Barbecue Your Way Around the USA

by Chef Howie Velie

As a kid growing up in New York City, “barbecue” meant only one thing — cooking on a grill in the yard. In my family’s case, the yard was a rooftop and the grill was a little cast iron hibachi grill that held 10 or 15 charcoal briquettes. But as an adult, I have lived and traveled all over the South, gaining exposure to a new definition of barbecue in practically every place I’ve visited.

Barbecue is an American pastime, and it’s easy to fall in love with the smoky flavors, tender meats, and the sweet and savory rubs and sauces used in different regions. To truly understand barbecue, let’s step inside the smokehouse to see what makes it so great.

Origins

Part of the beauty of barbecue is its simplicity. No fancy equipment is necessary, and although it can take time, it’s still much easier than trying to make something like pâté. Barbecue arose in the Caribbean as a means of preserving meat by rubbing it with salt-based spice concoctions, smoking it, then cooking it in vinegar and sugar. Though the advent of refrigeration made these measures unnecessary, barbecuing has become an art of sorts. It has taken on different shapes in different regions, leading to heated debates about who barbecues the best. Having had barbecue from Georgia to Seattle (and everywhere in between), I can honestly say they’re all good.

The ability to make great barbecue is also a point of pride for many chefs. You can insult a chef’s mom, but you could get hurt if you tell the chef that his or her barbecue is tough or dry.

Home Cooking

While fire and smoke provide the simple basis for most types of barbecue, there are as many approaches as there are cooks and chefs to cook them. Many recipes are closely guarded secrets, but the general approaches taken in different regions can be categorized fairly easily:

• Carolina Barbecue
  From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Outer Banks, pork butt is the meat of choice throughout the Carolina region. It’s usually smoked lightly, then simmered in a pot with vinegar, mustard and sugar until it’s almost falling apart. Different spices are added, depending on the cook. Chopped into small bits or pulled into bite size pieces, Carolina’s sweet and sour pork is usually served as a sandwich with cole slaw.

• Memphis Barbecue
  In the shadow of Graceland, pork ribs and chicken are the most popular meats. They are dry-rubbed with a spice mixture that’s left to marinate before the meat is smoked in a low to moderate heat smoker or oven. The smoky meat is served with sauces that vary from spicy to sweet and are virtually guaranteed to coat your hands, face and often your clothes. At the end of the feast, the dry spices from the initial rub make Memphis barbecue quite literally finger-licking good. Just be sure not to wear a white shirt.

• Texas Barbecue
  The mainstay in Texas is beef brisket, but other meats and sausages still get lots of love in the Lone Star State. Briskets are rubbed with a spice mixture that consists primarily of salt and pepper. The meat is then slow-roasted over low heat, with the coals on one side of the grill and the brisket on the other. The indirect smoke and heat make the beef deliciously moist, while the rub gives it a distinctive red rim around its outside edge. Sauce is served on the side.

• St Louis Barbecue
  While similar to all of the above in its use of meat and chicken, St. Louis barbecuers either cook meat in sauce or paint sauce over the meat’s surface during the cooking process. This style is very similar to the backyard barbecue. While it would give my childhood barbecues far too much credit to call them an attempt to emulate the St. Louis style, the comparison is still easy to make.

There’s nothing at all preventing you from grilling some magic meat of your own, so set aside some time and get out there. Experiment with different styles — no matter how you do it, your taste buds will thank you.