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Title

• Holy Smoke

Authors

• William McKinney
• Dale Volberg Reed
• John Shelton Reed

Publisher

• University of North Carolina Press

Holy Smoke

The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue

Overview

From the publisher

North Carolina is home to the longest continuous barbecue tradition on the North American mainland. Authoritative, spirited, and opinionated (in the best way), Holy Smoke is a passionate exploration of the lore, recipes, traditions, and people who have helped shape North Carolina’s signature slow-food dish.

Three barbecue devotees — John Shelton Reed, Dale Volberg Reed, and William McKinney — trace the origins of North Carolina ‘cue and the emergence of the heated rivalry between Eastern and Piedmont styles. They provide detailed instructions for cooking barbecue at home, along with recipes for the traditional array of side dishes that should accompany it. The final section of the book presents some of the people who cook barbecue for a living, recording firsthand what experts say about the past and future of North Carolina barbecue.

Filled with historic and contemporary photographs showing centuries of North Carolina’s “barbeculture,” as the authors call it, Holy Smoke is one of a kind, offering a comprehensive exploration of the Tar Heel barbecue tradition.

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Not just any barbecue

Selected contents

• Mama Dip’s Fresh Peach Cobbler
• Mama Dip’s Cobbler Crust
• Old Time Eastern North Carolina Barbecue Sauce