12 Bones Smokehouse

Delicious! Bring back summer now so that I can get the BBQ out and invite all my friends round. This book had my stomach rumbling and mouth watering from the first page.

12 Bones Smokehouse: A Mountain BBQ Cookbook is a reformat/re-release of a 2015 cookbook and manual featuring recipes from 12 Bones Smokehouse in Asheville, NC. Due out 9th Oct, 2018, from Quarto Press - Voyager, this 2nd edition is 224 pages and available in hardcover format. (The 1st edition is available in hardcover, paperback and ebook formats).

There has, happily, been a resurgence in the pride and culinary legitimacy of regional foods. This book is all about history and roots. I grew up in Appalachia and many of these foods speak to my childhood and extended family gatherings. They take the tried and true old fashioned southern recipes and run with them. There are spice and flavor combinations my grandmother would not have tried (blueberry!?) but which nevertheless do work.

The book starts off with an introduction covering tools, a little bit of history, and moves into general cooking methods, searing, brining and a remarkably unpretentious discussion of wood vs. gas.

The next sections (the 'meat' of the book *har har*) cover meats with beef + pork together and seafood + chicken. These 2 chapters include a stunning array of rubs, preparations, treatments and good advice. Supporting and filling out the meats selections is a gorgeous array of BBQ sauces. There are, of course, the required standards ('jerk' sauce, Memphis sauce, honey-chipotle) side by side with really eye popping originals (honey-cherry, blueberry-chipotle, penny cup coffee rub).

This is a full dinner cookbook and the remaining sections provide a snazzy array of sides and complementary dishes. Veggies, salads and pickles get their own chapter, followed by a chapter on sides (cornbread! <3). The final chapter includes a lot of homemade southern delights. Pecan pie and key lime pie get pride of place, but there are also some innovative desserts which complement the BBQ star attractions.

The book has a really specific and useful table of contents along with a good index at the end.

Though the book is slanted toward the North American cook, I've been living in Norway for years and had no trouble gathering the ingredients for the recipes I tried.

The photography is good with well presented appealingly styled food which is appetizing and completely unpretentious.

Five stars. Really well done. I did not do a side by side comparison with the 1st edition, so I can't speak to which of the recipes are original to this version.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  
From the publisher --- 

Enjoy all the sought-after recipes from 12 Bones Smokehouse in Asheville, North Carolina, including their famous ribs, pulled pork, turkey, and chicken, plus iconic barbecue sauces like blueberry chipotle. 

When 12 Bones Smokehouse opened in Asheville, North Carolina, many doubted that it would succeed. From a squat building in a floodplain, the owners were serving up creative barbecue that wasn't 100% true to any single region. Yet more than a decade later, 12 Bones is a local institution that rivals the Biltmore Estate in popularity. 

In this newly updated edition of 12 Bones Smokehouse, you'll find recipes that draw inspiration from all over the South (and sometimes the North), from old family favourites to new recipes invented on a whim. You'll enjoy page after page of the classics as well as 12 Bones' most popular specials and desserts, including: 12 Bones' namesake ribs, pulled pork, smoked chicken, and other meaty goodness; more sides than you could possibly finish pies, cookies, and even a cake or two to satisfy any sweet tooth and—in this new edition—dozens of new recipes, including our best rib rubs and seasonal sauces! Spark the smoker and light up the grill; it's time to make the most flavorful meals you've ever had.

Yummy. Just yummy.  I mean wow --- this book practically got dripped on with saliva as it made me so darn hungry. I am hundreds of miles from anyone who knows how to smoke properly and this book gave me the confidence to use my green egg and get to work.  These sauces are amazing, too: I cannot wait to whip some of those up and can/preserve them – it’s so much easier to make a huge batch and do it that way IMHO.
A fabulous book for any cookbook and smoker lover who thinks that $25 USD ($33CAD) is a good deal for a 120-page book … I wish there was a LOT more as that is, IMHO, a lot of money for a small booklet!

