Food & Drink
Three Fundamentals of Backyard Smoking
Good wood, well-designed tongs, and a rig you can rely on might be all that stands between you and pit mastery

photo: Johnny Autry
SHOWN ABOVE:
Center: The streamlined shape of Weber’s Smokey Mountain Cooker calls to mind the company’s classic charcoal grills; so does its dependable performance. At twenty-two inches wide and with two cooking grates, the largest model (shown here) can swallow a pair of whole briskets easily. And since the Weber weighs in under seventy pounds, it can even make the trek to the tailgate ($439; amazon.com).
At left: Rösle’s grippy sixteen-inch stainless-steel tongs have a locking mechanism that’s based on gravity instead of tension. Point the tongs down and gently squeeze them to open; point them up, squeeze again, and the lock slides shut to keep them closed. It’s a useful feature when your other hand is busy mopping sauce onto ribs—or sweat off your brow ($40; surlatable.com).
At right: Sweet and nutty, pecan is one of the most versatile woods for smoking—it’s more flavorful than oak, less overpowering than hickory. Cutting Edge Firewood harvests its pecan from groves in southern Georgia and Florida, then kiln dries the wood nearby, before it’s shipped to the company’s headquarters in Norcross, Georgia, where each chunk is cut. An 8½-inch box contains enough for eight to twelve sessions ($69; cuttingedgefirewood.com).
Related Stories:

Food & Drink
Southern Chefs Go Hog Wild
Invasive feral pigs wreak havoc on native landscapes—but as many Southern hunters know, they sure can shine on the plate. These five myth-busting recipes, from a Louisiana pork chop to a spring Bolognese, provide ample inspiration to stay high on the hog

Food & Drink
The Mad Scientist of Pawpaws
Largely the domain of foragers, the biggest edible fruit in the South has mostly been forgotten. A quietly obsessed Quaker from West Virginia has made it his life’s mission to change that

Food & Drink
A Dining Guide to Columbia, South Carolina
When it comes to adventurous dining, the South Carolina capital is full of surprises
Columbia CVB

Trending Stories:

Food & Drink
Holidays in the South: 20 Festive Recipes
Celebrate the season with friends, family, and these timeless holiday favorites

Food & Drink
How an Award-Winning Pastry Chef Doctors Up Boxed Cornbread
Even Kelly Fields whips up a box of Jiffy every once in a while. Here’s how she makes the store-bought stuff her own

Interview
Leslie Jordan Is Larger Than Life
Everything’s coming up roses for the Tennessee-born funnyman