The Quest for 'Que
Among polite society, a few subjects are invariably
touchy, threatening to flare into heated debate. Politics. Religion.
And don't forget to add one more topic to that list: barbecue.
Whether you spell it barbecue, barbeque, bar-b-que, or just bbq, one thing's
for sure: barbecue is more than just a meal, it's a mantra. Barbecue believers
each stare through a smoky haze to their own Mecca, be it Memphis, Kansas
City, or the Carolinas in search of true barbecue.
Although barbecue unites diners at family reunions, church functions and
political fundraisers, these smoky meats can ignite endless argument.
What is barbecue? Which is the best cut? What is the best wood? Where
are the best pits? Sauce or no sauce?
Holy smokes!
History of Barbecue
The quest for 'que has been underway since man first found fire and used
the smoke to cure meats but it took the Arawak Indians to give us the
word barbecue. These early Caribbean residents built green stick grills
upon which they placed meats, covered in leaves. When the Spanish arrived
in the Caribbean islands, they modified the native word to barbacoa.
But, like everything in the barbecue world, that history is questioned.
Some say barbecue evolved from the French term "de la barbe a la
queue" or literally "from the beard to the tail" (as a
pig is roasted).
But the controversy over the word barbecue was just a hint of the fiery
debate that subject would spark once the smoky meat hit the shores of
what would become the United States.
According to C. Clark "Smoky" Hale, the webmaster of Barbecue'n
on the Internet and author of The Great American Barbecue and Grilling
Manual, "barbecue, the technique, was developed by early settlers
of North Carolina who had an abundance of hogs and time but a shortage
of salt for curing. Therefore the whole hog had to be cooked and wood
was all that was available for the rack so it had to be cooked at a low
temperature for a long period."
Those early Carolina chefs also are credited with "the mother of
all barbecue sauces, developed and still the favorite in Eastern North
Carolina, which consists of vinegar, red pepper and salt," says Hale.
The result is a tasty concoction but its origins were purely practical.
"Vinegar is a bactericide and its acidity contrasts with the residual
greasiness of pork. Peppers are rich in vitamin C and were served to prevent
scurvy in an area devoid of citrus."
Even today, North Carolina goes the vinegar-based sauce route. Leave the
Tar Heel state, however, and you'll find a whole different menu of sauce
and meat options, depending on your surroundings. South Carolina's mostly
"pulled" or shredded pork is accompanied by a mustard-based
sauce. In Virginia, chopped pork rules the menu. In Tennessee, 'que lovers
find ribs wet (mopped with a vinegar and tomato sauce mixture) and dry
(sprinkled with a paprika rub). In parts of the Deep South, barbecue often
involves roasting a whole hog but in parts of Kentucky, barbecue means
mutton. And in Kansas City, you just might find cooks adding a little
honey to their mixture to produce the burnt ends that are so popular in
that city. In Texas, barbecue is beef brisket accompanied by a tomato-based
sauce, or sometimes no sauce at all.
"At a Texas barbecue, no one ever has to ask, 'Where's the beef?'"
says Hale. "Texas and the Carolinas are at the opposite poles of
barbecue. Barbecue is as porky in the Carolinas as it is beefy in Texas."
BBQing vs. Grilling
But to really set a fire under a barbecue buff, confuse "barbecuing"
with "grilling." "Sauces may vary from region to region,
but barbecue is meat cooked in the dry heat of wood coals at around the
boiling point of water," emphasizes Hale.
Let's set the record straight: grilling may be good, but to be labeled
barbecue the meat must be cooked in a closed contraption to hold in the
smoke that imparts its flavor to the meat. Grilling is done in the open
where the smoke dissipates before fully infusing the meat. Grilling is
also accomplished quickly, while barbecuing takes plenty of time, sometimes
an entire 24-hour day.
Pitmasters often stoke their fires through the night, basting and mopping
meats cooking "low and slow" with their own secret concoctions
designed to seal in the juices and impart a special flavor.
Tending the pit is a longstanding tradition that dates back to frontier
days of meat markets and butcher shops. These pioneer merchants were determined
to find a use for cuts that weren't selling. On the weekends, they began
smoking those quickly aging meats, hoping to make them more palatable
with an infusion of smoke. It worked. Like a fragrant billboard, the smell
of barbecue soon permeated the small towns and captured the attention
of those doing their Saturday marketing. Farmers and ranchers in town
for weekend trading came by and found an inexpensive lunch served up on
the only plate a butcher had on hand: butcher paper.
Eventually, farm and ranch families began making the meat market a regular
weekend stop, tailgating off the back of their horse-drawn wagons. Soon
some meat markets began to put up a few picnic tables for customers. Today
the best joints still have a picnic table or two. Some still serve their
product on butcher paper.
Barbecue quickly spread from restaurants to the home market and today
the Barbecue Industry Association estimates that three out of four Americans
own a barbecue grill. When the weather turns warm, the smoke starts rising
as weekend chefs turn up the heat on their favorite 'que creations, which
can include everything from fish to vegetables.
Barbecue Cookoffs
Warm weather also brings the season for barbecue cookoffs, competitive
events where recipes are guarded like military maneuvers with a secrecy
that could make the Pentagon proud. Known only by a handful of people
on the barbecue team, these recipes can contain surprising ingredients
ranging from Coca-Cola to beer. Whether for cash prizes or just for the
glory, these contestants take their work seriously.
Usually led by a head cook, barbecue teams compete in categories that
often include pork, brisket, ribs, chicken, beans, and even exotic meats.
Teams stay up through the night, stoking their fires and making sure the
meat is properly seasoned. After the judging the next day, the public
usually conducts their own taste tests, visits with barbecue chefs, and
watches the results of the judging. Besides the food categories, many
cookoffs also award prizes for best rig and best showmanship (team members
have been known to cook in costume and perform comedy acts to win this
one.)
The big daddy of the 'que cookoffs is the American Royal Barbecue, held
every October in Kansas City, Missouri. Sanctioned by the Kansas City
Barbecue Society, this contest is for serious contenders only with over
$50,000 in prize money up for grabs as well as the title "the best
sauce on the planet."
There are plenty of chances for barbecue sampling at most contests but
at the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest the
fun comes from making a pig of yourself -- literally. At this competition,
known to some as the Super Bowl of Swine, pork is king. Over 250 teams
competed in last year's event with over 100,000 onlookers not only tasting
the finished product but also watching special events such as the costumed
Ms. Piggie [correct spelling] Contest and the hog calling contest. And
for sheer size, the World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest rules. This
Texas-size festival, held every February in Houston, draws over 150,000
onlookers and 350 barbecue teams. Chefs vie for prizes in the categories
of brisket, ribs, and chicken.
But even the most qualified judges' decisions won't settle a national
debate that's older than the country itself. What is the best plate of
barbecue? In the end, it's probably the one sitting on the table in front
of you.
Return to Texas
Barbecue Guide
|
|