Unfortunately as a vegan this book didn’t really appeal to me, however if you are a meat loving, BBQ addict I guess you would find it useful.  It has lovely illustrations and some great salad and sauce ideas.  Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy in return for my honest review.

If you are a fan of BBQ then this is the book for you.  This book is about North Carolina bbq.  Those of you that study bbq know what that means.  This cookbook breaks it down for the home bbqer.  There's sections on tools, the wood, brine, and rubs.  They have you covered. They show the differences of gas and charcoal smoking.  There are several recipes I can't wait to try starting with the Hogzilla.  This sandwich looks so good!  It also introduced me to a new part of the pig to be cooked, pork cheeks.  It guess they truly do use all parts of the pig.  The sauce section has some really creative sauces using blueberries, pumpkins or cranberries.  It includes sides and desserts to go along with the tasty looking meats.  I can't wait to fire up the gril.

This bible of meat smoking is a must for any cooking shelf. Within its amazing pages are all the advice and tips you would ever need to create a wonderful, mouthwatering smoked buffet.
It’s split into your rubs, typical smoking meats (beef/pork/sausages) before delving into a much more eclectic selection including fish.

12 Bones Smokehouse by the Kings, Heavner & Lunsford is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in early October.

This BBQ by way of North Carolina cookbook offers just about everything (in order of appearance): beef, pork, chicken, seafood, sauces, veg/salad/pickles, side dishes, and desserts. There's a fun, eclectic bent to their recipes and the 12 Bones’ interior with the book depicted in a mix of a parchment and slate, recipes often serving 4-8 and having recipes-within-recipes (like the Mop sauce, brine, or chicken rub seasoning), and an added focus of ‘spotlight’ recipes and people. My favorites include the smoked sirloin, barbecue Scotch eggs, barbecue thousand-island dressing/sauce, collard greens, honey cornbread (with sage - utter genius), smoked Gouda drop biscuits, Key lime pie, and tres leches strawberry shortcake.

You are going to grill like a pro after reading this book! You are told what tools to use, which type of grill is best for you to use - gas, or charcoal, what type of wood will give you the desired flavor, and what, why and how to brine your meat.
The Ten Commandments of Grilling are introduced, so you do not burn the house down, take proper care of the meat, and keep on alert at the grill! You will understand how to make the proper meat rubs, with ground and even whole spices! There are rubs that use garlic, salt, ginger and oregano: other rubs use paprika, sugar, garlic and dry English mustard, ingredients that you can find at your local grocery store!
There is a strawberry jalepeno BBQ sauce that uses strawberries, jalapeno peppers, apple cider vinegar, sugar, Tomato Q sauce and molasses that sounds delicious!
You will learn about the special care that you must use to keep pork and pork sausage from making you ill, you’ll learn how to make cabbage sausage rolls, and andouille, even pastrami!
There are recipes for a smoked whole turkey, and a smoked chicken shepherd’s pie, and a variety of recipes for sauces, that use ingredients such as pineapple, 
Mayonnaise, pickles and even blueberries!
There is a chapter on veggies, salads and pickles, that has recipes for sweet vinegar coleslaw, cucumber salad, spicy ranch dressing and even collard greens - this being a Southern cookbook!
There are side recipes that include cornbread, corn pudding, smoky baked beans and smoked potato salad.
The dessert menu includes key lime pie, blueberry oatmeal cookies and peanut butter pretzel bars.
Enjoy making these rib-tickling BBQ recipes, you won’t regret it!

12 Bones Smokehouse is a great recipe book. It features many recipes with some wonderful pictures and is very easy to follow.

Great BBQ cookbook, with all the trimmings included as well.  Book is packed with great advice.  I enjoyed the blueberry-chipotle barbeque sauce.  I will be traveling to Asheville, NCfor lunch!!

