A Barbecue Primer

[BobHunt]

for especially the southerin folks of USA..

Alabama has more barbecue joints than any other state. Dreamland Bar-be-Que in Tuscaloosa serves up what people have called the worlds best ribs. And you will find only ribs--no sides, utensils, or plates, just ribs, bread and spicy tomato based sauce.

Georgians like their barbecue slow cooked over oak and or hickory chips, and their preferred sauce is a mixture of ketchup, molasses, bourbon, garlic, and cayenne pepper.

Kentucky differs from the rest of the south in that mutton is often used in barbecue, esp in the western part of the state. The sauce is a vinegar and tomato based and is not always used in the cooking process.

Tennessee Memphis style barbecue is the most common here, it features ribs two ways: wet ribs with a mild sweet sauce basted during the smoking, and dry-rub ribs. Tennesseans also love their pork served with tomato based sauce.

Mississippi: Pork is king here where most joints serve only pulled pork with a purely vinegar sauce.

North Carolina barbecue varies within the state. Eastern dwellers like their sauce thin spicy and vinegary while those in the west like thick, sweet sauce.

South Carolina people are unique because they have 4 types of barbecue to call their own.

[Mike Schutz]

Bob, Nasty, nasty post.
I found myself drooling, and tasting a nice, vinegary sauce as I read it.
Thanks!
Grace and peace,
Mike

[Jerry Frank]

I will never understand this need for sauce on meat.

We were entertaining some business colleagues from North Carolina at a fancy steak house here in Calgary, of course pridefully showing off the wonders of our tender western grain fed beef. One of our guests requested ketchup for his steak. After picking himself up from the floor, the waiter did comply but brought it to the table in a discrete dish rather than in the bottle.

Why not enjoy the meat as intended with the subtle flavourings of the oak, hickory or other chips, slow roasted. Or the spices or marinade used with good quality steak fired over a grill. Why cover the meat with sweet sauce?

Perhaps the sauce is used to cover poor quality meat. It certainly isn't necessary to appreciate the lovely flavors of a good quality meat.

Jerry

[John Kennedy]

Not really sure how it's possible to write more than a few words about barbecue without mentioning Kansas City or Texas.
Had the pleasure a few years ago of eating at the Fresh Air Barbecue, between Jackson, GA and Indian Springs. I hadn't eaten there since I was a child. Still as good.

[Joel Merrill]

I will never understand this need for sauce on meat.

We were entertaining some business colleagues from North Carolina at a fancy steak house here in Calgary, of course pridefully showing off the wonders of our tender western grain fed beef. One of our guests requested ketchup for his steak. After picking himself up from the floor, the waiter did comply but brought it to the table in a discrete dish rather than in the bottle.

Why not enjoy the meat as intended with the subtle flavourings of the oak, hickory or other chips, slow roasted. Or the spices or marinade used with good quality steak fired over a grill. Why cover the meat with sweet sauce?

Perhaps the sauce is used to cover poor quality meat. It certainly isn't necessary to appreciate the lovely flavors of a good quality meat.

Jerry
My mom can't eat meat without ketchup. I quit taking them to nice restaurants, it was embarrassing. I put sauce on my meat sometimes but only because I like variety. Sue Bee, the honey company, makes a BBQ sauce that is 48% honey. That's almost half! It is heavenly on chicken or pork. I also like Lawry's Seasoning Salt or Kikkoman Soy Sauce on pork. I usually leave a beef steak alone but I like Heinze 57 on roasts. Now days I eat mostly fish because of my cholesterol. I nice juicy steak is a real treat. I prefer to buy the meat and grill it myself rather that going to a restaurant.

Joel

[Marsha Gupton]

I'm glad to see Tennessee mentioned in the post on bbq. The BEST in my opinion is Corky's bbq out of Memphis. Also Neeley's is good too.

http://www.corkysbbq.com/

[Joanne Vergin]

If you're ever in Michigan in the summer go to Bay City for the Pig Gig. Usually the first weekend of August. BBQ from all over, then you can decide for yourself. :fav03