books now. Overall, I found this book a bit meh!

Was this review helpful?

I am a transplant in North Carolina so know how much they love their bbq. I was so excited to read and see the recipes. The information provided with how to smoke was also very great that my husband was so excited he is planning on using the recipe this weekend. The recipes has great photos and very easy to follow.

Was this review helpful?

Very nice book! Well thought out recipes and we learned a lot about smoking our food. I would recommend to anyone who has a smoker or wants to get one!

Was this review helpful?

Southern Smoke begins by giving readers a brief introduction to the basics of barbecue: from selecting a grill or smoker, the type of fuel you'll use, and a brief guide to the most common woods used for smoking to how to set up your grill and get smoking! There's also some handy lists of useful items, guidelines, and tips and tricks.

From there, the recipes are divided into chapters: North Carolina, The Low Country, Memphis and the Delta, and The Southern Bakery. Each chapter shares dishes and traditions from that region with clear and easy to follow instructions.

There are several classic Southern staple recipes for buttermilk fried chicken, fried skillet cornbread, mac and cheese, low country boil, and Brunswick stew included throughout as well as plenty of fried or pickled foods. I liked the small collection of supper menus at the end of the book included for inspiration.
There are recipes for smoked Boston butt, ribs, tenderloin, chicken quarters, turkey, and shrimp to fire up your smoker.

I gauge a cookbook by the end result so I've used this Memorial Day weekend to test some of the recipes and can safely say the Memphis dry-rub ribs and chocolate chess pie with pecans are both incredible! (Photos will be included on my blog post).

I'm looking forward to making the okra fries with comeback sauce this summer and have enough strawberries left to make the sweet buttermilk biscuits with strawberries. I'm also excited to try collard chowder, fried catfish with dill pickle aioli, and James Island Shrimp Pie.

Overall, I love the layout and design of this book: from the helpful information shared in the introduction to the recipes divided into chapters with ingredients that are all reasonably easy to find in most grocery stores and instructions that are easy to follow.

Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group - Harvard Common Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Southern Smoke: Barbecue, Traditions, and Treasured Recipes Reimagined for Today was released on May 7, 2019.

Was this review helpful?

This right here is some good eating. If you’re from the south or thereabouts you’ll know a few of recipes. I’m from NC so the BBQ and the vinegar sauce are my favorites. I love them but you have to find the right person to cook good for you with a side of Brunswick stew, hushpuppies, and coleslaw you’ll be in heaven. Also shrimp and grits my family loves it I don’t eat seafood but they do so I make it for them. I want to try a seafood boil at least once. Like Louisiana style. Not keen on pickled shrimp though.

Was this review helpful?

This book was an awesome surprise. It takes you through creating BBQ (the low and slow smoked meats) all the way through hosting a BBQ ( the gathering).

The first section is a guide to setting up your smoking apparatus, choosing fuels and those effect on flavor, how too maintain a safe fire, and guidelines for cooking. This was a good read, as while I really enjoy eating BBQ I haven’t yet made any myself. This book breaks down the steps in a way for beginners to try and go int more advance steps to tackle after more practice.

The next 3 sections are by region with recipes for meats and sides that are local and go together. I was really happy to see Brunswick stew included because that is my #1 favorite dish.

Finally, a fun surprise for a smoking book, was a baking section with complementary breads and desserts. I am excited to try some new cornbread recipes.

This book was awesome and well rounded! Thanks to #netgallery for the digital ARC to review,
Helpful

Was this review helpful?

I cannot wait to get this book for my husband. These recipes look incredible and will be a part of many summer cookouts in the coming months! The pictures in this book are also great!

Was this review helpful?

Easy to follow recipes that actually turn out as good as they look. I found myself utilizing this book more than once when planning menus for the week.

Was this review helpful?

Anyone who loves southern food will love Matthew Register’s cookbook, Southern Smoke: Barbecue, Traditions, and Treasured Recipes Reimagined for Today. Not only does the book include a great primer on smoking and southern barbeque, but it also features great recipes for southern classics, as well as spice rubs, barbecue sauces, and side dishes.

The recipe for Hoppin’ John is one of the best; the ingredients and quantities make for a delicious side or main dish, and following the recipe to the letter will insure perfect seasoning and flavor. Hoppin’ John is generally a New Year’s dish, but Register’s version is so good, it ought to be served year round. It goes well with Fried Skillet Cornbread. Register’s version of Country Captain is also very good, and can be adapted to the Instant Pot to make it faster. Other recipes in the queue include James Island Shrimp Pie, Memphis Dry Rub Ribs, and Fried Catfish with Dill Pickle Aioli. The desserts are also mouthwatering: Peanut Pie, Chocolate Chess Pie with Pecans, and Chocolate Fudge and Sea Salt Pie to name a few.

The cookbook is divided into southern regions and features recipes from each region. Register has taken the best recipes and made it so anyone can successfully prepare authentic barbecue along with great side dishes. The recipes are concise and easy to follow; anyone – beginning cooks to experienced cooks – can make the dishes picture perfect. This cookbook also features excellent photographs of most of the dishes in the book, as well as photographs for step-by-step set up of a smoker/barbecue outdoors, which are very helpful.

Anyone who wants to cook traditional southern will want to pick up a copy of this excellent cookbook. Highly recommended.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Was this review helpful?

I was thrilled to find this wonderful recipe book! I can't wait to try them. They looked so delicious and full of that smokey taste. We bought a pellet smoker not too long ago and haven't used it that much because of not being sure of how to prepare the food.

Now we have a collection of wonderful recipes, including sides. I recommend this for a great bbq ahead!

I received a copy from NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

Was this review helpful?

This is an excellent guide for beginners on how to set up a smoker with whatever type of outdoor grill you have. It has recipes for just about every type of meat, and how to get the right bark. It also has recipes for side dishes and a bakery section. My favorite recipes are the macaroni and cheese and a chocolate pie. I love the recipes for sauces, because you can't buy a barbecue sauce that tastes that good. It's divided by different sections of the south and their traditional recipes. I can't wait to try a seafood bake. This book is a must for anyone who loves to barbecue.

Was this review helpful?

In Southern Smoke you get to learn the basics, get advice, and get wonderful recipes. I can't wait to try some of these recipes and see if I can do them any justice.

Was this review helpful?

I love my smoked food and I really grieve the fact that the British art form of smoking has all but disappeared. It’s why I love this book.
This recipe book isn’t just here to get you googling your nearest smokehouse in town; the introduction gives you the basics for anyone to start a smoker in their own back garden.

Perfect for the foodie in your life.

Was this review helpful?