’Tis the season. Outdoor cooking season, that is. Normally that’s a year-round activity in California, but many backyard grill masters and pitmasters may feel the need to make up for lost time, if our recent months of cold, blustery weather kept them inside. The publishing world is happy to oblige with a fresh crop of inspirational cookbooks. There are recipes and advice for everyone here, whether you are a casual griller or smoking like a pit pro.

‘Ed Mitchell’s Barbeque: Celebrating the Eastern North Carolina Whole Hog Barbeque of My African American Ancestors’

Heralded as North Carolina’s most famous pitmaster, Ed Mitchell has been practicing the art of smoking meat for more than 30 years, so you know he has plenty of wisdom to impart in this, his first book. Although he starting smoking meat as a teenager, he traces his official history to 1991, when he went down to the Piggly Wiggly to buy a hog to cook at his family’s market, and the irresistible aroma drew onlookers. Whole-hog cooking is Mitchell’s specialty, as it was for generations before him, and he sings the praises of heritage pork.

Part memoir, part cookbook, the eponymous “Ed Mitchell’s Barbeque” (Ecco, $35), written with son Ryan, will drop June 6, just in time for Juneteenth and Father’s Day.

Its pages are full of heartfelt history, vintage photos and easy-to-follow recipes. The book starts with the how-to’s for crunchy Cracklin’ Hush Puppies and Smoked Collard Greens Dip (developed for the Carolina Panthers’ first Super Bowl appearance) and other appetizers, then delves deep into pork and beef. Featured is the recipe for Ed’s Mouthwatering Baby Back Ribs brushed with Ed’s Eastern North Carolina Vinegar BBQ Sauce, the dish he used to beat chef Bobby Flay in a throwdown.

Rounding out the book are stories and recipes about everything from biscuits and potato salad to banana pudding and sweet tea. You know how picky Southern cooks can be about that one particular side dish, right? The shared recipe, from the Mitchell family matriarch, is aptly titled I Don’t Eat Everybody’s Potato Salad!