BBQ Revolution: Innovative Barbecue Recipes from an All-Star Pitmaster

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First Place Award Winner, National Barbecue and Grilling Association (NBBQA) 2023 Awards of Excellence

From classic, competition-winning recipes to boundary-pushing ’que, join the founder of Meat Mitch competition BBQ team and Char Bar Smoked Meat and Amusements for a BBQ Revolution! Mitch Benjamin has helped open BBQ restaurants in Paris, served his smoked meat to baseball legends at Yankee Stadium, and taken home some serious hardware from just about every major BBQ competition. In this book, he throws open the doors to his kitchen (or as he calls it, his “Mitchen”) and takes BBQ on a wild ride! The book starts with his behind the scenes look at competition BBQ and smoking, then winds its way through chapters both classic and creative:

Learn the ins and outs of competition BBQ, including some of Mitch’s award-winning recipes for sauces, rubs, and meats from brisket and burnt ends to short ribs and pork butt. Take a trip behind the scenes of Kansas City’s Char Bar, with some of their most popular recipes like their burnt heaven and smoked chicken nuggets. Mitch even breaks out the smoking gun for some smoked cocktails! Next up, some truly revolutionary BBQ. Leave your expectations at home as Mitch showcases recipes with reverse smoking, sous vide, and other techniques. Master non-traditional mains including smoked salmon, jackfruit, bone marrow, and much more. There’s never “que” much of a good thing! In a full chapter on making the most of smoked meat, Mitch whips up Japanese steamed buns; candied pork belly; and barbeque-stuffed tacos, quiche, and poutine. Last but not least, Mitch shares some of his legendary sides and “amusements.” Think addictive pimiento cheese, deviled eggs, whoopie pies, and more!

Whether you’re relatively new to BBQ or a seasoned pitmaster, you’re sure to find new ideas, techniques, and flavors if you hang around with Mitch. What are you waiting for? Join the revolution! 

From the Publisher

This Is Competition BBQ

Competition barbecue is more about friendships and community than anything else. It’s the sheer pleasure of meeting new people who all share the same passion. It’s the pile of smoky clothes on the laundry floor and that first shower you finally take after a couple days in the heat. Personally, I love that feeling of being absolutely exhausted after a sleepless night or two of cooking and congregating. I love getting the families together for dinner afterwards, hopefully to celebrate, and then passing out early and sleeping like a baby. And I must say that there’s nothing more exciting and exhilarating than hearing your name called for a category win and, if you are fortunate enough, a Grand Championship.

I could tell countless stories about my team on the biggest of competition stages, like the The American Royal World Series of Barbecue and the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest.

After doing so many barbecue competitions, I often have people ask me what the days are like—and how the food is judged. While every competition is different (and heck, the same competition can be different year to year!), there are certainly enough similarities to run through a “typical” experience. So, let’s jump into that right away!

My Competition Rubs and Sauces MEAT MITCH COMPETITION WHOMP! RUB MEAT MITCH ALLPURPOSE RUB CHAR BAR TABLE SAUCE CANDY SAUCE MEAT MITCH STEER SEASON RUB MEAT MITCH COMPETITION WHOMP! BBQ SAUCE

THE BURNT HEAVEN

This winning sandwich was created by our pitmaster, Jeremy Tawney. It’s something he would make for himself during his days smoking meat as head pitmaster at the world-famous Oklahoma Joe’s. The sandwich is crispy, creamy, smoky, and spicy with every bite. And it’s been Char Bar’s top-selling sandwich since Day One. You gotta have a showstopper! This one is it!

ROOTS & FRUITS

I fell in love with the name of this salad before I fell in love with the taste . . . insane! Our Char Bar chef, Mark Kelpe, invented it. He calls it, “A kaleidoscope of color packing an umami punch of flavor. It has earthy bitterness from the beets and parsnips, sweetness from the oranges, a sour tang from the goat cheese, and a salty crunch from the pistachios.” Yum. Although this sweet and savory veggie salad can be served anytime of the year, it really shines in fall and winter—whenever beets are in season in your area.

SMOKED LAMB CHOPS WITH ASIAN BUTTER SAUCE

Wham, bam, let’s hammer some lamb! I have made this for several years in a row for our neighborhood block party. When you bring ribs or brisket, everyone digs right in. Lamb will get you some strange looks at first, but after just one bite they come around. It’s charred and smoky on the outside and buttery on the inside. Now all the neighbors ask me where they are if I don’t bring them! The sauce is off the chain, marrying Asian flavor with barbecue for something different than your average sauce. These are a showstopper!

BOURBON SWEET TEA SMOKED SALMON

Most people I know have a love-hate relationship with salmon. Here’s one way to make everyone fall in love: add smoke, bourbon, and sweet tea. This recipe has incredible flavor and the bourbon blends well with the sweetness of the tea and brown sugar. You’ll need to cure the salmon the night before, but the process is totally worth it. I like to start smoking as the fire is burning down from a different smoke and there aren’t many coals left.

BARBE-CUBAN SANDWICH

I love a great Cuban sandwich. One time, I spent day after day in Miami chasing the best one I could find. Enriqueta’s Sandwich Shop rose above the rest. Their sandwich made me want to dance down the street. When you’re making your own Cuban sandwich, you need to hit all the key flavors: pork, ham, Swiss cheese, mustard, and pickles. The bread is important, too—but it’s hard to find the classic Cuban bread in most of the United States. So in this recipe, we’ll make a loaf of store-bought Italian work. It might take a few tries to master the technique for pressing this sandwich, but once you get that press right, you’ll have the ultimate sandwich!

SMOKED BRISKET PHILLY CHEESESTEAK

I have stood on the corner of 9th Street and Passyunk Avenue in South Philly and stared down Pat’s King of Steaks and Geno’s Steaks. I admit I have held a face off (and eaten my face off) more than once. Here is a little homage to the home of cheesesteaks, and I promise you that you won’t be disappointed. This sandwich is loaded with flavor and texture: gooey melted cheese, a crunchy toasted bun, and smoked crackly brisket. This is a favorite of my son, Will, and an all-time request from his buddies in the Mitchen.

TAILGATE BBQ BEANS

Don’t buy canned baked beans—this recipe is too easy and too good! I bet you have most of these ingredients already in your kitchen. It’s time to throw them all together along with the smoked meat you slaved over all weekend. Let’s make some beans!! These beans are sweet with just a touch of heat—isn’t that everyone’s motto? Molasses, brown sugar, Char Bar Table Sauce, smoked meat . . . really?! True to Kansas City, these BBQ Beans will keep your tailgate going long after the game.

BLUEBERRY HAND PIES

Ah, hand pies. When it comes to this recipe, and many other desserts, the talented Julia Haberer inspired and taught my daughter how to make it. She made these for a big dinner where I served up smoked lamb chops. I worked so hard on those chops and everyone just talked about these hand pies! I can see why, though. The crust reminds me of my grandmother’s, and they are just packed full of blueberries. Good thing everyone gets their own because nobody wants to share them!

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harvard Common Press (July 6, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1592339956
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1592339952
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.98 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.25 x 0.8 x 10.25 inches