Description: In 1991 Ed Mitchell drove to the nearby Piggly Wiggly, bought a thirty-five-pound pig (that's a small one), and fired up the coals. That was the start of his barbeque business. Now ed is known simply as "the Pitmaster" in barbeque circles and is widely considered to be one of the best at what he does. Here Ed and his son, Ryan, share the tradition of whole-hog barbeque, and share methods passed down through generations. Bring your barbeque to the next level-- and celebrate the rich and complex history of North Carolina whole-hog barbeque. - adapted from back cover
Brief description:
Ed Mitchell has been cooking whole-hog barbeque the traditional way since he was a teenager. Thanks to a chance launch and Ed's habit-forming food, Mitchell's Grocery--a family business--morphed into Mitchell's Ribs, Chicken & Bar-B-Q. Ed's family's restaurant has transitioned to an upscale barbeque concept, The Preserve, opening in the summer of 2023 in Raleigh. Enthusiasts can get Ed's famous sauces and rubs from Ed Mitchell's True Made Foods, available nationwide. Ed was inducted into the 2022 Black BBQ Hall of Fame and the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame.
Review Quotes:
"[A] tasty and enlightening debut...Whether readers are looking to cook the whole hog, beef brisket, or bbq chicken, Mitchell has it covered. This is an unrivaled guide to traditional barbecue." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"In this long-awaited cookbook-meets-essay-collection, Mitchell and a slew of contributors including historian Dr. Howard J. Conyers and scholar and curator Zella Palmer among others, painstakingly place dishes, techniques, equipment, and rituals back into their historical context in order to give barbecue's overlooked originators and practitioners their proper due, making every bite all the richer for it." - Food & Wine
"Photos reflect place, people, and food pairing, all pairing perfectly with the wealth of personal stories that create the Mitchell food heritage. Barbeque enthusiasts will love learning to master the pit, while everyone else will enjoy the heritage and flavors of down-home Carolina cooking." - Booklist
"Gorgeous environmental and still-life photography, historic snapshots and lively oral histories ensure that the conversation Mitchell stoked about Black pitmasters' contributions to the food world continues to burn bright." - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Nothing says summer like a barbecue--and no one does barbecue like Ed Mitchell, arguably the most famous pitmaster in the nation....But this is far more than a recipe book; Mitchell intersperses his cooking lessons with family stories, deep histories, and American reckonings." - Oprah Daily
"This is not only an indispensable recording of Southern American history but also a celebration of one family, and their greater community's, true, complicated, and faith-centered history." - The Local Palate: Food Culture of the South
"This book is a tribute to the "unspoken cuisine of America" and to the authors' enslaved ancestors, the first pitmasters of eastern North Carolina. The recipes are delectable. The star is whole hog BBQ, pit-roasted over hot embers with a vinegar-based sauce, and traditional sides, like Tobacco Barn Brunswick Stew, Church Ladies' Candied Yams, and Ed's Shindig Slaw. But we also get some fresh takes, like Smoked Collard Green Dip, Bougie Barbequed Whole Turkey, and Smoked Tofu Burnt Ends. This is one of those special regional cookbooks that reads as a rich cultural and historical memoir told through the lens of foodways." - NPR