Low and Slow: Master the Art of Barbecue in 5 Easy Lessons

Low and Slow: Master the Art of Barbecue in 5 Easy Lessons

Just got my hands on a copy of the magisterial Low and Slow: Master the Art of Barbecue in 5 Easy Lessons, penned by our own Gary Wiviott with Colleen Rush (goes on sale in a few weeks).

Having just now received the book and only just paged through it, my initial and entirely superficial assessment is that it looks good! The paper is an off-white, the better to not show carbon-coated finger smudges and BBQ sauce stains, and the cover stencil-font colors are, appropriately, a lump charcoal black and a cooked catsup red. This is a workbook, a manual, with illustrative graphics but, bascially, it's all business.

Having this paper guide is going to be a lot easier than accessing the Professor's website everytime I want to barbecue something.

I hope others post about their experiences using this book, as I intend to, and sincere congratulations GWiv and ccrush for what I’m sure will be a worthy addition to BBQ wisdom and tradition.

http://www.lowslowbbq.com/

If there is a better link to purchase at just edit my post...

Stagger wrote:http://www.amazon.com/Low-Slow-Mastering-Barbecue-Lessons/dp/0762436093

If there is a better link to purchase at just edit my post...

It would seem appropriate to request this selection on Kindle.

I also got a sneak peek at this book - it looks (not surprisingly) like a very intelligent discussion of the subject. Too bad I don't have room for a smoker....

just order me a copy & can't wait to get it

I just got my new book; "Low & Slow" by G. Wiv...delivered to my door by Amazon. I love it! Now I don't have to scrabble around looking for my internet print offs. I love all the extra side recipes and the science of building your own rubs and washes. Great job on the book Gary. I've never met you, but I'm looking forward to getting your autograph in your new book!

sounds like a great purchase for anyone who likes to bbq, I think a copy is in my future for sure.

jimswside wrote:sounds like a great purchase for anyone who likes to bbq, I think a copy is in my future for sure.

Same here - my bbq skills are sadly lacking, this may be just the thing I need to correct this.

Ursiform wrote:

jimswside wrote:sounds like a great purchase for anyone who likes to bbq, I think a copy is in my future for sure.

Same here - my bbq skills are sadly lacking, this may be just the thing I need to correct this.

perhaps,

luckily bbq folk seem to be the most eager to share ideas, recipies, etc, and to help others of anyone I have met in the cooking world.

Ursiform wrote:perhaps,

luckily bbq folk seem to be the most eager to share ideas, recipies, etc, and to help others of anyone I have met in the cooking world.

Hooray for that! I'm hoping my bbq skills are just dormant and come into full bloom this spring. I couldn't make a decent pie crust until I was 30, so there may be hope for me yet. In any case, certainly looking forward to Gary's book!

HI,

I endorse Gary's method coming from a different perspective. I owned a WSM long before I knew of Gary or heard of the internet. I was influenced to buy a smoker by a Russian woman who bought one instead of a grill. She and her husband were cooking exotic smoked ducks and salmon in the late 1970's. I happened to come upon a WSM at the Lake Forest Ace marked down for end of season. It was just out of beta testing, my instruction manual was a double-sided piece of paper marked 'preliminary.'

Most of first efforts at smoking were pieced together based on Ella's advice and the preliminary instructions. I'd do goofy things I wouldn't dream of today: saved tea bags to scent the water pan (as if it makes a bit of difference). I soaked wood chips to allow them to smolder longer, which I now know creates bitter tasting creosote. More often than not damaged my not so great fire by the water pan falling into it. Yet having nothing to compare it to, my guests were impressed, that or they discussed how awful it was on the way home. Eventually my WSM just languished on the patio, eventually the bottom bowl rusted out, which I didn't know until I contemplated beta class one.

At functions, I began to hear of people buyng WSMs and taking a BBQ class from Gary. I jumped on that quickly, because it was either use my WSM or take it to the curb. A wee $30 investment to replace the bottom, Gary's instructions for cook one and I was off. Mind you, he wouldn't give you the next class until each step was completed to his satisfaction. In less than a month, I was making better BBQ than I had in the 20 years I owned my WSM. His method of using wood charcoal and wood chunks was counter to Weber's where they had you use briquets and soak wood chips. Since I did not use my WSM very much, there was no routine or bad habits I needed to shake off.

