Big Boy Barbecue Book

Note: This edition of Big Boy Barbecue Book has been updated to include Metric equivalents.


Back in the days of cave men and wandering tribes—when cooking first began—men used to roast or broil their food in the open air. There was no other way to do it. Pioneers, cowboys, and hunters also barbecued, not as a hobby or diversion, but just to eat. As time went on, for most of us, cooking over an open fire was no longer a necessity. Modern inventions brought gas and electric ranges into the kitchen. Still, there’s something of the rugged outdoorsman in every American—there’s a feeling of adventure and good fellowship about a barbecue that helps to explain its tremendous popularity.


In Texas and other parts of the West and South, there grew up the custom of huge parties, sometimes for thousands of people, where first buffalo and later hogs and cattle were roasted whole, served with mountains of bread and barrels of beer. These “ox-roasts” were usually accompanied with fireworks, games, races, and square dancing—a good time for all.


Today, millions who know that there is no substitute for the true tangy charcoal flavor of a barbecued steak are holding equally festive outdoor parties on a much smaller scale. And it’s no wonder barbecues are becoming so popular! They are recognized as the graceful, informal way to entertain. Whether on a penthouse garden, a cool patio, a shady lawn or at the beach, it’s a chance in the summer for a woman to get out of the hot kitchen into the open air where cooking is a pleasure and the men often take over. More and more, people are realizing that the fun of a barbecue needn’t be restricted to the summer months—that late fall and early spring cook-outs are exciting because of the feel of the crisp air and the smell of the charcoal-barbecued meats. Even in the winter, a barbecue in the garage, a breezeway or any other sheltered spot is possible and fun too.


We at Tested Recipe Institute have selected Big Boy Equipment because we know it is exceptionally fine equipment and will give excellent barbecuing results with a minimum of work and expense. We feel you should use high quality, nationally advertised barbecue fuel. Purchase good quality meats, poultry and other foods in order to make the barbecue an occasion which will be long remembered.