This cookbook is a TREASURE. Number one, it’s absolutely gorgeous! It is filled with really beautiful photos….photos of the food, photos of the 12 Bones Smokehouse, photos of fire and wood, sauces and salads…oh my goodness, photos of cookies and pies and the photos of the RIBS….to die for. Do not go through this cookbook when you are hungry or you will be up cooking all night. I’m not kidding. Don’t ask me how I know. Just….don’t.
This cookbook is mostly a cookbook filled with mouthwatering recipes, all well written with clear directions, and most with gorgeous pictures. But it’s more than that….It’s fun, it’s inspirational…and it’s educational. You really WANT to try these things. The authors explain things very clearly and they make you want to try it yourself. Section 1 is honestly almost like a class. They explain the basics–the tools, smoking, cooking over gas, cooking over charcoal, cooking over wood, grill marks….they even offer the 10 commandments of grilling. “Thou shalt not poison thy family” I think is especially important.
As with most well done cookbooks, the book is laid out in organized sections, with a comprehensive table of contents at the beginning and an index at the end. Sections include Beef and Pork, Poultry and Seafood, Big Bad Barbecue Sauces, Veggies Salads and Pickles, Rib-Stickin’ Sides, and Southern Treats and Homemade Sweets. And this is NOT a restaurant cookbook with just a few recipes–there are a LOT of recipes in this book, each section has at least 15 recipes in it, and several have a lot more than that. *One small note: There is no nutritional information provided for any of the recipes.
I highly recommend this cookbook–it’s absolutely beautiful and guaranteed to knock you off your diet. Possibly permanently. But you’ll be happy and well fed, that’s for sure. Well, assuming you follow the commandments.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Rating: 5 stars
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