Wine with BBQ P A I R I N G G U I D E

Welcome to Wine with BBQ!

Since you’ve downloaded this guide, I assume that you’re someone like me: a wine lover who gets mildly frustrated that when is served, the default adult beverage seems to be beer. Not that there’s anything wrong with beer! But as oenophiles, we prefer the sweet nectar of the gods.

The problem becomes what to pair with barbecue cuisine. Making the issue more involved is the different styles that offer a variety of flavors, spice levels, textures, etc. So knowing which wine to have with a particular barbecue dish based on a particular region can be a lightly daunting task.

That’s why I put together this guide – to help you become familiar with the different styles of barbecue and suggest the ideal wine partners to enjoy with them. Kansas City This region has one of the oldest and most famous barbecue traditions, and it doesn’t tend to specialize in one particular type of meat. It runs the gamut – (, ), (, ribs), chicken, and sausage. These meats are usually cooked over hickory wood with a dry rub applied. They also offer a wide variety of sauces, but they’re usually served on the side rather than applied during the cook. Most Kansas City-style sauce recipes are thick, tangy and sweet, and include a tomato base.

One barbecue item Kansas City has become known for is . These charred tips of beef brisket are a popular staple on menus throughout the city.

The sauces associated with Kansas City require wines that possess spicy, juicy, and ripe characteristics, such as New World zinfandels and syrahs.

North Carolina When it comes to barbecue, the Tar Heel State is actually classified into two styles, identified by the region from which their traditions originate. Eastern North Carolina is known for its method of whole hog: over hickory wood is the general technique. The hog is mopped at regular intervals during an approximately 15-hour cook. Before chopping and serving, a spicy vinegar-based sauce is applied.

Moving on to Western North Carolina, the barbecue style of which is known as “Lexington style.” The meat of choice in this region is pork shoulder, which is smoked to allow the skin to get crispy. The pitmaster then chops or slices the meat. Like the eastern part of the state, the typical sauce is vinegar-based but with the addition of tomato and brown .

Considering the sauces used to enhance the barbecue dishes found in the two North Carolina styles, you want to find a wine partner that can match the acidity. A few suggestions: · German riesling Sangiovese Lighter pinot noir (old world or old-world style) Old-world syrah New-world petite sirah Rosé South Carolina Like its neighbor to the north, South Carolina is known for whole-hog barbecue. The sauces are often vinegar-based but also include heavy or light tomato elements. In addition, this region is known for and a mustard sauce called Carolina Gold, which is why the southern part of the state is known as the “Mustard Belt.”

Given the spicy, mustard flavors associated with South Carolina barbecue, some good choices to look for when shopping for wine are: · Aglianico Sangiovese Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo

Memphis/Tennessee Tennessee is widely known for good barbecue, but Memphis- style specifically is most renowned. What signifies Memphis- style is that the meat – pork being the most popular protein – is slow-cooked with a paprika-based dry rub instead of a wet sauce. When sauce is used, it’s often a thinner, vinegar- and tomato-based concoction served on the side rather than mopped or poured on the meat directly. Tennessee pork is served as dry-rub and the pork butt/shoulder is either chopped pork or pulled. Just like in Eastern North Carolina, Eastern Tennessee pitmasters have an affinity for whole hog, which is often served with a thick, tomato-based sweet-and-spicy .

Similar to North Carolina are the wine possibilities that you’ll want to pair with Memphis-style barbecue. One different consideration is that the Memphis/Tennessee dishes might not be as acidic, particularly if the meat is dry rub vs. sauced. Some wines to consider are: · Old-world riesling Chenin blanc Gewurztraminer Tempranillo from Spain Sangiovese/chianti

Texas Pitmasters from the Lone Star State will smoke anything, but their signature meat has to be brisket. It’s a state that’s known for its cattle farming, so they expect only the best cuts when eating barbecue.

Because it’s such a big state, Texas has not two, but FOUR, regions known for their own unique styles: Central, East, West, and South. Central Texas barbecue is probably what comes to mind when someone refers to “Texas-style.” The approach involves smoking brisket over oak (sometimes pecan) wood. The application of sauce doesn’t really factor into the equation. The meat is generally just seasoned with salt and pepper. They let the brisket do most of the talking. No need to hide its tenderness and flavor with a lot of spice or sweetness.

