This acclaimed volume takes readers into the rich history and culture of Southern barbecue—with stories, recipes, and stunning color photography.

In Barbecue Crossroads, James Beard Award–winning writer Robb Walsh and acclaimed documentary photographer O. Rufus Lovett take us on a barbecue odyssey from East Texas to the Carolinas and back. We meet the pitmasters who still use old-fashioned wood-fired pits, and sample some of their succulent pork shoulders, whole hogs, savory beef, sausage, mutton, and even some barbecued baloney. Recipes for these and the side dishes, sauces, and desserts that come with them are painstakingly recorded and tested.

But Barbecue Crossroads is more than a cookbook; it is a trip back to the roots of our oldest artisan food tradition and a look at how Southern culture is changing. Walsh and Lovett trace the lineage of Southern barbecue backwards through time as they travel across a part of the country where slow-cooked meat has long been part of everyday life. They discuss everything from African American cooking techniques to the ways that barbecue competitions are undermining traditional barbecue culture. They also visit legendary joints that don’t live up to their reputations—and discover unknown places that deserve more attention.