Written and produced by Phil Brittin and Joseph Daniel, designed and photographed by Joseph Daniel, published by Doubleday & Company, 1982

Step up and say howdy to the Lone Star food groups: barbecue, chili, Tex-Mex and traditional Texas, There’s a long , tall Texan in town with a different brand of grub that’s already staked a claim on the most discriminating palates around. Here are the secrets of world-class “chili-heads,” the legends and lore of Lone Star fare, the authentic best of the Great Empire of Texas. You’ll learn to build a 55-gallon drum smoker and to master the fine art of slow smoking, to dig a four-star BBQ pit, to identify each of the many peppers that lend distinctive zing to everything from killer chili to Jalapeno Pie. You’ll learn what a Rocky Mountain oyster is, who are the hottest chefs on the chili circuit and much, much more. Whether it’s a craving for ‘cue or a flare of chili passion, an irresistible desire for a mess of Mamma Doris’ Country Fried Rattlesnake or a thirst for a Pink Armadillo, Texas on the Halfshell can satisfy it – and then some. It’s been a long trail that’s led through smoky BBQ pits and crowded chili parlors, spicy Tex-Mex joints and down home country kitchens to corral the 300-odd recipes presented here, but when you tie on the feed bag you’ll reckon it was all worthwhile.