Follow the Smoke: 14,783 Miles of Great Texas Barbecue

by John DeMers
Bright Sky Press, 240 pp., $19.95

In researching, photographing, and writing Follow the Smoke, Houston-based food writer John DeMers took on a gargantuan task: to chronicle the tales of the best of Texas barbecue joints. DeMers narrowed his mission down to 111 restaurants, adding almost 15,000 miles to his odometer. For the true ‘cue aficionado, Follow the Smoke is part bible, part guidebook, and part cookbook.

Organizing by regions, DeMers skillfully spins the story of each spot, revealing the pit masters and owners, the history, the methods, the soul, and the taste of every single place, from tiny shotgun shack to upscale temple. Certain key themes run constant, such as the relative merits of different pit styles and theories of temperatures and smoking woods.

DeMers sharply renders, through words and photos, the passion and dedication that has shaped Texas barbecue in to the social, cultural, and culinary force that it is. For the seeker of Texas barbecue nirvana, Follow the Smoke is essential to the quest.

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This article appears in John McCain.

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Mick Vann is a retired Austin chef who is a food writer and restaurant critic, cookbook author, restaurant consultant, and recipe developer. He moonlights as a University of Texas horticulturist with a propensity for ethnic eats and international food, particularly of the Asian persuasion, but he also knows his way around a plate of soul food or barbecue.