(I´d like to welcome our barbeque correspondent, El Tejano, to the mix here! Although best known for his salsas ...and his NEW hotsauce ...Tex is Buenos Aires' resident expert on beef bbq. We´re proud to have him here. Keep an eye on this space for more barbecue news and opinion!)
"BBQ", three little letters makes one big strong word. The controversy it can bring among good friends, not to mention brothers, and how it can draw enemies from afar deserves at least a column or two.
Pulled pork, brisket sandwiches, baby-back ribs, beef ribs, and smoked turkey plates smothered in great sauce have not even one enemy, only a group of hungry faces; willing to share a seat at the table.
The line can stretch around the corner in order to get first dibs on fresh, right out-of-the smoker goodness. Amoungst the chatter between tables, one thing holds true, nobody's BBQ is better than "this guy I know's BBQ" or "there's a place down the street from..." Even the word BBQ and it´s origens is up for debate. The only thing not up for discussion is the fact that Bar-B-Q has been around a long time.
If one looks close enough, the credit goes to the early Spanish settlers and native American Indians. As European settlers found their way to the Southern states, in particularly South Carolina and specifically a small town called Santa Elena, they learned slow cooking methods from the native Indian. Over time processes, procedures, rules, and myths made what we fight over to be a house hold name today.
From The Carolinas, Texas, Kansas, Tennessee, Maryland, Kentucky, Alabama or what have you, Bar-B-Q can be prepared many ways, but in my opinion, it’s the sauce that counts. BBQ sauces in each state are just as important, if not more important than the meat and cooking method. BBQ is down and dirty, almost a fightin word and a good sauce can stirup a lot of trouble. In addition to the "PIT…(the restaurant) and ¨GOODNESS…(sauce)¨ the ¨FIXINS…(i.e. cornbread, coleslaw dressing, the banana pudding, potatoes) are all a big competition wrapped up in one reinforced cardboard plate awaiting criticism with every sip of sweet tea (or is that non-sweet tea?).
Just the word Barbecue makes you think of a tasty plate of meat but it´s really a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of charcoal. The word revolutionized into something of it´s own. We use this word, especially in Texas for just throwing hot dogs onto the grill.
A quick google will show you that the term can refer to the meat, the cooking apparatus itself ("barbecue grill" or simply "Barbecue") or as an adjective can refer to any foods cooked by this method. It´s also a verb for the act of cooking food in this manner.
In Texas, barbecue sounds like a party, first and foremost!
This is my first crack at a short column. In the coming weeks, I´ll be sharing some of my tips and opinions. Now that the weather is getting fine, I´m ready for barbecue and I think Buenos Aires is too. Send me your thoughts, questions, and opinions and I´ll send you invitations to good Texas style barbecue.
Fair enough? I thought so!
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