This cookbook is a TREASURE. Number one, it's absolutely gorgeous!  It is filled with really beautiful photos....photos of the food, photos of the 12 Bones Smokehouse, photos of fire and wood, sauces and salads...oh my goodness, photos of cookies and pies and the photos of the RIBS....to die for.  Do not go through this cookbook when you are hungry or you will be up cooking all night.  I'm not kidding.  Don't ask me how I know.  Just....don't.  

This cookbook is mostly a cookbook filled with mouthwatering recipes, all well written with clear directions, and most with gorgeous pictures.  But it's more than that....It's fun, it's inspirational...and it's educational.  You really WANT to try these things.  The authors explain things very clearly and they make you want to try it yourself.  Section 1 is honestly almost like a class.  They explain the basics--the tools, smoking, cooking over gas, cooking over charcoal, cooking over wood, grill marks....they even offer the 10 commandments of grilling. "Thou shalt not poison thy family"  I think is especially important.

As with most well done cookbooks, the book is laid out in organized sections, with a comprehensive table of contents at the beginning and an index at the end.  Sections include Beef and Pork, Poultry and Seafood, Big Bad Barbecue Sauces, Veggies Salads and Pickles, Rib-Stickin' Sides, and Southern Treats and Homemade Sweets.   And this is NOT a restaurant cookbook with just a few recipes--there are a LOT of recipes in this book, each section has at least 15 recipes in it, and several have a lot more than that.  *One small note: There is no nutritional information provided for any of the recipes.

I highly recommend this cookbook--it's absolutely beautiful and guaranteed to knock you off your diet.  Possibly permanently.  But you'll be happy and well fed, that's for sure.  Well, assuming you follow the commandments. 

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I love, love, love this book here. Im a southern country girl and we love to cookout on the grill. It be the best. This recipe book. cookbook is the bomb. I love the various things and ways that even I nor my family has ever tried. I can't wait to cook some of these delightful delicious recipes.

I’ll be picking up a hard copy of 12 Bones Smokehouse’s cookbook to add to my shelf since it’s filled with more rubs, sauces, main dishes, sides and desserts than I could count. This book will be a welcome holiday  gift for every southern cook, both new & experienced.

Very nice cookbook. The recipes are outstanding and I will be looking to visit the restaurant when I go to North Carolina. This is now on my bucket list. The recipes are very straight forward and very easy to follow. My mouth was watering as I read this book!!! Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book. Although I received the book in this manner, it did not affect my opinion of this book nor my review.

Most people think smoked meat cannot be made at home.  They think you have to go to a fancy restaurant for quality.  I have to admit, when I first decided to buy a home smoker, the process seemed daunting.  I've been cooking for many decades and had never tried actually smoking anything other than fish.  After reading several books on smoking meats, I decided this one was the best one to try.  My family and friends are very glad I decided to try the recipes and suggestions in this cookbook.  The recipes themselves are very clear and easy to follow using ingredients most cooks have in their pantries.  They are not just for meat, you can find something that will please everyone.  Not only have my cooking skills increased but at least two lucky people are getting this book for Christmas!

12 Bones Smokehouse is an amazing cookbook filled with tons of recipes and mouthwatering photography. I love that the cookbook takes the time to introduce you to how to properly smoke your meat, choose the right cuts, and how to prepare it for the best effect. The little side notes about the restaurant that the cookbook hails from are really interesting. I especially enjoyed the story of President and Michelle Obama coming to eat there during his presidency. This cookbook is the sort of thing any grill master should have on hand. 

I love that the cookbook includes recipes of every type, including side dishes and desserts, to go along with the prepared meat. Some of the ones that caught my eye as a southern gal include the fried green tomatoes and homemade mac and cheese. This cookbook even teaches you how to make your own bbq sauces. There really is something for everyone in here. 


