"How did this gaudy jewel come to be?" asks John Shelton Reed '64 of barbecue, the closest rival, in his mind, that America has to Europe's wines and cheeses in terms of cuisine. In his second book on the subject, Reed offers 51 recipes that, for him, exemplify American Southern barbecue. In this interview, Reed offers his take on "chefs" who cook barbecue, why North Carolina sauce is the most authentic, and how a poli-sci major from MIT turned sociologist at UNC came to the topic of barbecue in the first place.