Aaron Franklin

Aaron Franklin lets his humor, and most importantly his passion, shine through in this book. It was meant to be a "read through and get ideas" kind of book. But it's turned into somewhat of a utility tool. I've read through this a few times now, and the takeaways aren't the recipies. It's the idea that you've got to get you heart into what you are doing. No matter if it's BBQ, welding, carpentry, data mining...whatever you do, you need to do it with passion. Then the work is still work, but show more it's gratifying. show less

Don't know much about cooking with fire? Want to know more about the ins-and-outs of barbeque? Aaron Franklin's "Franklin Smoke" may be the book for you.
Franklin Smoke is an absolutely great book on instructing the reader in the ways of cooking with fire: the grill and smoker (even the Green Egg!), with wood and charcoal.
Written again with Jordan Makay (see Franklin's first cookbook) while the term smoke is in the title, I would venture to say that smoking is not the focus of this work. What show more is, I feel, is the teaching/instructing the reader in the art of using smoke AND fire.
Franklin begins the book by biographising (yeah, I think I just made that up) about when his smokehouse burned to the ground and how their journey back unfolded and the lessons they learned. He continues on with chapters on grill and smokers, wood, coals, and then usual BBQ cookbook items, recipes for rubs, sauces and the cooking of assorted meats, with a special focus on the beef brisket.
The recipes are simple and usable, but the real emphasis here is learning the technique and "secrets" of each. These are not just one page write offs, these are multipage diatribes on the actual proper way to cook with and on that particular item he is using for that particular recipe.
Franklin is an instructor at heart who hides behind a lunch counter in an apron. Aaron communicates so very well. There is not much he writes that can be misunderstood as there is completeness and clarity to his pieces.
While I have not yet made any of the recipes as of yet, I cannot wait for the day to attack a brisket using the methods, technique and strategy Mr. Franklin and Mackay pontificate.
Regardless how much you know, with "Franklin Smoke" you will walk away knowing more about the ins-and-outs of barbeque than you thought you would when you first picked it up.
I recommend this to any BBQ enthusiasts, as it will be a great resource for years to come, I give it four out of five stars. show less

A more complete smoke bbq book that others I've seen. Starts with smoker design and includes some diagrams and welding information to get going. It then moves on to wood and smoking issues. Only a small section is actual recipes and it focuses on how to deal with larger cuts to get them ready for a long smoke.

Very detailed instructions on building a smoker, cuts of meat, preparing, and guidelines for smoking. Not really a cookbook.