Yoder Smokers Community Forum

Getting ready for annual 300 person pig roast in October and planning menus now...After 5 years, we have it mostly down, but I like to mix it up a bit every year (as the exec chef and head cook for the affair...). I get a bit tired of the same ol' fare...looking for some inspiration. Any favorite authors or books for sauce and rub ideas? All suggestions appreciated!

I don't really use books anymore, but sometimes I like a fresh idea too, just like you mentioned. I have liked almost, if not all, of the recipes that I have tried from the Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book by Chris Lilly. He also just came out with a new book a few months ago called Fire & Smoke that is basically wall to wall recipes with some basic cooking info at the beginning that all books have. The first recipe is for a barbecue Bloody Mary that includes brisket drippings.

The brisket benedict and brisket hash sound good for breakfast stuff, and the pulled pork loaded baked potato sounds amazing too. I need to try some of these.

Thanks Kirby, appreciate the recommendations. I don't use them too much anymore myself, but I'm feeling like I'm treading on some of the same old turf on a few things and I was hoping for some inspiration because it gets boring to keep doing the same thing every year (for the chef anyway!).

I use a Chris Lilly pork rub recipe every year for some of the pork butts we do for the pig roast so I had already located both of the books you mentioned, but I hadn't bought them yet. Thanks for giving me the nudge I needed to hit the buy button on Amazon. You had me at brisket drippings! I also found a sauce and rub book by Paul Kirk that looks to potentially fit the bill.

Always interested in new titles that help to take things to the next level, so hopefully future readers will continue to post to this thread and keep the book recommendations coming!

Thanks,

TJ

Question: do these books give you a step by step instruction (from beginning to end). Newbie here, my 640 is being built and my past experience is BBQ cooking on my weber gas grill.

Some books do. I think the Big Bob BBQ book I recommended is a great book for beginners with some fairly simple and easy to follow recipes that taste great. It's a great confidence booster.

The BBQ bible by Steven Raichlen is good. Also I like to use You Tube for ideas and then apply what I like.