The History of Barbecue:
BARBECUE: (bär b -ky )
NOUN • A grill, pit or outdoor fireplace for roasting meat • A whole animal carcass or section thereof roasted or broiled over an open fire or on a spit • A social gathering, usually held outdoors, at which food is cooked over an open flame
VERB • To roast, broil or grill (meat or seafood) over live coals or an open fire, often basting with a seasoned sauce
Barbecue, or bar-b-que, or BBQ or Barbie (for our friends down under) can mean a lot of things. The word barbecue comes from the Taino people of the Caribbean. Their word barbacoa means “sacred fire pit.” This tells you how seriously the Taino’s took their barbecue.
True barbecue is slow cooked over coals with indirect heat. Grilling is fast cooking over coals with direct heat. Smoking or hot smoking combines hot smoke and low heat for a slow cooked flavorful treat.
Barbecue was probably invented by the wife of the first caveman to bring home fire. And every culture has added its unique flavors and characteristics. For this conversation, we are going to stick with the history of barbecue in North America, and it starts with Christopher Columbus.
When Christopher Columbus set out on his second voyage, Queen Isabella of Spain gave him 8 pigs. Pigs were a great choice. They were compact, traveled well, multiplied quickly, ate just about anything and adapted easily to the tropical environment. They were perfectly suited for island life. But the real father of pork in the new world was Hernando De Soto who landed near Tampa Bay Florida in 1539 with 13 pigs. By the time of his death 3 years later, DeSoto’s herd had grown to over 700, not including the ones his men had eaten and all the ones that had escaped into the wild regions of what is now the southeastern US. The University of Arkansas Razorbacks has a Spanish treasure hunter to thank for their mascot.
Meanwhile, other Spanish seeking fame and gold brought cattle. Most notably Hernando Cortez brought cattle and pigs to what is now south and central Mexico. Over time these herds moved north and into the great plains of the US, taking over where the Buffalo roamed.
Of course, all this good meat running around on hooves didn’t escape the attention of the local populations. In DeSoto’s case, some of the worst battles fought with the natives were over their attempts to steal his herd. The natives of the Caribbean islands had long used spices and pit cooking for fish and fowl. However, they reached the pinnacle of barbecue perfection with the invention of “Jerked Pork”, the process of slowly cooking with indirect heat after a long marinating with a spicy rub.
In 1652, near modern day Charleston SC, the local Indian tribes taught the Spaniards how to slow cook meat with smoke. Smoke cooked barbecue is still the preferred way to cook in the south and may explain why the Carolinas are known today for the variety of barbecue styles. From vinegar based near the coast to mustard base in central SC and every variation in between there is smoke cooked meat everywhere. In Lexington NC, there is more than 1 barbecue restaurant for every 1000 citizens, making Lexington the self proclaimed “Barbecue Capital of the World”.
In the pre-civil war South, pork was the number one meat source. Pigs could be put out in the forest to root, and collected when food supplies were low. Every part of the pig was used, from the snout to the tail. And pig slaughters became a time for celebration. Surprisingly, very little of the pig production was exported to other areas. Pork became a self-sufficient food supply for the south. It has been estimated that a southerner ate 5 lbs of pork for every 1 lb of beef.
As you move farther west, the regional distinctions in barbecue become evident and numerous. Even down to what type of meat is served. For example, in Memphis TN, when someone talks barbecue, they are probably talking about ribs, slow cooked with a rub and a light mop. Farther west, the sauces start getting thicker and more tomato based. When you reach the Mississippi River you cross the barbecue border. East of the river barbecue is pork, but west of the Mississippi cattle is king.
It’s easy to imagine the birth of barbecue in Texas. Large expanses of prairie, a big fire and nice slab of beef are the perfect ingredients needed for a barbecue. Because everything is bigger in Texas, there is no one “Texas style” of barbecue. In the eastern part of the state, barbecue resembles the eastern neighbors. The barbecue is slow cooked with smoke from hickory, oak or pecan wood with a sweet tomato based sauce. In central TX, they slow cook brisket, sausage and ribs, known as the “Holy Trinity” of meats. In west TX, it’s mesquite wood and grilled. Along the southern border there is a Mexican influence with the meat being slow cooked in a barbacoa or pit.
Although a late entry to barbecue, Kansas City also claims to be the “World’s Barbecue Capital”. The KC style evolved in the early 1900’s from the pit of local restaurateur Henry Perry. KC style is characterized by smoke cooking just about any meat; beef, pork, sausage, poultry and even sometimes fish. Sauce is normally a thick tomato and molasses base liberally applied.
Regardless of your preference in styles, the best barbecue in the world is the one cooked around friends and family in your backyard. So whether its beef, poultry, or fish, cooking over fire is one of the best forms of cooking, and placing these foods over the grill exemplifies why this tradition continues to gain popularity worldwide!
