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Wednesday 24 April 2013

How Location Affects One's Definition Of Old Fashioned BBQ

By Grace Rivera


Barbecue in the USA dates back to a time when hogs were allowed to run wild and provided a much tougher cut than found in pork today. Originally the whole hog or other animal was cooked slowly over an open pit. Today, pits have moved indoors and provide the heat needed to cook pork, beef, chicken and sausages. In addition, one's definition of old fashioned BBQ may depend on where he spent the childhood years.

Chain restaurants have made Memphis style barbecue common across the states. In Memphis, the barbecue joints slow cook pork shoulders and ribs. A mild, molasses based sauces are used sparingly on the meat just before removing from the grill. When pared with a sweet coleslaw, diners have a meal that may return them many years.

Most of the time, the barbecue joints in Alabama follow the Memphis tradition and use a molasses based sauce. Connoisseurs may notice that the sauce is slathered a little thicker on the ribs. However, when visiting the northern region of Alabama, it is possible to find a special white sauce barbecue sauce. This is made with vinegar and mayonnaise and certainly worth a try.

The barbecue in Kentucky is famous for the hickory that is used to create the smoke. Hickory offers a stronger smoke flavor than many other woods and is certainly stronger than the smoke from briquettes. It imparts a bacon like flavor to meats. When enjoying Kentucky Barbeque, be sure to try burgoo as a side. It is a hearty meat stew.

Texas uses beef to make their barbecue. The meat is smoked with earthy flavored Mesquite wood. Look for sliced beef brisket that is served without sauce. If you must have some sauce on the meat, it is probably a tomato/molasses concoction that is found sitting on the table in a bottle.

Kansas city was once the end of the cattle drive where beef cattle were loaded onto trains for shipping back east. They provide the Memphis like sauce on beef and other meats using the flavors found in Texas. Look for steak, brisket or ribs, but expect them to be dripping with sauce.

North Carolina is actually divided into two regions. In the east, there is no tomato in the vinegar based sauce that is used on every part of the hog. In the Piedmont area, the sauce is still thin and loaded with vinegar, but includes tomatoes. Instead of using the whole hog, the most likely cut is pork shoulder and the meat is chopped or pulled.

South Carolina also offers several traditions. One of the best known is their mustard based sauce. This yellow or orange sauce is perfect for dipping bits of pork pulled from whole hogs. Real mustard sauce contains no tomatoes.

No matter how you define old fashioned BBQ, take time to visit barbecue restaurants as you travel. There are many wonderful meats, served with or without the sauce. Most will also sell jars or bottles of their sauce that make a good souvenir to take home and enjoy.




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