Dude Food Books

Anthony Bourdain has started his own publishing imprint at Ecco, picking a few books a season by some pretty cutting edge (and predictably macho) dude food books. One of them that I'm particularly excited about is Daniel Vaughn’s Prophets of Smoked Meat, which is a full-color photo-rich book that is basically a travel guide to all the best barbecue in Texas. Also, that is a great title. And what better sort of book to give this time of year with graduations and Father's Day abounding, dads and grads alike need 1) books on how to feed the people that like them and 2) summer is around the corner and we have a duty, as friends of people with spatulas, grills or plane tickets to Texas, to perpetuate tasty meat consumption. Also, Franklin Barbecue forever.

Other books to try might be:

 Grilling Vegan Style by Jon Schlimm. Everyone loves a versatile chef!

Beer Lovers New England by Norman Miller. Think local with your gustatory travel ideas. And also think about what hops pair best with grilled meats.

Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare. No recipes here, but plenty of meaty humor.

And if you need more gifty ideas for dads or grads, "pork loin is my jam," says Jes of the Card and Gift Room when asked what meat is best. Or you could just check out our epic table of gifts and books at the front register, or gift-buyer Kerri's amazing display in the Card and Gift room for ideas!