One of the greatest gifts of the program is the intuitive sense you develop for how your cook is progressing. I almost never use a thermometer, though I look it over, poke it and maybe twist a rib. I like not having to feel compelled to babysit the smoker, because it is doing its job while I shop or prepare the rest of the meal. No need to ask my friends to keep me company as I monitor the cook. No reason to play BBQ techie with multiple thermometers reporting information to central command. I am confident the WSM is doing well, because Gary's method convinced me to leave it well enough alone.

Not that I wasn't overly analytical initially, I just needed experience under my belt to settle me down. Fortunately, the method is freely available to anyone who wants it via his book.

Regards,

I ordered few copies from Amazon, which I'm happy to report, arrived yesterday.

Congrats again, to Gary and Colleen!

=R=

Congratulations to Gary and Colleen, the book looks great! How much for autographed copies?

gary, im glad your book has weber kettle instructions... thats probably what im going to pick up. your book will prove very useful

What, no Kindle version? Just as well, I guess, tough to get those e-books autographed.

Awesome. Just ordered mine, with Mark Ruhlman's Charcuterie, and Vogue's Ultimate Knitting Book (I have an oddball assortment of hobbies.) Can't wait to read it!

Mr. Wiv, are you still willing to sign a copy of your book for my brother, your ardent fan? If so I'll get the book from Amazon and drive to wherever you are, or meet up with you at an upcoming LTH Event.

Katie wrote:Mr. Wiv, are you still willing to sign a copy of your book for my brother

Katie,

More than willing, I'd be honored.

Enjoy,
Gary

Congratulations. Having one's book come out is an exciting event.

I imagine the folks at Weber are doing cartwheels for joy over this particular title.

May this bring you all the fame and fortune you might wish for.

Prominently featured on the endcap of a Barnes & Noble way out here in Baltimore:



And no, I did not put it there

SWEET! This just made my day!

Gary,

Are there going to be any local book signings? I'd love mine with a GWiv thumbprint in a little sauce (on the side, of course).

The 5-Step process is one of those summer projects that you never forget.

Interestingly enough, THIS is where I found out about Gary's book first... goodnight, your celebrity shows up everywhere...

This just in from Barnes & Noble - Sarasota, FL.

It's certainly great about the book coming out but I'm kinda bummed about the disappearance/redirection of wiviott.com. I would have thought they'd at least leave the basic stuff up on the webs.

tem wrote:It's certainly great about the book coming out but I'm kinda bummed about the disappearance/redirection of wiviott.com. I would have thought they'd at least leave the basic stuff up on the webs.

Who would buy the cow if you could get the milk for free?

tem wrote:It's certainly great about the book coming out but I'm kinda bummed about the disappearance/redirection of wiviott.com. I would have thought they'd at least leave the basic stuff up on the webs.

I received my copy from Amazon and am wholly impressed with the content, especially many new recipes, anecdotes, and bits of wisdom that didn't appear on Gary's lesson site (which has been redirecting for a little while). The new ink illustrations are lean and easy to understand - how did you find the artist, G?

I do crave some of the old photographs, which I wish I had saved, but I realize that many of the ones I want to see are of the finished product, since what makes my mouth water is what I want to cook. Many of these photos (chicken in mojo criollo, dragon turds, rubbed shoulder, etc.) do exist on LTH. I won't provide direct links or make an archived companion thread of these images, but perhaps the authors might consider reloading an LTH-exclusive directory (in 2010, after they've had a chance to enjoy their well-deserved success!)

tem wrote:I would have thought they'd at least leave the basic stuff up on the webs.

Tem,

I realize this may be a disappointment for people who have referenced the free online 5 Step for so many years, it wasn't an easy decision to take it down. However, I believe the book is a great improvement on the original program, and offers students of barbecue much more in the way of instructions, particularly in using different types of charcoal cookers. I even put my until-now secret Gary Wiviott's Rub recipe in there.

Available online at Low & Slow is a complete version of the new and improved Lesson #1 (previously Step 1)--with instructions for cooking on the WSM, an offset smoker and the kettle grill. If you want Lessons #2 - #5, and my greatest hits of other barbecue-related recipes, including rubs, sauces and sides, please buy the book!

Enjoy,
Gary

Good news! Low and Slow has arrived at Barnes and Noble in the Naples area. However, does anyone else find the placement of the book on this table a bit odd?

Somehow, both of those titles go together for me.