Most people do not review cookbooks that are over a decade old. But some books deserve to break the rules. Book of Smoke is one of those rare cookbooks that never gets old. Every time I flip through its pages, I find something new to try.
When Buxton Hall Barbecue’s Book of Smoke first came out, everyone was watching Asheville, North Carolina. Elliott Moss and Meherwan Irani had just opened Buxton Hall in an old roller skating rink from the 1930s. Praise rolled in, and Bon Appétit even named it a Top 10 Best New Restaurant in America. Usually, cookbooks from restaurants end up as pretty souvenirs, not real kitchen helpers.
Now, more than ten years later, Buxton Hall has closed its doors. The pandemic, a pit fire, rising costs, and Moss leaving in 2022 all played a part. But the book is still here. It is not just a memory of a restaurant. It is a bridge that changed how we talk about barbecue.
The Self-Taught Pitmaster’s Manifesto
To really get this book, you have to know a little about Moss. He grew up in Florence, South Carolina, surrounded by the tangy, vinegar flavors of low-country barbecue. He learned from places like Scott’s Bar-B-Que. Moss never went to culinary school. He just followed his curiosity and worked his way up. That journey led him to a James Beard nomination for his creative cooking at The Admiral in Asheville.
When Moss came back home to open Buxton Hall, he brought new ideas with him. He mixed a zero-waste kitchen mindset with old-school barbecue. The Book of Smoke shows what happens when hard, smoky pit work meets the creativity of a fine-dining chef.
Breaking the Barbecue Mold
For years, barbecue cookbooks fell into two camps. Some were packed with science and smoking charts. Others focused on big cuts of meat and secret spice rubs. Moss broke the mold in three big ways:
1. Democratizing the Pit (MacGyver-Style Engineering)
Most people think you need a giant brick pit to smoke a whole hog. Moss changed that. He packed his book with plans for quick smoking and backyard setups. You can build a cinder-block pit or a burn barrel right in your driveway. If you live in the city, he shows how to make a smoker from hotel pans, foil, or even a Girl Scout mess kit and a drill. Moss proves you do not need fancy gear. You just need wood, fire, and a little creativity.
2. The Zero-Waste Kitchen Philosophy
Moss saw the whole hog as a gift, not just a pile of ribs or shoulders. In The Book of Smoke, he teaches you how to use every part. He shows how to catch pork fat to slow-smoke green beans under the grates. He shares ways to turn leftovers into South Carolina pork hash or Chicken Bog. Even dessert gets the spotlight, with Buxton’s famous Banana Pudding Pie taking center stage.
3. Codifying the “Crispy Skin” Technique
The highlight of the book is Moss’s step-by-step guide to making Carolina crispy skin. Getting that perfect cracklin takes hours of slow cooking to melt the fat. Then you flip a huge hog skin-side down over hot coals. Moss explains every step so anyone can try it. The best part is chopping up that golden skin and mixing it into the pulled pork for a crunchy, tender bite.
“A beautifully laid out reference book… where Moss’s voice and evident passion carry the reader past the initial pages and completely through the history, family traditions, and techniques of Carolina wood-smoking.” — The Barbecue Bros
A Cultural Bridge
The Book of Smoke mentions Asheville’s creative food scene, but its heart is in honoring tradition with new ideas. Moss showed that a barbecue book could tell a real story and still teach you something. It is both a memoir and a guide.
Since this book came out, barbecue writing has changed a lot. Now, stories, global flavors, and even grilled veggies get their moment. Moss helped start that shift. He showed you can respect old traditions and still try new things.
If you want to build a cinder-block pit or just cook cider Brussels sprouts with crispy cracklins, this book is for you. The fires at Buxton Hall may be out, but Moss’s lessons on smoke, fat, and fire still inspire backyard cooks everywhere.
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