This review will be posted on thebookhorde.com on 11/26

Having eaten at 12 Bones in Asheville, I knew I HAD to check out this cookbook! the book is ALL about the North Carolina style of BBQ, which is about infusing the meat with flavor, via rubs, versus sauces which you may be more familiar with. Not that sauces are forgotten, but they are an extra layer, not the sole one here! But having said that,  their Blueberry BBQ Sauce is the primary reason for you to get this book- it is hands down to DIE for. By this time of the year, we're all blueberried out from the summer bounty, but making that sauce? OH YEAH, we can carry blueberries on through fall BBQ season! We're planning on using the Smoked Turkey recipe for Thanksgiving this year, and I can't wait to taste it! You may find yourself wanting to try ALL the recipes in this book, as they are SO yummy! AND it makes a great gift for this upcoming holiday season to all your bbq and tailgating fanatics!

I loved this book!! I took my time on this book, (we just got a new Traeger Grill). This is a true smokehouse barbecue recipe book that doesn't disappoint, the recipes clear and concise, and the taste is above no other! This book gives you complete instructions and directions on how to make the best bbq in your neighborhood!!  There are plenty of pictures so you can see what your recipe should look like, and a great variety of workable, delectable recipes!  Count me in, I must have this great cookbook for grilling!!  Definitely earns its 5 stars!
 "I voluntarily reviewed this book for an honest review"

I received an Advanced Reader Copy from Voyageur Press for my unbiased opinion of the book.  OMG!  I love this book.  It had me at BBQ.  I made the Sugar Bacon Brittle, Whiskey Cake with Coffee Bean Ganache, and Penny Cup Coffee Rub.  All of it was out of this world!!! I can't wait to BBQ, bake, cook and love on these recipes.  This will make a great Christmas gift for the beginner or expert.  I wish I was able to eat the pictures!

easy and very tasty recipes for some of the best southern BBQ to help me get started with my backyard smoker and grill and I will be using a rib recipe for the upcoming tailgate at the Ohio State vs Michigan tailgate party I am having.  Easy to follow ingredients and steps for any level of chef to make great final BBQ dishes

The popularity of backyard barbecue has changed and grown to levels that far surpass what we once knew it to be. Now with the advancement in smokers and grills, almost anyone can smoke a piece of meat with minimum effort and that is too bad. Because that cheapens the process. 12 Bones Smokehouse is a throwback to the rubs and the methods that make smoking the food we love great. 

Easy instructions and great recipes for the novice who wants to put in the time and the effort. They will not be disappointed!

I am a cook and a baker, but I've never grilled or smoked before (and I'm certainly not counting my little cast-iron grill pan). There's something about it that's always intimidated me. That said, this book made me want to grill, and it especially made me want to get my own smoker asap. I had never heard of 12 Bones Smokehouse prior to getting the ARC for this cookbook, but their food certainly looks heavenly. Their claim to fame is their ribs, which President Obama was apparently a huge fan of. Well, if they're good enough for Barack, they're good enough for me.

Right off the bat, they give you the recipe for their famous ribs, both "nekkid" (no sauce) and with recipes for all their intriguing and offbeat barbecue sauces. Everything from the "tomato Q" to their famous blueberry chipotle to the spicy pineapple habanero are in these pages, among other recipes. Seriously, there has to be at least 15 different recipes just for barbecue sauce within these pages. They also teach you how to barbecue your way to glory with cuts of meat as diverse as bison ribs, pork cheeks, and your Thanksgiving turkey.

While I didn't try any of the recipes, they certainly sound amazing and in line with all the flavors I love. You'll find a lot of barbecue joint standards with a more modern, gourmet twist, such as a wedge salad with a smoky chipotle ranch and a mound of fried onions on top (drool), and a smoked gouda drop biscuits (also something I need to try immediately). Besides the main meat attraction, there's also lots of side dishes and even a number of exciting desserts, such as tres leches strawberry shortcake and peanut butter-banana upside down cake. Seriously, I am so excited about these recipes.

Even if you don't have a smoker or a grill like I do, there are plenty of things you can do with these recipes. I personally can't wait to make the blueberry chipotle barbecue sauce for baked barbecue chicken and ribs. It won't be the same as a trip to Asheville for the real deal, but until I can make a trip to Asheville, it'll have to suffice.

