The Four Fundamentals of Smoking: Pit Master Secrets to Making Incredible BBQ at Home

by Chris Sussman

Overview

The Simplest Way to Cook Better BBQ With Techniques for Traeger®, Weber® and Big Green Egg® Smokers

For many, learning how to cook great BBQ is a journey that spans years and even decades—often including cooking a lot of bad BBQ along the way. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a pit master right there in your backyard to coach you through each cook to achieve perfectly tender, juicy meat every single time? Chris Sussman is here to help.

During his own BBQ journey, Chris discovered that four fundamental principles have the most impact on whether the meat comes out tasting succulent, tender and pleasantly smokey, or dry, rubbery and bland. These are 1) building the right fire with the right fuel; 2) controlling humidity to infuse smoke flavor throughout the meat; 3) managing the ideal “BBQ Zone” temperature range on the three most popular brands of smokers and 4) recognizing the visual and touch cues that indicate when the meat is ready to pull from the smoker (hint: it’s about way more than cooking to a certain internal temperature). Understand and properly execute the nuances of each step, and you will be able to get the results you want with each cook. Chris will show you how.

Packed with photographs, tutorials, pro tips, helpful reference charts and a complete illustrated tutorial that walks you step by step through a whole packer brisket, this book has the answers to all of your BBQ questions. Chris also shares 50 simple yet unique recipes (and a full-page photograph for each one) to showcase these principles at work in delicious ways. Featured recipes include Bourbon-Glazed Smoked Baby Back Ribs, North Carolina–Style Pulled Pork, Pork Belly Burnt Ends Sichuan-Style, “No Wrap” Smoked Beef Short Ribs and Habanero and Mango–Glazed Chicken Wings. Bring this book out to your smoker, and enjoy the journey.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781645672425
Publisher:	Page Street Publishing
Publication date:	05/25/2021
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	152
File size:	135 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Chris Sussman, a.k.a. The BBQ Buddha, has cooked on award-winning BBQ competition teams such as EGGcellent Eats and Dizzy Pig, and is a member of the Big Green Egg Pro Team. He teaches BBQ and grilling classes and shares easy BBQ recipes through his website TheBBQBuddha.com. Chris has also been featured in online publications such as HuffPost, Thrillist and Maxim. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky.
Chris Sussman is a founding member of the BGE Team Green, a group of individuals cooking for and representing Big Green Egg® at events and festivals around the world. His first cookbook, The Four Fundamentals of Smoking, was published in 2021. He has been featured in publications such as Maxim, Thrillist and the Huffington Post. He lives in Gulfport, Florida.

