A Brief History
On May 16, 2023, Americans celebrate National Barbecue Day, something that means different things in different parts of the country.
Digging Deeper
In Kansas City, barbecue is beef or pork, or even chicken, that is slow roasted with a sauce of tomato and molasses base.
Memphis barbecue is normally a dry rub that is cooked long and low, with a smoky finish.
Texas barbecue is usually beef slow cooked in a smoker, with a dry rub for seasoning leaving a smoky taste.
Carolina barbecue uses pork basted with a vinegar and ketchup type sauce, and slow cooked like the others.
Beef, especially brisket or ribs, can be barbecued, as can most cuts of pork, especially ribs and chops, while barbecued chicken makes a nice change of pace. Your local grocery probably carries a bewildering array of old favorite barbecue sauces as well as trendier versions of newer origin and bearing the names of celebrities. Your meat can be intact or “pulled” into shreds. Enjoy!
Question for students (and subscribers): Did you know the American barbecue comes from Native American traditions? What is your favorite sauce? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Jones, Adam. Smoker Cookbook in Texas Style: The Art of Smoking Meat with Texas BBQ, Ultimate Smoker Cookbook for Real Pitmasters, Irresistible Barbecue Recipes in Texas Style. CreateSpace, 2018.
Martin, David. Let’s Grill Missouri’s Best BBQ Recipes ***Large Print Edition***: Includes Kansas City and St-Louis Barbecue Styles. Independently published, 2018.
The featured image in this article, a photograph by Willis Lam of Dickey’s Barbecue Pit BBQ Ribs and sauce, is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
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