Oh yes, as a cookbook, this is hugely successful. The recipes are smartly laid out with little stories and spotlights on various ingredients/dishes. The design is stylish and elegant. There is a lot of text and honestly, I could have done with less bragging. I love reading the little blurbs preceding recipes, but here they got a little old after a while, as the only purpose they served was to talk up their restaurant. At times, I felt like the cookbook felt too much like an advertisement for their restaurant. Do we really need to read a long paragraph about a customer waxing poetic about their love for 12 Bones? This happens not once but multiple times throughout the book.

Overall, this is a really solid barbecue book, and if you're going to own any book about barbecue, this is a fine one to get, even if, like me, you've never even heard of this restaurant.

Learn the best barbeque techniques from the 12 Bones Smokehouse in Asheville, North Carolina. Get awesome recipes to achieve the best results from your barbeque. Includes their famous ribs, pulled pork, turkey, and chicken, plus iconic barbecue sauces like blueberry chipotle.

After a brief foreword and introduction describing the origins and evolution of 12 Bones, the book then begins with Chapter 1, The Essentials.

The Essentials covers the required basics for your barbecue success. Starting with Tools Of The Trade it breaks down each of the must-have implements you will need to start barbecuing. It continues on with Smoking Your Meat which discusses the various techniques for smoking, then Cooking Over Gas, covering gas grills. Next, Cooking Over Charcoal offers information on the various types of charcoal you can use for your cooking.

The Word On Wood discusses different types of wood fuel for your barbecue, followed by Brine: What, Why, And How, giving you the ins and outs and a simple recipe for brine. A one-page insert advises how to get the perfect grill marks every time when you’re using a direct heat method, and a two-page spread offers up the Top 10 Commandments Of Grilling.

Recipes And More Recipes

Once you have fully embraced The Essentials, the rest of the book is devoted to recipes. Recipe categories include:

Beef And Pork
Poultry And Seafood
Big, Bad Barbecue Sauces
Veggies, Salads, And Pickles
Rib-Stickin’ Sides
Southern Treats And Homemade Sweets

The first chapter of recipes Beef And Pork begins with A Word On Rubs, which gives you more information about marinades and rubs followed by 4 quick recipes.

The recipes themselves are excellently detailed and include an introduction followed by the yield. You don’t need much more than that because, like with many cooking techniques, learning barbecue is like chess. Easy to learn but takes a lifetime to master.

That said however I believe that anyone using these recipes and the detailed instructions, after reading The Essentials thoroughly, of course, will have excellent success.

Fabulous Reference Tool

Throughout the book are pages about various ingredients or techniques. This gives you a little bit more in-depth information which makes this book invaluable as a reference tool.

It is not recommended to read this book on an empty stomach. Full-page photographs for most recipes will drive you to the fridge again and again if you haven’t already eaten. The flavor combinations are rather unique. They might throw some of the traditionalists off, but will keep you coming back for more.

See the full review and the recipe for 12 Bones Tomato “Q“ Sauce at The RecipesNow! Reviews And Recipes Magazine. This review is written in response to a complimentary copy of the book provided by the publisher in hopes of an honest review.

Craving good Barbecue? It’s always available at the 12 Bones Smokehouse located in Asheville, North Carolina. Most of us can’t visit often unless we’re a resident, so it’s very nice that the owners and chefs have compiled an excellent cookbook: 12 Bones Smokehouse: An Updated Edition with More Barbecue Recipes from Asheville, NC. Anyone who likes good, authentic, southern barbecue and sides will want to check out this book.

As in any good barbecue cookbook, the first chapter sets out rules and good instructions for creating mouthwatering barbecue. It covers tools, equipment, and methods for perfect barbecue. The authors have included rubs and spice mixes which are very tasty and once made (very easy) be used in everyday cooking. The book also has a chapter on barbecue sauces and the flavors vary with ingredients like horseradish, fruit (cranberry, blueberry, pineapple), chili peppers, molasses, ketchup, and wine. 

