On Sep 7, 4:23*pm, RegForte > wrote:

>
> Smoke & Spice
> by: Cheryl Alters Jamison & Bill Jamison
>
> Overrated book, but it seems to have struck a chord with many beginners.
> A surprising number of people treat this book as some sort of bible. Too
> much emphasis on ingredients and not enough on cooking technique.
>

I agree with this comment. I am a beginner (perhaps just leaving
beginner stage) who bought this book and expected more discussion of
how-to rather than just a huge number of recipes.

On the good side, though, thumbing through this book shows the breadth
of smokable meats and preparation techniques. It openend my
imagination to what I can do with my smoker.

I am typically a cook who likes to read a number of recipes on a dish
and then pick and choose between them to see what the 'must haves' are
and what are variations among recipes, and then between wht I have in
the cupboard and what sounds good, come up with my plan. This is
where more commentary on the cooking technique is as valuable (if not
moreso) as the ingredients themselves.

I just smoked spareribs for the second time this weekend (cut them to
St. Louis style myself!) and am ready to start playing with some of
the sear first and then smoke recipes they have for tenderloin and
loin.

Rock