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| All About Barbecue
by Laura Kjer
Since the Stone Age, man has been perfecting the art of cooking using a direct flame. If you were to ask someone about the history of barbecue, you would most likely get a response similar to the statement above. However that would not be quite right as there is a fundamental difference between simply cooking with a flame and having a barbecue.
If you don't add some sauce, to the direct flame method, you are grilling, not having a barbecue. To truly barbecue is to baste and slow cook meat 5 or 6 hours at a low temperature (around 200 degrees), over wood or charcoal.
Today when you think of going to a barbecue, you may conjure up the idea of a hamburger or steak, so big and juicy, it melts in your mouth.
Alternatively, perhaps a hot dog grilled to perfection with all the toppings. The phrase barbecue has evolved to mean either the meat served or the social event where the meat served has been specially prepared to represent a barbecue taste. Regardless of which area of the US you choose as your favorite for barbecue, the barbecue is an American Tradition, handed down from generation to generation. There's no chance the barbecue party will lose it's appeal anytime soon.
While there's no question that the barbecue is an American delicacy, there are many different theories as to where its origins lie. The state of Texas, Virginia, the Carolinas, or Georgia, each area has it's own definition and history of barbecue. It may well be that each area has it's own rightful claim to the barbecue history as each uses different methods and sauces to make their own unique barbecue.
However, every barbecue lover knows that there is nothing like the original Texas BBQ sauce. This famous barbecue sauce has a sweet tomato flavor that is thick and delicious. It also contains special seasonings and dry rub mixtures that are added to the meat before it is barbecued.
Now if you get a southeast barbecue sauce like that found in Georgia, it is slightly different from the Texas BBQ. The sauce is thinner and has more of a vinegar taste. The meat that is used is more commonly pork instead of beef. You also see a lot of barbecues being done in ~barbecue pits~ or enclosures so that heat and smoke can help cook the meat.
Everyone that barbecues comes up with their own technique, their own ~secret formula~ and their own favorite barbecue sauce. You may discover your own. Whether you prefer a Midwest or southeast BBQ flavor or even a combination of different ones, you will have fun discovering your own taste and the fun and socialization you get from having a barbecue. So the next time you are at a barbecue or hosting one of your own, spark some conversation by asking people if they know the difference between barbecue and grilling or Texas BBQ sauce and Georgia sauce.
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