BBQ By Emily Wenger
With the world’s oldest cooking method using just fire and smoke, it is commonly misunderstood as grilling. To get things straight, BBQ is low and slow and grilling is hot and fast. Barbeque is a part of World history with many cultures, types, and techniques.
Culture and History
Almost every country has their own take on barbeque with their cultures. “ Most of the Caribbean and AmerIndian tribes used the barbacoa for drying and smoking...for preservation as well for dinner.”(Goldwyn,2). They used this for saving food for the winter. India has very interesting flavor in their rubs and sauces which make them like no other.
Sides There are many different sides used to complete this phenomenon including a roll, slaw,sauce(except in Texas, they like their meat “naked”), and a starch.
Here are many different BBQs from many cultures. Many people go into competitions now for big prizes to turn this classic dish into something you want to go for.
Types
Many types of rubs and sauces bring out the flavor of the meat. Which rubs or sauces should I put on this cut of meat? You may ask when you are preparing something for dinner. Dry rub, paste, and marinade are most commonly used in the BBQ world. Some meats are good with just salt and pepper like brisket. The 4 Regions
“Texas Style: The State where beef is king and brisket is the crown prince. Beef ribs aren’t bad either. Texans like their barbecue “naked”, or with side sauces that tend to be a blend of tomato thinned with vinegar and Worcestershire. They are the least sweet of the tomato based sauces.
Memphis Style: Memphis style barbecue is known for wet marinated pork ribs that are also basted while smoking. Another style of ribs is to apply dry rub during or right after they’ve been cooked. Pork shoulders, and butts are done the same way. Mild, sweet and spicy rubs, as well as mopping sauces,
are basted on periodically during cooking. Want more about Memphis style barbecue? Check out Memphis: The Great BBQ Debate.
Kansas City Style: This is where southern barbecue influences are artfully combined with Western Beef and Pork. The meat is liberally seasoned with savory spices, sweet rubs and sauces then smoked in a hickorystoked pit for hours. Thick and sticky sweet sauces are slathered onto pork ribs and tangy briskets. You can learn more about
Kansas City barbecue at www.experiencekc.com
Carolina Style: The State that’s gone whole hog over barbecue. More signs with dancing pink pigs are found here than anywhere else! Pig pickin’s and pulled pork are mixed with thin vinegar based sauces to make an incredibly flavorful and juicy barbecue!”(Anonymous,2)
Technique
Many different cooks have their own techniques to barbecuing. Slow cooking brings flavor from the charcoal you use and many times you get a smoke ring inside the meat. Many meats take different amounts of time to get the necessary flavor. Here is a recipe to get an understanding of what time frame beef brisket takes.
10 hours and 30 minutes
“I ngredients
For the barbecue sauce:
● 1 1/2 cups ketchup ● 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar ● 1/2 cup water ● 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion ● 3 tablespoons cider vinegar ● 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce ● 2 chipotles in adobo sauce, finely chopped ● 1 teaspoon garlic powder ● 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper For the brisket:
● 1/4 cup paprika ● 1 tablespoon chili powder ● 1 tablespoon ground cumin ● 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar ● 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more as needed ● 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper ● 1 teaspoon garlic powder ● 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed ● 1 (5pound) beef brisket”(Anonymous,2)
Sauces “To most Americans, barbecue sauce is red and sweet and smokey and it comes from a shelf near the ketchup. To those who travel and would rather lunch in back of a rickety shack under a shade tree rather than under the golden arches, barbecue sauce comes in a rainbow of colors and flavors, and most tied to the area of origin and its ethnic roots. Indeed, barbecue sauce is a cultural phenomenon. In the eastern half of North Carolina barbecue sauce is practically transparent with cayenne pepper flakes that flurry in it like a snow globe. In western half of the state it is practically pink going on garnet from ketchup. In much of South Carolina it is yellow from mustard, popular with German settlers. In many dingy brown joints of Texas it is close to brown from meat drippings with big chunks of green peppers and other flotsam in it. And in a corner of North Alabama it is white with black pepper flecks. In Memphis the "sauce" often comes from a shaker and is no more liquid than the paprika that is its backbone.
To the cook, barbecue sauce is alchemy. It is downright fun to make. Standing over the pot adding a dash of this, a pinch of that, taking a taste, adjusting, tasting, and adding something else makes one feel like a wizard.”(Goldwyn,1) Every place has their twist on the BBQ sauce that everyone loves.
BBQ comes in many flavors and sizes to bring the competition to the plate. With many types, flavors, sides, sauces, and technique barbeque has become a world favorite. From competitions to home cooking you can make a BBQ meal simple or complex.
Works cited Goldwyn, Meathead. What is barbecue. Amazingribs: 2014. Internet
Anonymous. The four main U.S. BBQ styles. bbqsmokehousecatering: 2014. Internet
Anonymous. Easy slow cooker BBQ beef brisket. Chow: 2014. Internet
Jamison, Bill and Cheryl. Smoke and Spice. Harvard common Press: 2003. Print
Goldwyn, Meathead. American Barbecue sauces. Amazingribs: 2014. Internet
Thanks to these websites and also the book, I was able to get background information and also recipes. Couldn't have done it without them!