# What is your Favorite Cookbook?



## Woodman1 (Jan 29, 2005)

I have three: (in this order )

1)" Joy Of Cooking" (Rombauer and Becker )-it was my first and it covers everything to a degree. When you consider when it was put together, it was revolutionary. A great "jumping off" point for the beginning cook.

2)"The Food and Life of Oaxaca" (Zarela Martinez) real Mexican food from the State of Oaxaca on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in southern Mexico. Some of the stuff is bizarre, like huitlacotche (corn smut fungus) and maguelitas (the worm in the Mezcal bottle, and dried shrimp (an aquired taste) but the Oaxacan's passion and penchant for earthy sauces made from nuts and seeds coupled with chiles and fruit ,like "moles" and "pipians" along with with their love of the indigenous chiles; makes their cuisine the most interesting on the continent to me. This book is filled with complex, difficult to execute recipes and hard to find ingredients which is precisely why I love it!

3) Smoke and Spice (The Jamisons) My first foray into BBQ. The reason I bought a Klose. The "Succor Rub" is great on butts. The Smoked Rosemary Walnuts" rock. Not the _best_ BBQ book, but a great all around introduction to the art.

Woodman


----------



## Greg Rempe (Jan 29, 2005)

What's a book...the next book I read will be the first!  <Greg ducks for cover>


----------



## Woodman1 (Jan 29, 2005)

Greg Rempe said:
			
		

> What's a book...the next book I read will be the first!  <Greg ducks for cover>



A "book" is what I'm going to write someday about this modern ,"e-community" phenomenon of groups like this , who , even though they have never laid eyes on one another, can develop strong relationships and mutually shared interests across, not only the country, but the world as well. The social implications,are tremendous. The marketing possibilities, even more so! I have "known" most of you for what, about two weeks? I already have a pretty good feel for your basic personalities. I have bonds now with folks on the other site I post on, that will likely morph into lifelong freindships. BBQ101, is driving all the way from Maryland to here in April, to take me to Houston in order to pick up my pit. Now _that's_ what we call a "Q-Brother." So, put _that_ in your pipe and smoke it Rempe!!!!!!!

ps. If you catch me while I'm all coffe'd up in the morning it can be a wild ride!


----------



## Bruce B (Jan 29, 2005)

Woodfriend, and what's tough is that it's hard to explain it to people who don't participate in some kind of computer forum, they look at you like your some kind of computer stalker. I am, but that's beside the point. My wife still doesn't get it. :roll:


----------



## Captain Morgan (Jan 29, 2005)

I was disappointed in The Barbecue Bible.  There are great tips for beginners, but 90 percent of the recipes are things I'll never try.  I don't really care what Iranian radicals are grilling.

  I really like the old church cookbooks from the 70's.  If you can find them, they have some great old recipes.  Any recipe that calls for
oleo is fine with me.


----------



## Bruce B (Jan 29, 2005)

Hey Cap'n,

Not into Thailand Ferral Hog Sate's? or India Burmese Python Wraps??


----------



## Guest (Jan 29, 2005)

GlennR said:
			
		

> ... Lobster Stuffed Maine Potato recipe...


 :-k  I don't see that one in the Recipe Forums...  :smt115


----------



## Bruce B (Jan 29, 2005)

OooooooooooKkkaaaaaayyyyyyyyy.


----------



## Captain Morgan (Jan 29, 2005)

GlennR said:
			
		

> kidding-I'll get the recipe posted later today.  It's not for those who fear fat and cholesteral.




Fear fat?!?!  Hell that's the only reason I eat meat is have something to go with my fat!

  Did you guys every see that steak/toast thingy that called for the sauce that started with a pound of butter?  lol, it's great, I'll post it if you want, but all I can say is....it's butterific!


----------



## Woodman1 (Jan 29, 2005)

Capn'n, You need to try the East Coast Diner favirite called a "Texas Tommy" Take a fat hot dog. Split it lengthwise. Stuff it with cheese. Wrap it in bacon. Secure the bacon with a toothpick. Deep fry until the bacon is crisp. Enjoy it with an egg cream! Woody


----------



## Captain Morgan (Jan 29, 2005)

Did you just describe a deep fried bacon wrapped hot dog?

IM THERE!


----------



## Woodman1 (Jan 29, 2005)

Texas Tommy dude!!!!


----------



## Finney (Jan 29, 2005)

Love AB's book.  It's more of a _why_, instead of a how _to_.

Recently got Paul Kirks, Championship BBQ.  Haven't made it through the whole thing yet, but it's a good book.

