Author: Mike Mills and Amy Mills Tunnicliffe

ISBN: 1-59486-109-9

The following review was contributed by: Sue Vogan, Writer & Author of NCO-No Compassion Observed: To read more of Sue's reviews Click Here

Most of us have had a barbecue in the backyard with friends and family. Someone gets the coals hot, meat is placed on the rack, and someone in a Best-Cook-In-The-Universe apron stands over the smoking grill with a spatula, meat fork and lighter fluid. And, when one hears the term "pit boss," barbecue isn't normally the first thing we think of. But, pit bosses have been around since cavemen discovered fire and that meat was tastier after coming into contact with heat. The author's father was a pit boss and he was determined to be the best, but he added a secret ingredient to the caveman's way -- barbecue sauce. Mike's mother was sure that her husband was the first to make the improvement.

Instead of a store-bought grill, Mike's father had a better way to be the best pit boss. The first chore was to dig the pits, then make coals, and lastly, turn out the mouth-watering barbecued meats that family and friends still talk about. After "daddy" died, "Mama Faye" became the grill master, with the help of the kids. The children learned to smoke meats and Mama Faye bottled the sauce to sell to family and friends. Mike fondly recalls what barbecue has always meant to him -- "family, friends, traditions, and, most important, love." In this reviewer's opinion, barbecue was this family's inheritance from "daddy."

"Peace, Love and Barbecue" is a treasured accumulation of information, including "recipes, secrets, tall tales, and outright lies from the legends of barbecue." I learned that there are three categories in barbecue competitions and that "Norm on Cheers" orders and still receives Mike's barbecued ribs to this day. There is "National Barbecue News" for those that want to know the best place to get barbecued meat and, in St. Louis, Mike's "17th Street Bar and Grill" ranks right up there with the best of them.

"Peace, Love and Barbecue" could also be considered a travel book -- of barbecue shrines and eateries. Pictorially go to Memphis in May and other "shrines, shacks, joints, and right respectable restaurants worth a stop."

The photos scattered throughout "Peace, Love and Barbecue" add a sauce to the stories -- no pun intended. And, the recipes are sure to bring you a moment of fame at your next barbecue. Everything from deviled eggs to cornbread, beans to desserts, and meat to mopping sauce -- there's something for everyone. On my next vacation, upcoming cook-out, or when I need a "tall tale," I will open the "Peace. Love and Barbecue," the masterpiece of good eats and fun places, to find just what I need. In other words, I will hang on to this book until I wear it out.