I’m grateful to my parents, Ken and Linda Berry, for abundant care, affection, and freedom to explore the woods, streams, cattle pastures, moss-filled ponds, and tobacco barns of cave country during my long, wonderful childhood. Dad, I’ve learned much from you, including patience, humility, and the pleasures of heavy outdoor labor—all those days hauling in wood and harvesting tobacco. Mom, I admire your grace, humor, devotion to family, and culinary know-how. I trace my love of food back to your kitchen—the wonderful mixture of good country cooking blended with surprises like panseared chicken topped with steamed broccoli, crabmeat, and béarnaise sauce.
I’m also proud of my grandparents Willis Reid and Gladys, the hub of the big Berry family, and have fond memories of salty-nutty country ham, biscuits with rich gravy, and black-skillet potatoes—of hulling beans and shucking corn in the shade of the sugar maple with Pa Pa, while the pressure cooker rattled in the hot kitchen—and days and nights fishing and frogging in the spring-fed pond and trout-stocked Peter Creek that bordered the land. The Berry family killed hogs in the fall, and Pa Pa fed me cracklins from the black iron kettle, the beginnings of my porcine proclivities.
This project was supported with a Junior Faculty Research Grant from Western Kentucky University. Special thanks to the committee who awarded the grant back in 2008; to Karen Schneider, chair of WKU’s English department, for getting my last-minute grant application pushed through while I was away teaching in China; to Tomitha Blair, who processed multiple travel forms; and to the benefactors of WKU who make such grants possible.
(Dear Karen and Kevin—wishing you many peaceful hikes in your Colorado retirement.)
Hugs to Dale Rigby and John V. Glass III (and the entire Glass clan) for putting me up when I needed a place to stay; to Jason Berry for hospitality during my many trips to Louisville; and to Mark Jackson for the Lexington home away from home.
Gratitude to the traveling partners mentioned within these pages, others not mentioned, and some gone from my life, but not forgotten.
Jeanie Adams-Smith journeyed with me to Monroe County, took another journalistic trip to Hopkinsville and Grand Rivers, and provided awesome images for this book. I’m grateful for your friendship, generosity, and photographic magic. Also, thanks for loaning me Abby’s future camera!
Joe Michael Moore of Barren County—I can’t thank you enough for donating your hog expertise and many hours of hard labor while teaching us how to transform our two living hogs into four huge country hams, loin chops, sausage, ribs, Boston butts, and bacon. I know pigs so much better, inside and out, now. We’re grateful for your kindness and gentle touch. You’re an excellent teacher, and your country sausage really is the best I’ve ever eaten.
A big hickory-smoked chicken, double dipped, to Shane Wood for writing a story about this book for WKU’s College Heights Herald; to photojournalist Dominik Furhmann for following me around Louisville with audio and camera equipment and putting together a well-edited barbecue piece that aired on WDRB Fox 41 in Louisville during Thanksgiving week 2011; to Bruce Bjorkman, host of Cooking Outdoors with Mr. BBQ, out of Portland, Oregon, for having me on his show; to Jimmy Lowe for the story in the Glasgow Daily Times; and to Gaye Bencini for the lunchtime conversation and resulting story in the Hickman County Times.
A kettle of burgoo to southern food aficionado John T. Edge for recommending the University Press of Kentucky and for inviting me to jawbone about barbecue at the Southern Foodways Symposium in fall 2012.
Appreciations to Ashley Runyon and the whole team at the University Press of Kentucky for seeing this book through and dealing with my need for extended deadlines so I could squeeze in just a few more barbecue places.
Thank goodness for copyeditor Robin DuBlanc, who combed through this manuscript packed with nonstandard English, multiple variations of the word barbecue, and potentially offensive wisecracking. She whipped it into shape while retaining the original spirit.
To the folks at Cricket Press in Lexington—thank you for the original cover art!
I’ve learned about food and travel writing from many experts in the field. A hearty Kentucky bourbon toast to Anthony Bourdain, John T. Edge, Peter Kaminsky, Jeffrey Steingarten, and Calvin Trillin for taking me on culinary cultural tours and making me want to ride shotgun. Special thanks to the barbecue writers and photographers whose books showed me the possibilities of such an undertaking: Vince Staten and Greg Johnson, Lolis Eric Elie and Frank Stewart, Mike Mills and Amy Mills Tunnicliffe, and John Shelton Reed and Dale Volberg Reed.
I received gracious, helpful manuscript guidance from Elizabeth S. D. Engelhardt, author of Republic of Barbecue; Maggie Green, author of The Kentucky Fresh Cookbook; and John Shelton Reed, coauthor of Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue. Thank you, friends. The book is better because of your feedback.
The recipes contributed by barbecue people I met during my travels have enhanced this book. Thank you all for sharing your expertise and secrets.
Finally, to the many folks across the Commonwealth of Kentucky who generously shared stories, barbecue knowledge, and good food (somehow managing to continue working while I fumbled around learning to take decent photos)—my heartfelt admiration and gratitude. You are too many to mention individually, but the stories and photos inside this book are a tribute to your art.