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ARTICLE

Here’s Your Global Primer

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Expand your BBQ offerings with styles from around the globe. A marinade or rub is all you need to take your patrons on an exotic BBQ adventure.

Americans aren’t the only ones who love their barbecue and grilled . Cultures and as diverse as Korean and Brazilian have long-held traditions of barbecuing, grilling, and . And that gives food service operators tremendous leeway for adding global flavors and international excitement to menus.

In its most elemental form, barbecue has existed for thousands of years, and generally consists of the roasted or grilled from whatever and other ingredients are geographically common. From among the dozens of countries that have a barbecue tradition, here are a few specialties to consider.

Argentina— is a term used in , as well as , Paraguay, and , for both grilling meat over charcoal and for the social event where it is served. Short , flank , , , and lamb are the most popular . such as a are also common.

Brazil— refers to meats threaded on and cooked in or over the embers of a fire, including pork, sausage, , , and various cuts of . It is often served with , a vibrant green made with chopped parsley, cilantro, , , and lime juice.

China—The most famous Chinese barbecue is pork, boneless pork loin rubbed with a sauce of soy, honey or brown , wine, hoisin, and five , and grilled until a flavorful glaze forms on the outside of the meat. Char sui is enjoyed as is, but is also incorporated into other recipes, such as fried rice.

Indonesia—The country’s vibrant, multicultural grilling traditions favor , a seasoned, skewered, grilled meat (beef, chicken, , pork, fish, and other meats), often served with a savory sauce of soy and peanut.

Jamaica—Jerk chicken is the crown jewel in the Jamaican barbecue tradition, but the technique of rubbing the uncooked meat with chile pepper, allspice, and thyme, and glazing it with a sweet-spicy can also be applied to ribs and other proteins.

Japan— is the name for grilled meat and vegetables, cooked on skewers and served with various (tare) including soy mixed with sake, mirin, sugar, garlic, fruit juice, and sesame. The most familiar include (charcoal-grilled chicken) and (meat, fish, or vegetables glazed with , mirin, and sugar).

Korea—This Asian country’s tradition of gogigui (meat roast) centers on tabletop grills where grill their own thinly sliced meats, marinated in a mixture of soy, sugar, garlic, sesame, and sliced , including beef sirloin (), (kalbi or ), and spicy pork (dwaeji galbi). Once cooked, the meat is often dabbed with spicy bean and wrapped in lettuce.

Mexico—Fish, chicken, or pork is often flavored with a recado or dry marinade that includes juice, then grilled and served with tortillas and . Pollo al refers to chicken rubbed with achiote paste, chopped cilantro, jalapeños, garlic, lime, and orange juice. Traditional is meat (pork, goat, lamb, or beef) that is slathered with chile paste, wrapped with aromatic leaves (maguey or ), and smoke-roasted over a kettle filled with water, vegetables, aromatics, and sometimes beans.

Middle Eastern—Skewered meats called , grilled over a charcoal fire, are a specialty of the entire region, but may have originated in Turkey. The most common meat is lamb, either in bite-size pieces or ground and formed into lozenges (kofta or seekh ), but chicken and are also common. They are often served with a tart or an accompaniment of pita, crisp vegetables, and a yogurt-based sauce.

Philippines—Pinoy Barbecue is charcoal-grilled bite-size pieces of pork shoulder or belly, marinated in a sweet-savory mixture of orange or juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, sauce, garlic, and ginger ale or cola, threaded onto bamboo skewers and usually served with hot and spicy .

Puerto Rico—Typical asado is pork shoulder, studded with garlic and oregano, rubbed with oil, and spit-roasted. Garlic-marinated ribs and chicken are also popular.

South Africa—The summertime tradition of braai (grilled meats) can include lamb, , steak, and chicken with piri piri, a chili-laden sauce made with lots of fresh herbs. Another specialty is , seasoned meat (usually lamb or goat) grilled on skewers.

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Obviously, the flavors and ingredients of these specialties can be translated for mainstream applications. According to Datassential, for instance, menu items invoking “” experienced 11-year growth of more than 775% as of 2016. Many of these menu instances were in the form of excitement-generating LTOs (limited-time-only menu items), such as the Korean BBQ Burger featured at Carl’s Jr. in April 2017: A burger topped with Korean-style BBQ beef and Asian coleslaw.

Sources: Datassential MenuTrends, 2017; Technomic Foodservice Digest, February 2017; Technomic Consumer Trend Report, Center-of- Plate: Beef & Pork Market Insights 2017; Technomic Consumer Food Trends, Barbecue: From Backyard to Menu (August 2012)

INTERNATIONAL BARBECUE – TRY THIS

• Ancho Moonshine BBQ Sauce hits all the right sweet, spicy, smoke notes. • Wet rubs are a kind of marinade, and are prevalent in many global barbecue specialties.

INTERNATIONAL BARBECUE – GET STARTED • Minor’s® Ready to Flavor products can be used in both hot and cold applications, adding distinction to menus without the added step of .

INTERNATIONAL BARBECUE – DID YOU KNOW? • The complex flavors of Latin American barbecue and other specialties become accessible with these recipes utilizing Minor’s Latin Flavor Concentrates. • Minor’s Christopher F. Donato shows how grilling is possible on a wide variety of equipment, using many different fuels.

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