Barbeque or BBQ is a world-wide method of cooking but here in the United States, it has taken on a myriad of regional features. And, in the way of the Americans, each region takes bragging rights as the best. BBQ has become a staple of summer get-togethers and holiday feasts with everyone bringing his/her own twist to the process.
Who doesn’t remember family reunions with the generations gathering together to renew old bonds and revive old family traditions and memories. The old folks sitting around the picnic table while all the kids played baseball or kick the can (remember that one?). Meanwhile, the menfolk gathered around the barbeque pit giving advice on how the cook should really be doing it.
Let’s BBQ That! The perfect bundle for the barbeque lover
Really, it doesn’t matter what you cook it on. Hawaiians dig a hole, put the pig, cover with leaves and burlap (plus other stuff) and cook it for hours. This is one of the oldest methods of barbeque. Some people spend thousands of dollars building (or buying) the fanciest BBQ they can find. Maybe you prefer a fire pit at the beach or a hibachi on your patio table. It really doesn’t matter. Therefore, all you need is a fuel and fire. And, in our humble opinion, the best choice for meat is a first-class grass-fed beef steak.
Early mention of the barbecue dates as early as the 1730’s in New England. But there are references even earlier from the pens of European visitors to the newly discovered Americas. Obviously mankind has been enjoying barbeque for centuries perhaps even millennia.
Many barbeque or BBQ regional styles developed and moved out to other regions
Prior to the Civil War, Southerners ate a lot of pork. Some estimates are they ate 5 pounds of pork to every pound of beef. Wild hog was free but not easy to catch. When you got one, you invited all your friends and neighbors to join you in the feast. Southern BBQ grew from here.
Because of the remoteness, each area developed its own “flavor”. Sauces had different bases; mustard, vinegar, light and heavy tomato. North Caroline varieties are based on region, from heavy ketchup to vinegar. Their preferred wood is hardwood such as oak or hickory.
In Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee, the meat is almost always pork and usually with a sweet tomato-based sauce. One area of Alabama uses a white sauce of mayonnaise and vinegar mostly used on chicken or pork. The pulled pork sandwich is popular in North Carolina and Memphis. Of course, coleslaw is a requisite for it.
In Western Kentucky, the preferred meat is mutton. A lot of mutton shows up for communal events such as rallies, fairs and fund-raising.
Memphis
Ribs, ribs and more ribs dominate Memphis barbeque or BBQ style. You brush the ribs both before and after cooking if you’re doing wet ribs. Therefore, you don’t use sauce with dry ribs but use a dry rub instead. Your sauce will be sitting on the sidelines.
Pulled pork barbeque sandwiches in Memphis feature pulled pork. You never chop your pork with a blade but you shred it by hand. It’s a blast to rip into that succulent pork! Serve it with a simple bun and be sure to add the sauce of choice and coleslaw.
Memphis loves its pulled pork. They use it in many non-traditional dishes. Thus, here you’ll find such dishes as barbecue salad, barbeque spaghetti, barbecue pizza or barbecue nachos.
Kansas City
Kansas City barbeque isn’t picky about its meat. This comes from its history as a meat packing city. Hickory is the preferred wood for cooking and the sauces are usually tomato with a range from sweet to tangy. Because they’re not picky, pulled pork, pork ribs, burnt ends, smoked sausage, beef brisket, beef ribs, smoked/grilled chicken, smoked turkey, and sometimes fish; all are fair game for a Kansas City barbeque. Usually dry rubbed with the sauce on the side, yum!
Texas
Barbecue in Texas is predominantly beef, due to the state’s historic ties to cattle raising.
Texas barbeque styles are regional. What else would you expect from a state as huge as Texas.
- East Texas style—slowly cooked to the point that it is “falling off the bone.” Typically cooked over hickory wood and marinated in a sweet, tomato-based sauce.
- Central Texas style—typically rubbed with only salt and black pepper, cooked over indirect heat from pecan, oak, or mesquite wood. Also, usually sauce is considered unnecessary, but it may be served on the side to complement the meat.
- West Texas style—the meat is cooked over direct heat from mesquite wood in a method very similar to grilling. Therefore you’ll see the grill marks that make our taste buds blossom.
- South Texas style—the meat is marinated in thick, molasses-like sauces that keep the meat moist after cooking.
Competitive barbecue or BBQ competitions are held throughout the country.
States host competitions. There is even a National Competition with different categories given it’s own venue. As stated on their website, “The Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle consists of multiple BBQ Contests. The Kansas City Barbeque Society Sanctioned Giant National BBQ Championship Categories include: Pork – “Smokin’ with Smithfield”, Chicken – “Perdue Sizzlin’ Chicken Contest”, and Beef – “America’s Best Beef”.” This year (2021) it was held from Memorial day through the month of June. Thousands of dollars were offered in prizes!
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