Table of Contents

Introduction 10

Part 1 The Four Fundamentals of Smoking 13

Fundamental 1 Fuel, Combustion and Wood 15

How to Build a Fire for Optimal BBQ Smoke

Fundamental 2 Controlling Humidity 21

How to Capture Smoke Flavor in You

Fundamental 3 Controlling Temperature and the BBQ Zone 29

The Secrets of Managing Your Fire for Traditional BBQ

Fundamental 4 The Finish 41

Learn MY Tips and Tricks to Serve Great BBQ Every Time

Putting It All Together 47

How to Smoke a Texas-Style Whole Packer Brisket

Bonus Techniques 55

Warm Smoking Hot Smoking and Smoke Roasting Galbi-Style Beef Jerky 57

Hot and Fast Jerky 59

Zesty Lemon and Garlic Spatchcock Chicken 63

Part 2 The Recipes 65

Things That go "MOO" (… and "BAA") 67

Brisket Burnt Ends 69

"No Wrap" Smoked Beef Short Ribs 70

Reverse-Seared Picanha with Rosemary Chimichurri 73

Cedar Plank Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf 74

Smoked Leg of Lamb with Kentucky Black BBQ Sauce 77

Smoked Chuck Roast Braised with Red Wine and Cipollini Onions 78

Sous Vide Smoked Brisket Flat 81

Reverse-Seared Korean Marinated Grilled Tri-Tip 82

Grilled Red Curry Flank Steak 85

Things That go "OINK" 87

How to Clean and Trim Pork Ribs 88

Hickory-Smoked Spareribs with Cherry Coke BBQ Glaze 90

Bourbon-Glazed Smoked Baby Back Ribs 93

Hot and Fast Baby Back Ribs 94

Char Siu Glazed Smoked Spareribs 97

Smoked Spareribs with Gochujang Glaze 98

Cajun-Style Spareribs with Fresh Mango Salsa 101

North Carolina-Style Pulled Pork 102

Kentucky Hot Brown Stuffed Pork Loin 105

Bourbon and Maple Brined Smoked Pork Loin 106

Buffalo-Style Pork Tenderloin 109

Pork Belly Burnt Ends, Sichuan Style 110

Greek-Style Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Glaze 113

Vietnamese-Style Pork Tenderloin 114

Smoked Beer-Braised Pork Belly 117

Bologna Burnt Ends with Kimchi Slaw 118

Pineapple-Chipotle Glazed Bone-In Rack of Pork 121

Things That go "Cluck" (… and "Gobble") 123

Smoked Spatchcock Chicken with Spicy Alabama White Sauce 125

Cilantro and Lime Chicken Halves 126

Sweet and Sour Chicken Wings 129

Habanero and Mango-Glazed Chicken Wings 130

Thai Green Curry Chicken Wings 133

Bourbon and Dijon-Glazed Chicken Drumsticks 134

Tangy Filipino Chicken Drumsticks 137

Cubano Stuffed Chicken Breasts 138

Fresh Chimichurri Chicken Skewers 141

Spicy Asian Chicken Meatballs 142

Jamaican Jerk Smoked Turkey Breast 145

Acknowledgments 146

About the Author 147

Index 148

Editorial Reviews

Finally! Chris Sussman breaks down the four fundamentals of great barbecue in a book equally remarkable for its clear prose and for its mouthwatering photos and recipes. A must-read for beginners and a valuable refresher for pros.”
—STEVEN RAICHLEN, award-winning author and TV host of Project Smoke

“Bravo! This book is a winner. Folks who are getting started will get a whole lot of rarely mentioned knowledge. Chris breaks it down in a way that we can all understand. Even old hats like myself will enjoy some of the modern and innovative techniques as well as the creative recipes.”
—RAY LAMPE, Dr. BBQ, Barbecue Hall of Fame Inductee 2014

“Chris makes it easy to become a better outdoor cook. The Four Fundamentals of Smoking will be a good addition to any outdoor cooking enthusiast’s library.”
—TUFFY STONE, 6-time BBQ World Champion, Barbecue Hall of Fame Inductee 2018 and TV personality

“Great BBQ requires equal parts art and science, and Chris is the perfect mix of mad scientist and flavor innovator. This is the BBQ book we all need.”
—MARK ANDERSON, co-host of The Grill Dads

“Bill’s new ground-breaking hot and fast techniques on the Weber are pure barbecue genius. A true pitmaster is always learning new tricks and Bill shares it all in this must-have cookbook.”
—CHRIS HART, cookbook author and BBQ World Champion

“To say that Bill knows his way around a smoker would be an understatement. He is a world champion who shares his vast knowledge in a way that is easy to understand!”
—MIKE PETERS, The BBQ Pitchman, host of Great American Cookout

“This book will not only save you hours of time, but also give you the knowledge and tools you need to create high-quality BBQ with exceptional layers of flavor.”
—BOB TRUDNAK, The BBQ Pitchman, host of Great American Cookout

“Leave it to Bill Gillespie to teach us how to make delicious BBQ in a fraction of the time. If you want your next backyard BBQ to be championship quality, following Bill’s simple recipes will get you there hot and fast.”
—AMY JUNGK, EVP of Corporate Strategy, Old World Spices and Seasonings, Inc.

“Chris knocks the ball out of the park by explaining the most important concepts with distinct clarity. If you are trying to put the pieces together of cooking tender, flavorful food, start your journey with this gem of a book.”
—CHRIS CAPELL, co-founder of Dizzy Pig Barbecue Company, 15-time KCBS grand champion

“I’m proud to see where Chris has taken his passion for outdoor cooking. That passion and his love of teaching others really come through in this beautiful book!”
—MATT PITTMAN, owner of Meat Church BBQ

“There’s a saying that knowledge is knowing that a tomato is technically a fruit, but wisdom is knowing not to use a tomato in a fruit salad. There is a lot of knowledge about BBQ out there these days, but Chris shares BBQ wisdom with just the right balance of science, stories, technique and recipes.”
—CHRIS GROVE, founder of Nibble Me This, author of The Kamado Smoker and Grill Cookbook

“Chris is my first stop when I want to tap into my BBQ intuition. His teaching style brings me back to basics and a way of cooking over the coals that appeals to the senses. He practices what he preaches with approachable recipes backed by personal encouragement. The BBQ Buddha makes everybody feel like they have a BBQ guru inside, just waiting to be coaxed out by hot coals and sizzling meat.”
—SUSIE BULLOCH, founder of Hey Grill Hey

“My bookshelf is packed with titles by famous pit masters, but Chris does a beautiful job explaining the basics of smoking. He shows off his well-rounded culinary chops with a great collection of recipes. Highly recommended for folks new to the BBQ world and for anyone looking for delicious new ideas.”
—DAVE YASUDA, Director of Marketing, Snake River Farms

“Chris’s tips on meat selection, science-geeky chapter on pit humidity, comprehensive lesson on brisket cooking and clear step-by-step recipes with gorgeous photos make me hanker for more days at the home barbecue pit.”
—WES BERRY, author of The Kentucky Barbecue Book

“Along the BBQ journey you are destined to meet some great people; Chris is one of those guys I have met and feel fortunate to know. Chris has done an outstanding job making BBQ techniques approachable so you can easily replicate them in your backyard. If you’re looking for the perfect guide to help you along the path to BBQ greatness, I highly recommend this book.”
—JASON MORSE, chef and founder of 5280 Culinary + BBQ Provisions

From the Publisher