Bookshelf: Smokey Reads

Discover some signature dishes featured in these Southern books

Son of a Southern Chef

Avery, 2019

Made for your Instagram feed, Son of a Southern Chef: Cook with Soul is packed with funky, retro imagery reminiscent of an ’80s Spike Lee flick and chock full of playful language, (we’re talking section headers like “Stay Woke,” “Veggies Ain’t Wack,” and “Birds on Fleek”). But author Lazarus Lynch isn’t all flash and flair. The social media star learned to cook at the elbow of his father—an Alabama native turned Queens, New York, restaurant owner—and launched a YouTube cooking show from his college dorm room. While he’s got the chops of a pro chef, there’s no kitchen jargon here: It’s more like a friend walking you through making their favorite dish. Even if cooking isn’t your forte, just follow Lynch’s advice: “Throw on some Beyoncé, start a dance party, pop a bottle, then start cooking. When you turn cooking into a party, the stress can’t stay.”

Grilled Peach, Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Whole Hog BBQ

Ten Speed Press, 2019

Now one of the most recognizable names in the barbecue world, Sam Jones got his start as a reluctant teenager joining the family business. Decades later, he’s a third generation pitmaster with an eponymous restaurant and book to his name. Part cookbook and part memoir, Whole Hog BBQ: The Gospel of Carolina Barbecue delves into the craft of Eastern North Carolina ’cue and the heritage of whole hog cooking. For a taste of Jones’ barbecue at home, there are step-by-step instructions to cooking your own hog, from constructing a pit to chopping the meat, plus more attainable recipes like pork spare ribs and home-style potato salad when you don’t have all day to devote to your dinner.

Southern Smoke

Harvard Common Press, 2019

For all the credit given to smoked meat, a good plate of barbecue better have some killer sides. With that in mind, author and owner of Southern Smoke BBQ Matthew Register has you covered with a slew of choices divided by region (because few things are more grounded in place than how folks smoke, chop, and sauce their meat and what they sling alongside). The book is stocked with classics like Lowcountry okra stew, Delta Kool-Aid pickles, and North Carolina slaw—both red and white varieties to capture Eastern and Western allegiances—that are easy to whip up and made to complement whatever you’ve got on the smoker.

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