The side dishes included in this cookbook are excellent. There are several chapters with different southern dishes like pinto beans, collard greens, corn pudding, corn bread, and biscuits. There is a recipe for coleslaw and several or salads that go good with barbecue. There are even soups made with smoky ingredients, and pickled vegetables including kimchi. These side dishes are ones that real people will actually want to eat. Southern desserts are also in this book, and they are incredible: cakes, pies, cookies, mostly southern and rich and decadent.

The recipes are written in a straightforward manner and are easy to follow. Most important, however, is the fact that the recipes turn out picture perfect. 

It’s always fun to recreate recipes from our favorite restaurants, and this cookbook makes it possible to create scrumptious southern barbecue dishes no matter where you live. Highly recommended.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

I was kindly given a copy of this book by the publisher for an honest review. I have lots of recipe books as I'm always looking for more ideas. I have recently been to a smokehouse so was ready to try some of these recipes. There is a great selection of recipes some you can cook on a bbq but also in the oven. The recipes are easy to follow with ingredients that are easy to find. The book has a good layout with plenty of pictures. I will definitely be using these recipes in the future.

Everything about this cook book is excellent. The author begins with explaining slow cooking, smoking. He goes over the difference between gas, charcoal, the meat itself, and then the different types of wood if you chose to any. Example they use cherry and oak because Hickory and mesquite are a more aggressive wood, (leave a stronger flavor unless that is what you prefer). They also use Alder wood for poultry, and fish. What is really good about this book is all of the recipes for brines, rubs, and the different sauces. Especially rubs most places and people do not give up what they put in theirs, here you get all of that in this book. Along with pickling recipes, how to make pastrami from the brine and forward, corned beef. They smoke everything from chicken, fish, to whole turkeys all in the book. Also a very good section on making sides, and then ends with desserts, with a chocolate whiskey cake with coffee bean that looks very good and one that I will make for sure. A very good book to add to anyone’s collection.

Pretty darn good

I have a lot of barbecue cookbooks on my shelves and this one, is #2 in the smoked barbecue group. The writing is a bit uneven (at least in the ARC I have) but the recipes are clear, not terribly complicated, and are sure to please most everyone – even vegetarians.

12 Bones Smokehouse is a well-known restaurant in Asheville, NC. It started as a simple ribs joint and expanded over time. Today 12 Bones offers a range of traditional and updated smokehouse treats, many of which are presented in this cookbook.

This book was written by cooks, not professional writers and some of the introductory text is clunky and not as clear as it could be, but I would not let that keep me from buying the book. The recipes tell you what you need to know.

I made the mistake of reading this book when I was hungry and now, as I sit in a place where there is no hope of barbecue, I am starving to eat ribs, pulled pork, and cornbread. I am not a big fan of meatloaf, but if I had a Smokehouse Meatloaf in front of me I would probably be in heaven. The meatloaf is cooked open to the air, not deep dish, so it is crisp all over. I must say, though, that the written instructions on how to wrap this meatloaf are not clear. Fortunately, the photos are great at showing how to do the bacon lattice wrap.

Now I'm not a Southerner so I don't hold with battered deep-fried green tomatoes, they should just be floured and pan fried. But it's their restaurant and their cookbook. But I will gladly embrace the corn pudding despite it's being dryer than I am used to.

There's a mushroom and sausage casserole here that makes my stomach growl.

I'm sure you can tell by now that I am sold on this book. I think you will enjoy it a lot and get good use of it.

A Mouthwatering cookbook that has some great recipes for BBQ. If you need some simple, easy to follow recipes for cooking at home to impress family, friends, or yourself, then crack open cook. And try not to drool over the pictures!

Beautiful photos. Yummy recipes. What more do you want? Other than unlimited access to all ingredients and a well stocked kitchen? Nothing!