Why do so many Americans celebrate the Fourth of July with Barbecue? Because it reaches into almost every corner of American history. It intertwines our history like no other food and has roots on five continents. It involves indigenous culture, the colonial era, slavery, the Civil War, the settling of the West, the coming of immigrants, the Great Migration, the rise of the automobile, and the expansion of suburbia. 

Learn and taste samples of the “great American food” with Jim Auchmutey, author of Smokelore: A Short History of Barbecue in America (May 2019), Sunday, July 7^th from 4:00 to 7:00 pm on the first floor of the Anchorage 1770, 1103 Bay Street, sponsored by the Pat Conroy Literary Center.Listen to Jim discuss the mystique of barbecue sauces while tasting samples of the craft. It’s a spicy story that involves noted Americans from George Washington and Abraham Lincoln to Louis Armstrong, Elvis Presley, Martin Luther King Jr., and Barack Obama. Jim will walk you through the delicious and contentious history of barbecue in America from the ox roast that celebrated the groundbreaking for the U.S. Capitol building to the first barbecue launched into space almost 200 years later. Jim also likes to quote Pat saying, “There are no ideas in the South, just barbecue.”

 The cost is $100 and includes a copy of Jim’s book, BBQ tastings and sips from a signature drink, and a Pat Conroy apron. Jim will be signing books and aprons on the second floor of the Inn following the presentation. Seating is limited. Register here: https://squareup.com/store/anchorage-1770/item/cook-the-book-with-pat-conroy-literary-center?t=modal-em

Jim Auchmutey spent 29 years at the Atlanta Journal Constitution as a reporter and editor, twice winning the Cox Newspaper chain’s Writer of the Year award. The James Beard Foundation, the Association of Food Journalists, and the Sigma Delta Chi journalism society have honored his food writing. He is coauthor of “The Ultimate Barbecue Sauce Cookbook” and author of “The Class of ’65: A Student, a Divided Town, and the Long Road to Forgiveness.” He lives in Georgia and descends from a long line of pitmasters.