A one-of-a-kind collection of recipes, photographs, and behind-the-scenes stories from legendary pitmaster Mike Mills.In this unique combination of cookbook, memoir, and travelogue, Mike Mills, the unrivalled king of barbecue, shares his passion for America's favorite cuisine--its intense smoky flavors, its lore and traditions, and its wild cast of characters.Through conversational anecdotes and black-and-white photographs, readers meet a diverse circle of colleagues and friends and join Mills in a behind-the-scenes tour of the barbecue contest circuit, with stops at some of the best "shrines, shacks, joints, and right-respectable restaurants."Also included are prizewinning recipes that have earned Mills his fame and fortune as a barbecue maestro. These 100 recipes will enable anyone with a grill to achieve champion barbecue flavor right in their own backyard. The selection features Mills' own secret concoctions and treasured family recipes as well as choice contributions from his pitmaster friends, and it covers all manner of barbecued meat and fish, sauces and dry rubs, as well as the sides, soups, and down-home sweets that complete any great barbecue feast.With its folksy, fun-loving tone and its unique insider's take on a hugely popular--and deeply American--subject, this volume will appeal to barbecue lovers, food mavens, and cooks of all stripes.

In the world of barbecue, champion pitmaster Mike Mills is affectionately knowon as "The Legend." He presides over the pits at his six nationally acclaimed 17th Street Bar & Grill restaurants in Southern Illinois and four Memphis Championship Barbecue restaurants in Las Vegas. In the early 1990s he was co-captain of the Apple City Barbecue team, one of the most celebrated teams ever on the circuit. He has the distinction of being the only three-time Grand World Champion at Memphis in May, otherwise known as the Super Bowl of Swine. He is also the barbecue guru and a partner at Blue Smoke restaurant in New York City.

Amy Mills Tunnicliffe, daughter of Mike, is a writer and sought-after professional speaker. She lives near Boston with her two children. She always wanted to be a glamorous heiress. Little did she dream her fortune would lie in barbecue.