Used to cook a lot from the Frugel Gourmet cookbooks. 

Southern Living cookbooks (have 1985 thru current)

Justan Wilson and Tony Chachere.


----------



## Woodman1 (Jan 29, 2005)

Chris Finney said:
			
		

> Love AB's book.  It's more of a _why_, instead of a how _to_.
> 
> Recently got Paul Kirks, Championship BBQ.  Haven't made it through the whole thing yet, but it's a good book.
> 
> ...



Chris, I used to watch Jeff Smith (Frugal Gourmet) every week! I credit him with inspiring me to try new things (no jokes please). It is a shame his , ahem, indescretions ruined the good he accomplished. He is totally forgotten now. He got me started on pesto. I now grow basil and put up at least a couple quarts of the stuff each summer.


----------



## Finney (Jan 29, 2005)

Me too, Woodwatcher.

I turely learned a lot from him.  Met him a couple of times at events.
He never touched me inappropriately.   

Hey... what's wrong with me? :? 
I was young... hot... 
Dare I say it? ... Sexy   


I need a Scotch after typing that.  I feel so... dirty.


----------



## Shawn White (Jan 29, 2005)

I don't have any BBQ or smokin ones yet .... but of the ones I have my fav is a skinny one called Wild About Southwest Cooking.


----------



## Finney (Jan 29, 2005)

Back with my Scotch  :-D  ...  Now what were we talking about?  :? 

Oh yeah, cookbooks.  :roll:


----------



## Uncle Al (Jan 29, 2005)

My favorite for real informative, how to cook something is "The Best Recipe" by the editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine. Has a lot of science behing the recipes and techniques. Kinda like AB

The one that I use when I want to cook something that really is spectacular, is "Paul Prudhommes Louisiana Kitchen". 

Uncle AL


----------



## Guest (Jan 30, 2005)

Uncle Al said:
			
		

> ... The one that I use when I want to cook something that really is spectacular, is "Paul Prudhommes Louisiana Kitchen".
> 
> Uncle AL


A while back, I asked for a recipe for blackened sword fish over on TVWB and a recipe from Paul Prudnommes Louisiana Kitchen came up...And it was posted by our favorite, Double D.!! LOL!!  Paul Prudnommes' book keep coming up as someone's favorite so I'm gonna buy it!   Thanks for the reminder, Al.  8)


----------



## Woodman1 (Jan 30, 2005)

I used to like Paul Prudhomme better whe he drag raced as "The Snake" against Tom Mckewan (The Mongoose) in the 70's. That must be how he ended up in the wheelchair!


----------



## Shawn White (Jan 30, 2005)

Chris Finney said:
			
		

> ...
> Hey... what's wrong with me? :?
> I was young... hot...
> Dare I say it? ... Sexy   ...


 :-D funny guy Chris. Thinking about your avatar, dude, beggars can't be choosers and with a face like that you'll be lucky if you don't die a virgin! :smt044


----------



## Kloset BBQR (Mar 4, 2005)

*BBQ USA*

My favorite BBQ book is the one I received the other night BBQ USA by 
Steve Raichlen.  Now in the past I haven't been the biggest Raichlen fan (a little too artsy fartsy yuppie style type of BBQ for me) but in this book he gets it right.  Warning this book is a monster at almost 800 pages.  Great history on the history of BBQ and I know that this might get some people upset but Steve considers grilling to be BBQ, and after much thought I agree with him (as long as its cooking with a wood source).  According to Steve Grilling and Smoking are subsets of BBQ but many regions of the country will disagree with this. Sorry I am getting off the subject.

This book has recipes from all regions of the country with special articles on famous and out of the way BBQ joints.  Steve even discusses grilling ribs (one of my personal favorites) and gives a best guess approximation of what the secret receipe for Rendezvous famous dry ribs in Memphis is.  This book has it all pork, beef, fish, veggies, even bbq desert.  Also great discussions on differents types of equipement and how to modify the cooking for the differences in equipment.  Most of this book is geared again to using a grill but Steve tells how to use your grill as a smoker too.  All thre recipes are from the Good ol USA as the name implies.

Take a look at it.  It's even better than the BBQ Bible.  This book is to grilling what Smoke & Spice is to low and slow BBQ.

Here is the link:

Amazon Link


----------



## Kloset BBQR (Mar 8, 2005)

I've got to agree Neil,  Legends of Texas BBQ is a great book!  My favorite cookbooks are those that share a bit of history with the reader and this book is like a trip back thru time.

Kloset


----------

