From Muscle Shoals to Mobile, Alabamians enjoy fabulous barbecue at home, at club meetings and at countless eateries. In the 1820s, however, a group of reformers wanted to eliminate the southern staple because politicians used it to entice voters. As the state and nation changed through wars and the civil rights movement, so did Alabama barbecue. Alabama restaurants like Big Bob Gibson's, Dreamland and Jim 'n Nick's have earned fans across the country. Mark A. Johnson traces the development of the state's famous food from the earliest settlement of the state to the rise of barbecue restaurants. "Johnson is legion in his storytelling. We delight to know who Big Bob Gibson was, and how he started from his backyard on the Old Danville Road near Decatur. Archibald's began from a humble storefront in Northport, and now serves their famous pork and ribs in the whole Tuscaloosa area. Bob Sykes in Bessemer does so well they support a center for abused children." - The Decatur Daily "With profiles of institutions such as Big Bob Gibson's, Dreamland, Jim 'n' Nick's and of course Moe's Original, the older readers can travel down memory lane as they gaze upon the black and white photos in this paperback, while the younger scholars get a history lesson and enjoy a recipe or two." - Lagniappe Weekly "The audience for this book - well, let's put it this way: Alabamians ought to read it. People anywhere who care about barbecue should read it, too. Alabamians who care about barbecue ought to own it." -- John Shelton Reed , Author of Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue Mark A. Johnson, from Milwaukee, graduated in 2016 with a PhD in history from the University of Alabama. Previously, he earned an MA from the University of Maryland and BA from Purdue University. As a professional historian, he specializes in the history of the United States and the U.S. South.