How To Barbecue

(Following is the second of a series of articles intended to give a historical and practical perspective to the art of how to barbecue.)

In our first article we tracked the history of barbecue from its “discovery” by Spanish colonists upon their arrival in the Americas.  Unknown to them prior to this time, they inadvertently stumbled upon a cooking form which would come to be symbolized by the western world.  It is impossible for anybody born or raised in North or South America to separate this style of cooking from the traditions we are all familiar with.

Barbecue really took hold in the American South in the 19^th century.  Pork was the meat of choice because the pigs did not need to be tended on a farm but were allowed to run free and semi-wild.  There were economic advantages to this since there was no need to feed them but they were more or less readily available for consumption as needed.  Though they would have tougher and stringier meat than their corn-fed cousins, anybody who knew how to barbecue could remedy this through the slow cooking method which made virtually any meat tasty enough to eat.

As the technique of barbecue spread throughout the south different versions of barbecue sauce recipes and sometimes different meats became popular in certain locations, but pork was still the most prevalent.  The prime exceptions to this are Kentucky and its mutton and Texas’ love affair with beef. Let’s start where barbecue had its beginning: the eastern US.

 In North Carolina the type of sauce you cook with depends upon what part of the state you live in.  In eastern Carolina you will find a very peppery, vinegar-based sauce, while in the area to west of Raleigh there will be a similar version chock full of tomatoes.  The self-styled “Barbecue Capitol of the World,” Lexington, NC boasts one barbecue restaurant per thousand residents.  Wow!  That is a barbecue lover’s paradise!

There are four main barbecue sauce recipes: tomato-based, both light and heavy; mustard-based; and vinegar-based.  It is a fact that South Carolina is the only state which includes consistent representation of all four.  Georgia, on the other hand, favors amustard-based yellowish sauce as well as a tomato-based sweet sauce.  In both Carolinas and Georgia the pork is chopped and sliced after cooking.

As you travel west the style of cooking becomes known as “pulled” pork.  This type of preparation involves a more distinct slow cooking and the hand-shredding of the meat with the sauce added after the cooking.  Though this pulled style of cooking became known as Memphis barbecue it was popular throughout the more southern states like Alabama and Mississippi.

As you can see, the history of how to barbecue is rich with variety and we look forward to sharing more with you as this series continues.  As we go on we will also investigate how to barbecue ribs and how to barbecue chicken as well.  See you soon!

It seems, as the summer barbecue season peaks, that every man in the country fancies himself a barbecue master.  Pretending to know how to barbecue without following tips from the pros is why so many grilled meats end up dry, or burnt, or flavorless, or all of the above for so many backyard picnic guests.  It’s a good thing there is so much beer consumed beforehand to hide that sad fact.

 One of our staff members (certainly not me!) had a dinner party of eight in ecstasy because of the delicious aromas of the searing steaks on the barbecue grill. Appetizers and cocktails only served to whet the guests’ appetite.  All of the side dishes had been prepared and made ready, the party moved to the table with eager looks on their faces, and the beautiful steaks were brought to the plates.  If the chef only had known how to barbecue, some of the steaks would not have been nearly raw inside while the others were gorgeous on the outside, but dry and tough on the inside.  Sound familiar?

Our mission here, at “How to Barbecue”, is to address this issue head on and make much happier diners throughout the world.  We will provide advice from the best smokers and barbecuers in the land, and offer books and gadgets and products of all kinds to facilitate the process.  Following the instructions in our periodic postings will certainly earn you, or your man, the honor of being the “best griller on the block,” or maybe even the whole neighborhood!

For instance, we’ll debate the merits of traditional barbecue sauce vs sweet; using barbecue lighter fluid vs chimney starters; store-bought barbecue sauce vs homemade (and if it is store bought, who makes the best?!?)  Which tools should you use: forks or thongs?  And how do you know exactly when the food is cooked?

We’ll share opinions about using a barbecue grill vs gas.  And talk about how to barbecue chicken and how to barbecue ribs to perfection.  We’ll even share some of the masters’ best barbecue sauce recipes!  M-m-m-m!  Makes our mouths water!

Stay tuned!

This link might interest you:

• How To Barbecue Chicken | 12 Easy Tips For Grilling Chicken – Technorati Tags: Barbecue Chicken, barbecue chicken recipe, barbeque chicken recipe, bbq chicken recipes, easy grilled chicken, how to barbecue chicken, how to barbeque chicken. Posted in Barbecue, Food and Drink Articles, Grill Recipes …

 (Following is the third of a series of articles intended to give a historical and practical perspective to the art of how to  barbecue.)

In our last article we found ourselves in 19^th century America, discussing the variations on the barbecue theme in separate parts of the American South.  We learned that, for the most part, pork was the meat of choice, and that there were four basic types of barbecue sauces.  They are: light or heavy tomato-based, mustard-based, and vinegar-based.  An interesting bit of trivia is that South Carolina is the only state which includes consistent representation of all four. 

Most of the South and Southeastern US chopped or sliced their barbecue, but we discussed how farther toward the west the pork was “pulled”, with the meat being hand-shredded after the same type of slow-cooking with sauce added afterward.  This reaches its height with the style of cooking known as “Memphis Barbecue,” which was also embraced alongside more traditional barbecue in Mississippi and Alabama.

The separate states really differentiated themselves primarily with the barbecue sauce recipes and the side dishes served with their barbecue.  Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama favor the red tomato-based sauces, though Alabamans tend to prefer their sauce a little spicier.  Northern Alabama also boasts a delicious white sauce composed of a vinegar-base with the addition of mayonnaise.  The rubs which have become very popular recently were more common in western Tennessee and in Kentucky, where it wasn’t unusual to serve the barbecue sauce on the side.

In the Carolinas you would likely have a serving of cole slaw and hush puppies along with your barbecue. If you take the mayonnaise out of the cole slaw and substitute vinegar, ketchup and black pepper you would be right at home in North Carolina with your “barbecue slaw.”  Sounds tasty, doesn’t it?  Other sides, varying by region and state, included the foods which we expect at today’s barbecue picnic.  You’d find not only slaws, but baked beans, egg salad, deviled eggs, cornbread, potato chips, French fries, and even hotdogs and hamburgers just in case you needed a little change in your grilled meat offerings.

When we return, we will go beyond the “Barbecue Belt,” as we continue to explore the history of how to barbecue;   we’ll talk about how beef became synonymous with the idea of barbecue in many parts of the world outside of the US.  And we’ll get to the meat of things as we talk about how to barbecue ribs and how to barbecue chicken, too.  Until then…

(to be continued…)

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