12 Bones Smokehouse ─ A Mountain BBQ Cookbook

For lovers of the 12 Bones restaurant - including President Obama - as well as fans of progressive 'cue, 12 Bones Smokehouse includes signature recipes and techniques for ribs, pulled pork, and all the fixin's.

When 12 Bones Smokehouse opened Asheville, North Carolina, in the early 2000s, many doubted that it would succeed. The food wasn't 100-percent traditional or 100-percent true to Carolina barbecue's heritage. A decade later, 12 Bones has become a local institution that rivals the Biltmore Estate in popularity. In fact, it's 12 Bones alone that has been on President Obama's itinerary all three times he's passed through Asheville.

12 Bones Smokehouse is true to the spirit of the place. Everything is made from scratch, the meats are smoked long and slow over select hardwoods, and cornbread is not optional. Simple ingredients and lots of care make the best food. This cookbook includes over 60 recipes, ranging from beet salad to smoky collards to sauces, rubs, and dessert, built for the modern palate - blueberry-chipotle, pineapple, and brown sugar and spice are just a few of the rib flavors. Traditional sauces, like Carolina vinegar, are punched up with fresh jalapeno and cilantro.

Ribs, pork, bacon, beef, and turkey recipes abound, but 12 Bones Smokehouse is also uniquely vegetarian-friendly. From sides that have a symbiotic relationship with meat (potato salad with potatoes that never touch meat but benefit from the smoking process) to completely vegetarian creations (jalepeno cheddar grits, anyone?), there's something for diners of every stripe - vegetarian or carnivore.

Bryan King is the co-owner of 12 Bones Smokehouse. Of the eatery, Bon Appetit wrote, "Everything here is amazing, from the ribs to the corn pudding, but the BLT is ridiculous: house-cured brown-sugar bacon, fried green tomatoes, and pesto mayonnaise on thick slices of wheat bread." Southern Living said, "Blueberry-chipotle ribs - blasphemy or bliss? It's hard to imagine the traditional Southern favorite tweaked to such fruity/spicy terms, yet the taste is terrific."

Angela King is the co-owner of 12 Bones Smokehouse. Of the eatery,Bon Appetit wrote, "Everything here is amazing, from the ribs to the corn pudding, but the BLT is ridiculous: house-cured brown-sugar bacon, fried green tomatoes, and pesto mayonnaise on thick slices of wheat bread."Southern Living said, "Blueberry-chipotle ribs--blasphemy or bliss? It's hard to imagine the traditional Southern favorite tweaked to such fruity/spicy terms, yet the taste is terrific."

Shane Heavner is the head chef of 12 Bones Smokehouse. Of the eatery,Bon Appetit wrote, "Everything here is amazing, from the ribs to the corn pudding, but the BLT is ridiculous: house-cured brown-sugar bacon, fried green tomatoes, and pesto mayonnaise on thick slices of wheat bread."Southern Living said, "Blueberry-chipotle ribsa??blasphemy or bliss? It's hard to imagine the traditional Southern favorite tweaked to such fruity/spicy terms, yet the taste is terrific."