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Rating: 
Summary: From my review in "The National Barbecue News"
Review: If you were picking among several barbecue books on a shelf, it would be very easy to overlook "Strictly Barbecue". Aside from a rather genteel subtitle - "A Passionate Guide to the Real Stuff" - the cover makes no bold statements of what the book offers nor is there some collection of splashy, mouth-watering photos, just a simple pork sandwich on bun with a side of sauce (or at least the copy I have does - the one pictured here is probably different). When you flip through the pages, there are no pictures or diagrams, no tables or charts, just 16 chapters of plain text with various recipes mixed in. But "Strictly Barbecue" may be the best example of why you don't judge a book by its cover, or a quick leaf-through of its pages. A.D. Livingston's bibliography is impressive. A search on Amazon.com turns up 31 books credited to Livingston and his publisher readily agreed to describing his writing output as "prolific". He has written on various subjects, everything from winning at poker to fly fishing to grilling a perfect steak. After a quick browse through these titles at the local bookstore, it's evident that he authors detailed, well-researched books and that is what make this book a very worthwhile read. "Strictly Barbecue" may be as complete a take on the subject of barbecue as anything else recently published. Livingston does a great job of providing to the reader information and lot's of it. He presents it in a very easy-reading manner and arranges it in an entirely logical way. After an introductory discussion on meats, he divides the book into three parts: Mixing The Sauce, Cooking The Meat, and Filling The Plate. Before you go further, please heed this caveat: While there is plenty of great information in this book, there is also a heaping helping of Livingston's opinion. Now that shouldn't be a surprise, after all, an author is so entitled. However, I tell you this because Livingston is not afraid to voice opinions that might rankle some readers. Some may find it bold, others may find it brash. I'll say it's the author's prerogative
and leave it at that. His five-chapter Part One on sauces also serves as a treatise of the different barbecue regions. As evidence of the book's detail, Livingston breaks down the regions state-by-state for an even closer look at the intrinsic varieties, such as the Alabama white sauce that so many other books ignore. He provides recipes from each area that has it's own distinctive sauce. He also does chapters on foreign sauces, a listing on his favorite commercial sauces and marinades, rubs, bases and other barbecue ingredients. In Part Two, Livingston explains the various approaches to the cooking process. Some barbecue purists may feel a twinge when he leads off with examples that don't involve outdoors grills or smokers or even smoke at all. He even acknowledges this departure from the orthodox and proceeds to give instructions on preparing barbecue in kitchen ovens and a crock pots. He moves on in the next chapter to outdoors cooking, using everything from a hibachi to oil drums and does a great chapter on dirt pits to close out this section. In the last part, Livingston does a thorough job of covering anything non-barbecue that completes the meal, from sides to dessert and beverages, including burgoo and Brunswick stew. It's approach may be "in your face" and it will definitely push the limits of what you hold tried and true about barbecue, but nonetheless, "Strictly Barbecue" is a book that deserves space on your bookshelf.
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