 BOOK
REVIEW
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Smokestack Lighting
Book by Lolis Eric Elie
($19.99, Rutledge Press, 228 pp).
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Smokestack Lightning: Adventures in the Heart of Barbecue Country
Book review by Doug Mosley
Cookbook by Lolis Eric Elie
$19.95, Ten Speed Press, 228 pp.
There are some authors whose books I buy just because I see there name attached to it. I love reading about American history and will buy everything Michael Shaara writes without hesitation. When it comes to barbecue authors, I always look forward to reading anything by Stephen Raichlen and Rick Browne. And now you can probably add Lolis Eric Elie to that list.
After serving as editor of “Cornbread Nation 2: The United States of Barbecue” (which was favorably reviewed in this column in February), Elie has now come forward with a pure masterpiece.
The book centers on the ultimate dream trip, traveling the U.S.A. on a veritable quest for the Holy Grail of barbecue. He begins his journey in Memphis , where he spends time with the “Queen of Beale Street” and finds great ‘cue at some of the lesser heralded spots in this great barbecue town. From there, he heads to Texas and shares stories about Juneteenth and barbacoa. Chicago , East St. Louis , and Arkansas follow on this wonderful journey.
Elie takes a brief break from his travels for a chapter on competition barbecue, and here he includes contests of note like Memphis in May, American Royal, the Big Pig Jig in Vienna , Ga. , and Meat in the Middle in Perry , Okla. Then its back on the road with a detailed coverage of Kansas City next and then a swing through the Carolinas and a wrapup chapter to cover those spots he may have missed the first time around.
Through it all, Elie's accomplished writing style paints the mental images so clearly that you'll swear you can smell the meat cooking as you turn the pages. And its all made even better by the accompanying pictures taken by his sidekick on the trip, photographer Frank Stewart.
“Smokestack Lightning” is truly a great book ,and I know it's one you'll want to enjoy.
If there is a time of the year that could be said to be “barbecue cookbook season,” well, it must be now. There is a flood of new books on the market right now, more than can be possibly featured individually in this column. So here's a look at several good ones that may not quite hit the mark to merit the individual review here, but still deserve a shout out:
 ‘The Everything Grilling Cookbook'
By Rick Marx
$14.95, Adams Media, 278 pp.
This is from the folks who publish the “Everything” series (i.e., The Everything Resume Book, The Everything Etiquette Book, The Everything Parenting a Teenager Book, etc. - not to be confused with the “...for Dummies” series). It's a collection of over 300 recipes, but with lot's of tips interspersed throughout.
‘Grill It!'
By the Editors of Good Housekeeping
$14.95, Hearst Books, 240 pp.
Another collection of grilling recipes, this time from a well-known magazine. Full-color pictures and spiral bound pages makes this a nicely done book.
 ‘Outdoor Grub'
By Carol Tennant
$16.95, MQ Publications, 144 pp.
It's got a cowboy on the cover hunkered down over a grill cooking a kebab and the author was a contributor to the award-winning “Weber's Ultimate Barbecue Book”. So I guess you'd be just as surprised as I was to find out this was published in Great Britain ! When you open the pages, you'll find a kitschy send-up of our American barbecue culture, not in a mean spirited way but more cool and retro. Definitely a fun read.
 ‘Fearless Guide to Grilling'
By Reece Williams
$14.95, Meredith Books, 192 pp.
From the inventor of the Cajun Injector (which is emblazoned like a banner across the top of the book) comes this collection of 140 recipes. It's spiral-bound which is always a plus, and the content is creative and challenging. However, there's no pictures or graphics, so it can be a bit of a dry read.
‘Cookie's Best BBQ Recipes'
By Speed “The Sauceman” Herrig
$14.95, Meredith Books, 192 pp.
If you've not tried Cookie's barbecue sauce, you need to — it's great stuff. And now here's a book packed with over 350 recipes, nearly every one of which calls for either Cookie's barbecue sauce or flavor enhancer. But hey, if you like the sauce, that's not a bad thing.
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