From Derrick Riches,
Your Guide to Barbecues & Grilling.
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Author David Gelin and his dog set off to discover barbecue in the back roads of the Southern United States. Visiting 60 BBQ Joints in 13 states, taking pictures, gathering stories and tasting barbecue, David Gelin has put together this book as a catalog of these great BBQ Joints. This is not a best of list by any means. Any student of barbecue will find famous barbecue joints (and restaurants) missing, but each of these joints is worthy of merit. Consider this a sampling of great barbecue. After all, a definitive work would be virtually impossible. Included are recipes and tips from the the pitmaster of these joints.

Photos worthy of a gallery

One of the big shortcomings of this work is that it is not bigger and in full cover, though the black and white photos do lend a certain historical feel to the book. Page after page in this book contains portraits of owners, pictures of smokers, signs and joints that really give a feel for the locale. The pictures in this book have (according to the press release I got from the publisher) been put on display at the University of South Carolina's McKissick Museum (May 10 through July 19, 2008 if you are in the area). There is a great honesty to these photographs, though many show a post-industrial bleakness. The pictures are certainly a very strong virtue.

60 Joints with a Side of Recipes, Tips and Secrets

Each BBQ joint description is equipped with a address and phone number so you can find them easily. You typically get the story of the joint's founding, something about the people who run it (whether they are the founders or not) and a recipe (in most cases). Most of these recipes are simple dishes and few of them are for the barbecue, but instead are side dishes or just local favorites. This book won't teach you how to master making barbecue and it is definitely not a cookbook, but it does help you appreciate barbecue more.

The Zeal of a Convert

David Gelin was born in New York and raised outside Washington DC. It is in his college years that he found barbecue and the Southern traditions that made barbecue what it is today. In the opening of this book he climbs up on the soapbox to not only define what a BBQ Joint is but why they are threatened by restaurant chains, barbecue competitions, and artisan breads. To me this smacked a little sanctimonious but in an age where the New York Times (yes, I know who writes the pay checks) has declared New York City the saving grace of barbecue it isn't surprising to find that barbecue has to be defended (again and again). I understand that for many people barbecue is something new, but there is a smugness here that suggests a new convert ready to preach the virtues of barbecue to anyone, including those raised in it. While these descriptions of what barbecue is may be useful to the nouveau Q, those who've been around barbecue most their lives might find it a little preachy. However, I think anyone will give Mr. Gelin credit for his work by the time they reach the end of the book.

A Handbook for the Barbecue Traveler

It was a little over 20 years ago that I took my first solo road trip through barbecue country. Those were the days before the web and finding good BBQ Joints was pretty much all word of mouth and sheer dumb luck. I would have loved to be able to take this book along on that first journey. I encourage anyone who knows enough to tell the difference between a BBQ Joint and a Barbecue Restaurant to pick up this book and keep it in the glove box. This is a perfect road trip book for anyone who travels the barbeque belt.