Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ: Every Day Is a Good Day

James Beard Award–winning pitmaster Scott brings his 30 years of cooking experience to bear in this excellent debut. Aided by journalist Elie, Scott chronicles his education in barbecue cooking; discusses his fondness for music, whiskey, and cars; and expresses sorrow over a falling-out with his father over the family barbecue business that he now runs alone. But the gloom lifts once the book pivots to culinary matters and Scott lays out the finer points of the whole hog barbecue he’s famous for. It requires the construction of a pit and burn barrel (instructions are provided and call for cinder blocks, a 55-gallon drum, and an angle grinder), a half cord of hardwood, a gallon of sauce, and 10–12 hours of cooking time. Less ambitious fare includes bacon burgers and smoked prime rib, while among the stove-top entrées is a one-pot chicken perloo. Sides include pork belly succotash, macaroni and cheese, and pork skin nachos, and a tasty selection of desserts—banana pudding, blueberry cornmeal pound cake—rounds things out. Though the opening biographical section can drag (it takes up about a quarter of the book), Scott’s intensely flavorful recipes and masterful grill techniques are exceptional. This fired-up collection does not disappoint. (Mar.)