Pitmaster by Andy Husbands & Chris Hart – Hardback Cookbook

Pitmaster is a hardback barbecue cookbook by Andy Husbands and Chris Hart of the Boston-based iQue team, and it teaches you how to run every classic smoker and cook the regional styles of American barbecue, with a guest pitmaster in every chapter. It starts with backyard basics and builds all the way up to a whole hog.

From backyard cook to pitmaster

Andy and Chris did something no northern team had done before: their iQue crew won the 2009 Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational. This book is how they think about barbecue, laid out step by step. It's the regional tour plus the smoker know-how in one place, which is rare.

What's inside

It opens with how to run the classic smoker types, with instructional photos, then moves from backyard cooking and tailgating into spotlights on Texas, Kansas City and the Carolinas. Each chapter brings in a guest pitmaster, including Tuffy Stone, Sam Jones, Elizabeth Karmel, Rod Gray, John Lewis and Billy Durney.

Standouts include Butterfly Pork Butt Burnt Ends, Memphis-Style Baby Back Ribs and Central Texas Beef Ribs. Every chapter rounds out with regional sides, a crowd-sized cocktail and a simple dessert, and the foreword is by Mike and Amy Mills.

Who it's for

Cooks who've mastered the grill and want to get serious about smoking, and anyone curious about how regional American styles differ. Beginners can start at the chicken thighs; veterans can head straight for the whole hog.

About Andy Husbands & Chris Hart

Andy Husbands is a Boston chef and pitmaster who opened Tremont 647 in 1996 and later The Smoke Shop, named Best Barbecue Restaurant by Boston Magazine; he also competed on Hell's Kitchen. Chris Hart has led the iQue competition team, which in 2009 became the first New England team to win the Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational. Together they also wrote Wicked Good Barbecue and Wicked Good Burgers.

The Rub Smuggler's Verdict

Darryl's orders: read this one with a smoker warming up. It's a road trip through American barbecue led by a world-champion team, and the guest pitmaster chapters are pure gold. The Smuggler's favourite is the Butterfly Pork Butt Burnt Ends, more bark, more edges, more reasons to stay up late. Buy it and your next comp-style cook gets a whole lot sharper; pair it with Peace, Love and Barbecue from the Mills family who wrote the foreword, and Myron Mixon's BBQ Rules, then shake on Tuffy Stone The Big UMAMI (he's in the book).

Questions answered

Who wrote Pitmaster?

Pitmaster was written by Andy Husbands and Chris Hart of the Boston-based iQue barbecue team, winners of the 2009 Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational.

What's inside Pitmaster?

It covers how to run the classic smoker types, backyard and tailgate cooking, and regional styles like Texas, Kansas City and the Carolinas, with a guest pitmaster in each chapter plus sides, cocktails and desserts.

Is Pitmaster good for beginners?

Yes. It starts with basics like grilled chicken thighs and smoker set-up before building up to advanced cooks such as burnt ends and whole hog.

Is Pitmaster a hardback, and how many pages?

Yes. It's a 224-page hardback published by Fair Winds Press in 2017.

Which guest pitmasters feature in Pitmaster?

Guests include Tuffy Stone, Sam Jones, Elizabeth Karmel, Rod Gray, John Lewis and Billy Durney, each representing a region or style.