The biggest differentiating characteristic of the East Texas region is the wood they use in their cook, hickory. Unlike Central Texas, these pitmasters will mop on sauces that are generally tangy and tomato-based. While they do enjoy their brisket, chopped beef and pork are favorites of barbecue patrons in this region.

The further west in Texas you travel, the more you’ll notice how much the terrain changes – dry desert land dominates. Makes you think of the kind of environment you see in your favorite cowboy movies. This, that’s why West Texas is known for its “cowboy style” of barbecue – meat that’s often prepared over an open fire and direct heat.

Last but far from least, South Texas boasts a barbecue style based on the traditions, which comes from Mexico. In barbacoa, the meat is cooked slowly over a covered pit. Texas is brisket country. Brisket is a big, bold beef. Likewise, your wine should be as bold and capable of handling a smoky, beefy dish. New world reds are often structured to have complex flavors, so you might consider these varietals from California or South America: · Zinfandel Malbec Cabernet sauvignon

Kansas City Kansas City doesn’t really specialize in one particular meat. Rather, this barbecue style runs the carnivore gamut – beef brisket, , fish, chicken, and sausage.

This region is well known for “burnt ends,” which are fatty brisket squares that are smoked to a rich, dark color and notable tenderness. Kansas City smokes primarily with hickory wood. The sauces tend toward thick and sweet textures and flavors. When it comes to the white meats, your best bet is to pair them with something with white wines that can handle the rich smokiness, such as those with crips acids or more earthy notes: · California chardonnay and sauvignon blanc Pinot gris from Oregon Alsace

For pork, beef, and sausage, the textures of which tend to be heavier, look to pair these with a robust, earthy red: · Grenache from Spain or southern France Syrah/Shiraz from California or Australia New World GSM or Rhone-style blend

Alabama Sweet Home Alabama puts a unique twist on its barbecue. While it features your standard proteins – pork and chicken, often served chopped and in sandwiches – this style of food is known for its white barbecue sauce, which is composed of mayonnaise combined with vinegar, lemon juice, and sometimes horseradish.

For this kind of barbecue, it’s wise to choose something that pairs well with the mayo-based white sauce, such as Chablis or unoaked Chardonnay from California. Kentucky The food in Western Kentucky isn’t to baaaaaad… ahem. That’s my punny way of saying that in the western half of the state is big on mutton. The meat is smoked with hickory and served with a black Worcestershire-based sauce that includes lemon juice, vinegar, and spices.

For the rest of the Bluegrass State, they like their pork, which is often pulled or thinly sliced.

Let’s focus on the mutton here, since we’ve went over pork several times. With the texture of this protein and its accompanying sauces, you will want a red that can handle the bold meat flavors, such as a North California Merlot. A Bordeaux or Bordeaux-style red is also a good choice when it comes to finding a suitable partner for Kentucky barbecue.

Korea Now that we’ve gone through the most popular American styles of barbecue, let’s give some love to one that’s grown in popularity in the USA.

Korean barbecue (also known as gogi-) refers to the method of meat such as beef, chicken, or pork on gas or charcoal grills inlaid into the dining table itself. , known for the marinade used in its preparation, is the most representative form of Korean barbecue. It is usually prepared by marinating thinly sliced beef sirloin or tenderloin cuts.

Galbi is another popular version, in which of meat such as beef, pork, or chicken, might be marinated in a sweet and savory sauce. The meat dish is served to customers raw and is later left to cook on the tabletop grill.

Now, which wines to pair with these dishes? If you want to go authentic, you have some Asian wines that work well with Korean barbecue: · Soju· Maesil Ju (Korean plum wine) ·Sake Makgeolli (Korean rice wine)

If you want to stick with wines that are more familiar to you, here are some pairings based on the different Korean barbecue choices:

Spicy· Dry, light riesling Crisp sauvignon blanc Smoky, sweet (Bulgogi or ) Australian or Chilean shiraz Chianti American zinfandel

Seafood Rosé Pouilly-Fumé

I hope this guide was helpful to you and prepares you for the next time you indulge in your favorite barbecue cuisine!

Be sure to visit WineWithBBQ.com and check out more about me, my barbecue cooks, and the wines I pair with them!