Competition BBQ Secrets: A Barbecue Instruction Manual for Serious Competitors and Back Yard Cooks Too Paperback – November 5, 2008

Lots of great information here.The book showed a lot more signs of wear than was represented.

Good book and I learned alot. It was not a cook book, which is a good thing, but a bbq(slow-smoking) book. The only "recipes" were for different types of rubs, from chicken,pork,and beef brisket as well as "recipes" for different variations on regional BBQ sauces. Not so much fancied or different flavored BBQ sauces, but Carolina sauce, Kansas city sauce, Alabama white sauce etc.This book also details different types of wood and the flavors the wood gives off.The detailed instructions are going to be helpful and the way it was written makes me feel the author intent was that if you follow these directions you will produce quality bbq, but he also makes me feel that even though these instructions are great they are not absolute and if you practice you will find your own technique.The pictures to go with the instructions on cutting St. Louis style ribs from a rack of spare ribs were very nice and for someone that has never cut St. Louis spares before makes it easy to understand.I am not sure why some people have posted some negative reviews on this book as it was everything it said it would. I know some people have complained about the $30 price but I will be honest I have bought numerous BBQ books this winter and this one is the book I was looking for and it cost me much more than $30 for the "recipe" books i bought.The only reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 was it was missing a few things that I wish was in there. I wish there was more information on box building because it is supposed to be "competition" bbq secrets. And the only other issue to me was the instructions and pics on ribs were so good and informative but then on brisket cutting it was just instructions. I wish there were pics of separating the 2 sections of brisket and little stuff like that. Like I said though ONLY because they were so good on St. Louis sparesThe ratings only are on a scale between 1 and 5 stars and since this book was not "perfect" in my opinion but real close I really rate it at 4.8 and I highly recommend it.

The book is a waste of money and paper. It's completely over-hyped in the largely inaccurate description. First, it's not for serious BBQers much less "Serious Competitors" as the title says. This book is for you ONLY if ALL of the following are true:1) you have absolutely no experience using a smoker,2) you don't want to buy a quality BBQ book like Peace, Love and Barbecue (or any of the other books listed on that books "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" link,3) you don't know how to use google to do a simple search to figure out the most basic information in the book, and4) you are willing to learn google to look up the inconsistencies in the book.Here are some highlights: There's a chapter on food science that includes paragraphs on things like the boiling point of water. The author's point is that, if you keep the smoker temp below the boiling point (212 or so at sea level), it won't dry out as fast. And he says at a higher altitude maybe you would change that. Is he really suggesting cooking a pork butt at 212?!! Even in his pork shoulder section, he says to cook it at 230 or so. Most telling is the description of the book in Amazon that says it includes a chapter on "Collagen, Protein, and Fat". The chapter doesn't say very much (a google search would reveal everything in the chapter) and is one page long. Some "chapter"! At a 12 pt font, it's more like a paragraph. In fact the book is more like a pamphlet. My favorite is the section on marinades and injection. The author describes that marinades will consist of two to three parts oil and one part acid. Then he gives a sample recipe for pulled pork that is basically apple juice. The sample recipe is correct. You would never marinate a pork butt in oil. The list goes on and on. The author's food may taste good, but even the photos look awful. The pork butt has a black bark and the brisket looks dry as can be. You get the idea.

Been reading all the negative reviews. I have to admit Bill's writing style is a little rough, so if you're looking for a great literary work, you'll be disappointed. But - I actually read the book all the way through and I've actually tried the recipes in competition. I can tell you that my pork went from running at the back of the pack to solidly within the top ten on a consistent basis. Bill is a winning Competition BBQ cook and I've found him to be a really nice guy who has been open and accessible. When you're good and you have proof of that from other people, good people share what they know.So consider what these people are saying. If they would approach their learning with a little more Shoshin and know that everyone has something to teach you, maybe they would have greater success in learning from Bill.I found a lot to learn in this book and I am grateful I found it.Sincerely,David ChildersHead Cook, Ad Astra Competition BBQ Team

I bought this book based largely on the title after searching for select BBQ cook books. I've been cooking BBQ for just a couple of years and am trying to reach the "next level" by refining my recipes and techniques, and looked forward to a better understanding of BBQ competition and the techniques\recipes for preparing all the meat categories. There are four things I found disappointing:1) The recipes rely on rubs or sauces that are only available through certain commercial sources.2) There are several rub and sauce recipes, but none are referenced or used in the book.3) The descriptions of trimming and preparation could be greatly improved with the addition of more photographs.4) This is a useful book only if you already have experience with BBQ.I also have to agree with one other reviewer that the book cost is about $15 more than it's worth.

For such an experienced BBQer I was expecting to see a lot more detail and instruction. Pretty disappointing considering the cost.