History of Barbecue
The word “barbecue” has a long history dating back to North and South American natives. The Tanos people who lived in Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Cuba used the Spanish word “barbacoa” to describe their cuisine. Slowly grilling meat over an open flame was known as barbacoa.
The term “barbecoa” was first used in print in Spain in 1526 by a Spanish traveller named Gonzalo Fernández De Oviedo y Valdés. The Taino people were roasting meat on a wooden framework perched on sticks above a fire when the Spaniards and Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas in 1492. The Spanish conquistadors adopted this cuisine and disseminated it to other parts of America and abroad.
Numerous comparable words have entered the English language over the years, including “barbacado,” “barbacu,” and “barbaque,” before we finally settled on “barbecue,” or “BBQ,” for short.
How to Barbecue (BBQ)
It’s recommended to make sure the grill is clean before turning on your barbecue. This can assist you achieve those traditional grill lines and stop your food from sticking to the barbecue’s surface. Use a stiff-bristled brush to clean your barbecue, clearing out any debris from the bottom of the grill and removing any grease, filth, or rust. Before putting on the heat, spray the grill with a thin layer of canola oil and brush away any extra. This process, known as “seasoning,” is a certain technique to make a non-stick cooking surface.
Once your BBQ has been thoroughly cleaned, it’s time to consider preheating. In the case of charcoal barbecues, this entails placing charcoal underneath the grate, whereas for electrical barbecues it just entails putting the cords into a power outlet. You must make sure the valve on your gas line is open for grills like a portable gas barbecue since this permits gas to flow through (note: be extra careful around gas). Your best choice is to examine your barbecue’s manual and follow its directions because there are numerous different barbecues and numerous different ways to warm them.
When everything is prepared, all that’s left to do is concentrate on your food and temperature control. Our most important piece of advice is to always flip your meat or veggies using tongs or a spatula to prevent juice loss when turning. You should ideally only flip each item once and refrain from pressing anything down with a spatula while it is grilling for the finest flavour.
Barbecue Tricks
Always flip your meat or veggies with tongs or a spatula rather than a fork to prevent juices from being lost during turning.
Keep the flips to a minimum. Each item should be turned over on the grill once in ideal circumstances.
Whatever you do, avoid pressing down with a spatula on burgers, poultry, or anything else while they are grilling! With this, the juices are squeezed out, and once they’re gone, they’re gone. Learn to juggle if you need to pass the time and have something to do with your hands (but not too close to the grill, please!).
If using charcoal, toss some wood chips (hickory, oak, or other hardwoods, but not treated timber!) in water for a while, then cover the grill. If using gas, place the wood chips into your smoker box as directed by the manufacturer.
Herbs can be tossed right onto the charcoal while you are cooking to flavour the food. Alternately, if you’re using a gas grill, soak the herbs in water first, then spread them out over the grate before adding your food.
This step should be done last if you wish to baste your meat or vegetables. Your marinade or sauce’s sugars won’t have a chance to burn or caramelise if you do this.
You can use a contact grill or a grill pan indoors to grill if this all sounds too complicated or if it’s raining or chilly outside.
Different Styles of Barbecue
Texas Style
Texas barbecue stands out from other barbecue regions because it uses beef rather than pulled pig. Texas barbecue is a product of a long history of cattle farming by German immigrants, despite the fact that this may cause a lively dispute among barbecue enthusiasts. Because beef brisket has a high fat content and doesn’t dry out when cooked for extended periods of time, it was chosen for smoking. Short ribs and beef sausage are also well-liked dishes. But because this state is so big and has so many distinct cultures, its barbeque reflects that.
Memphis Style
While Texas or the Carolinas may come to mind when you think about barbecue, Memphis, Tennessee, is really home to one of the nation’s richest smoked meat traditions. Memphis barbecue is centered on pork, particularly pork ribs and hog shoulder, with pulled pork being the most well-known variation, like other barbecue hotspots in the Southeast.
Kansas City Style
Kansas City BBQ is the best in the region to the north of the barbecue belt. Pulled pig, beef, sausage, and chicken are just a few of the mouthwatering meats that barbecue masters provide.
North Carolina Style
Eastern and Western traditions are the two main ones present in North Carolina. Route 1 separates them, cutting the state in half vertically starting at Raleigh. Both dishes contain pork, but the cooking methods and presentation are very different.
South Carolina Style
Kansas City is the undisputed king of the northern portion of the barbeque belt. Barbecue masters offer a variety of mouthwatering meats, such as hog shoulder, beef, sausage, and chicken.
Alabama Style
In Alabama, pulled pork, ham, and chicken are the main dishes. Typically, the ribs, shoulder, or butt of the pig are used in this region. All of these are carefully smoked over hickory wood. Only in Alabama is a dill pickle included with the coleslaw and sandwich bun with chopped, pulled, or sliced meat.
We truly hope that you enjoyed our ideas for your next BBQ and our advice. This is where you can get the top spices and spice mixtures to use in your BBQ event.
