Smokestack Lightning: Adventures In The Heart Of Barbecue Country | 
 enlarge | Author: Lolis Eric Elie
Creator: Frank Stewart
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $2.53
You Save: $17.42 (87%)
New (38) Used (20) Collectible (1) from $1.79
Avg. Customer Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 370905
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.6 x 8.9 x 0.7
ISBN: 1580086608
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.5784
EAN: 9781580086608
ASIN: 1580086608
Publication Date: April 15, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
Through vivid descriptions of restaurants and barbecue joints around the country, stirred together with legends and bits and pieces of barbecue history, Lolis Eric Elie profiles the largely American pastime of barbecuing. Traveling from Texas to the Carolinas, the author chronicles the lore and traditions of the barbecue belt and collects recipes, descriptions and photographs of everything from barbecued cows' faces to pigs' snouts, on his quest to determine barbecue's role in American culture.
Product Description
It was while eating a big ol plate of steaming ribs that journalist Lolis Eric Elie and photographer Frank Stewart decided to traverse the country to investigate Americas obsession with smoked meat. Their quest took them from all-night barbecue binges on Chicagos south side to barbecue competition circuit events like Memphis in May and Big Pig Jig in Vienna, Georgia, where people drop thousands of dollars to spend a sleepless night smoking meat. In SMOKESTACK LIGHTNING, Elie and Stewart profile the down-home devotees of the barbecue world, painting an anthropological portrait of one of our nations favorite pastimes. Featuring 50 mouthwatering recipes for such meats, sauces, and side dishes as Oklahoma Joes Brew-B-Q Ribs, Moonlight Mutton Dip, and Lady Causeys Overnight Cabbage Slaw, SMOKESTACK LIGHTNING is a unique culinary chronicle thatll make your stomach rumble.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
 Not sure what I expected! February 13, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I was in the process of setting out on a bar b que tour and had solicited the names/locations of restaurants from the Motorcycle Tourers Forum. One of the forum members recommended the book.
The book was an entertaining read. I did get a couple of ideas of places to visit. Not sure what I expected from the book, so I'm not disappointed but it was not a definative list of bar b que joints.
 Smokestack Lightning Strikes Gold! May 30, 2007
LOVED IT! I purchased the book for research purposes and couldn't put it down. What a marvelous education about the history, evolution and pure love of barbecue! The pictures are excellent and Lolis Eric Elie really made the stories come to life, as if I was traveling along with him. It certainly sparked a new-found interest in barbecue for me and I couldn't wait to read more. Check out Cornbread Nation II - another brilliant book edited by Lolis.
Excellent reading and so much more than just a food book ! March 27, 2007
I bought this book after reading John Thorne's comnments on it in his excellent book "Serious Pig".
Barbecue means something very different in Australia so the draw of a book on great American BBQ was a seller and yet this book is so much more than a book about food - its a travelogue, bursting with characters, stories and some superb photographic work which illustrates what is obviously a labor of love for the author - its a fascinating and superb read if you enjoy reading about food and the people who make it, its well worth the purchase price and you will enjoy the ride.
This is a book that makes you want to eat BBQ, it makes you want to see the places hes talking about and meet the people, he does a superb job of evoking an image in your mind which draws you in and entertains and its a superb travelogue to boot that makes you want to eat where he's eaten and seen where hes seen.
Not its not a cookbook, and he's a purist who disdains the chain cleanliness of mass produced BBQ shacks preferring the old fashioned traditional methods but you could argue thats the whole point of setting out to find the best BBQ - its going to be subjective and thats alright - its a hell of a read and a great ride to boot.
Great read. August 12, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
First off, if you are buying this book expecting a cookbook, don't. Buy it because it is a hell of an entertaining read instead. The book itself is one man's story of traveling the backroads of the US searching for and eating a lot of good barbecue. It is also his opinion of what makes good barbecue - some folks take exception to what his opinions are. This is almost always the way with barbecue. As with religion and politics, an almost certain way to start an argument at a party is do discuss what makes "good barbecue" with others who have their own opinions. If you cannot handle reading another man's opinions, don't bother with this book. For me it proved to be interesting if not educational, and I certainly don't agree with all or even many of his opinions.
Also, as others have said, he often mimics the speech of locals when quoting them. "Under it" becomes "Un'er it" etc. I don't personally see this as making fun of them or ridiculing them at all. To the contrary, I feel it is done to give the audience a little insight into what it was like to interact with these folks. Many of the quotes in question would have seemed downright bizarre if written in proper English rather than dialect. Again, if you can't stand to read quotes that include semi-gibberish because you find it offensive, this book may not be for you. I found it entertaining.
This book was OOP for several years. Personally I'm glad to see that it's available again. In my opinion it's one of the best of its breed.
Barbeque September 5, 2005
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I have not finished reading the book yet but thus far the author is doing a very thorough and detailed accounting of the origin of barbeque, various styles and some places with good barbeque.
The author seems to be a little harsh on those that do not barbeque in the most primative and rustic way. A well run place like 'Corky's' in Memphis, which I've been to, is downrated as being too slick. Too clean and organized. He prefers shacks where the meat is cooked for 12 hours in a pit and served in a place with just the basics. I prefer the comfort and good food and service of a Corky's style restaurant.
All in all it is well written and contains a lot of good information.
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