Dotty Griffith has eaten a lot of good barbecue in her time, and one dish she’s really developed a hankering for is a delicacy called St. Louis Barbecued Snouts known affectionately as “snoots.”

Essentially, we’re talking pig face.

Food writer Dotty Griffith says the Midwest can be proud of its Kansas City-style barbecue, which she covers in her new cookbook Celebrating

Griffith, dining editor and restaurant critic of the Dallas Morning News, explains the charm of snoots in her new book, “Celebrating Barbecue: The Ultimate Guide to America’s Four Regional Styles of ‘Cue” (Simon & Schuster, $24).

“Once you get past the idea, the reality is an intriguing mix of grease, sweet, hot, acid and tang not altogether pleasant but certainly not as challenging as chitterlings. If you’re ever in St. Louis, seek out a restaurant that serves snouts,” she writes.

Don’t know the first thing about snoots? Griffith explains the dish in all its glory.

“A hog snout consists of facial skin and nostrils a little bit of muscle meat and a lot of fat. About the size of a salad plate, a snout goes onto the grill without seasoning. Only after as much fat as possible is rendered and the skin is crisp can a snout be declared ready to eat.”

Don’t worry snoots is the only dish made from an animal’s face to appear in Griffith’s book, released May 2. The rest of the volume’s contents cover far more delectable fare made of beef, pork, chicken and even fish plus side dishes (“go-withs”) and homestyle desserts like lemon chess pie.

What made Griffith, a native Texan, feel like the world needed another cookbook on barbecue?

“I was food editor (at her newspaper) before I was restaurant critic, so I had the opportunity to judge barbecue contests all over the country. I began to notice differences in regional style as I went from one place to another. So I started looking for a book that codified these differences,” Griffith said in a recent telephone interview from Kansas City, Mo., where she was on a publicity swing for her book.

“You could find a recipe for Kansas City Ribs or North Carolina Vinegar Barbecue, but you could never find one that summed up all the styles. Finally, it dawned on me that there was one book out there (on barbecue) that hadn’t been written and this was it.”

	Here are the four regional styles of barbecue in America, including the different cuts of meat and dominant flavors that typify each regional style:Memphis: pork, ribs and shoulder; sweet, hot and smoky.Carolina: pork, whole hog and shoulder; hot-sour.Kansas City: pork ribs and beef brisket; sweet-sour and hot.Texas: beef brisket and pork ribs; savory, smoky and touch of sweet.Source: “Celebrating Barbecue: The Ultimate Guide to America’s Four Regional Styles of ‘Cue” by Dotty Griffith

Based on four years of research, eating and interviews with aficionados across the country, Griffith identified four regional styles of American barbecue: Memphis, Carolina, Kansas City and Texas.

Each style has its own distinct taste, as well as preferences for different cuts of meat and a variety of dominant flavors.

The Kansas City regional style, according to Griffith, specializes in pork ribs and beef brisket, tangy tomato-based sauces and sweet-sour, hot flavors.

“I guess my favorite style (of barbecue) is Texas. That’s what I grew up on. It’s kind of like when you’re born, you open your eyes and the first thing you see is what you bond with. Your first taste of barbecue is forever your benchmark,” she says.

Ah, but Kansas City-style barbecue has its merits, too.

“I like it because it’s so saucy. The sauce has some sweet and some hot to it, and it’s a style that makes you want to lick your fingers. Some of the (nationally marketed) sauces, like Kraft’s, are modeled after what they found here,” Griffith says.

Griffith’s book is simple and straightforward, with recipes that are easy to follow. Which is exactly how the author of nine cookbooks intended it.

“Especially for barbecue, that’s the way it’s supposed to be. It’s real food for real people. You’re using cheaper ingredients, you have to flavor it up with whatever is available. It’s a folk art American-born and bred, like jazz. That’s why it’s so soulful,” she says.