To the majority of Northern backyard grillers, a barbecue is an event that involves a gas or charcoal grill, some burgers, hot dogs, maybe a sausage or two, and a cold one to drink while flipping. But to the purists, many (most?) of them in the South, barbecue is not an event or just a type of cuisine; it’s part of a Southerners’ cultural heritage. And because of the vast regional differences that exist from the coast to the gulf, there’s probably no other food that inspires such debate, fierce competition, coveting of hidden recipes, and long standing rivalries over which state has the best, most original, and truly authentic barbecue.
Being a west-of-the-Rockies Northerner, the wide world of barbecue can be a bit overwhelming. But I do know that whenever I’m in the South, there’s no better spot to stop for lunch than a barbecue joint. So if you’re out on the open road this summer and looking to try the regional specialty of somewhere in the “barbecue belt,” here’s what to look for.
First, Some Barbecue and Grilling Semantics
The word barbecue is often misused in the America lexicon, at least according to barbecue purists. Many people (guilty as charged) use it as a verb, as in “I’m going to barbecue these burgers tonight!” or incorrectly as a noun, “Fire up the barbecue—the burgers are ready!” Then there’s the use of barbecue (which is also spelled bar-b-que, BBQ, barbeque, or bar-b-q) as an adjective, such as “barbecued chicken.” In fact, what we’re usually doing when we use the word this way is grilling, and the contraption we’re doing it on is a grill. That’s why you’ll hear some people (again, usually Southerners) call the Weber/beer/hamburger events a “grill-out” or a “backyard cook-out.”
Barbecue, as it’s used in the South, is meat prepared in a certain way, and that way is much different than grilling. Grilling usually involves placing food directly over hot coals; the high heat means food cooks fast. The proximity to flame chars the outside of the food, giving it the blackened appearance and flavor. Barbecuing, on the other hand, involves cooking meat over a low heat for many hours and can encompass different methods of cooking. Smoke from log sections, wood pieces, or charcoal add flavor to the meat. Sometimes the heat source and the meat are in separate sections of a barbecue chamber, a truly indirect method of cooking.
Cows Need Not Apply
Why is barbecue endemic to the South? Although the origins of the word “barbecue” are debated, many think it came from the Caribbean word barbacoa, a tradition of slow cooking a whole animal with smoke, a practice that migrated northward. Others believe American Indians taught the Spaniards how to slow cook meat with smoke.
Prior to the Civil War, wild hogs were abundant sources of free food for Southerners, who would let the hogs roam around the forests until its food supplies ran low, and then catch one and cook it, from head to tail. Wild hogs gave way to pig farms, which became a staple in the South. Because of this, many consider true barbecue to be pork and pork only. In an article written by Lake E. High, Jr., the President of the South Carolina Barbeque Association (they spell it with a “q”), he contends, “Don’t forget, barbeque is more specifically a noun, a specific thing, and that specific thing is pork, not beef or fish, or beaver, or shrimp or anything else … the term barbeque is always properly reserved for pork.”
That’s why the states included in the “barbecue belt”—Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina—all use pork. Yet others disagree, wondering how Texas, which mainly uses beef, or Kentucky, which uses mutton, could be left out of the barbecue vernacular. Either way, regional variations aren’t just about meat type. The sauce—or lack of it—also distinguishes where you’re eating your meat.
North Carolina
Eastern North Carolina barbecue often consists of a chopped, sliced, or a whole-roasted pig, slow cooked and smoked for hours. The sauce here is one of the simplest—white or cider vinegar with pepper, either freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes. The simple sauce is meant to let the meat, which is usually served on buns with the vinegar sauce and coleslaw, stand on its own.
Regional variations exist, all using pork or pulled pork, that include more tomato in the sauce.
South Carolina
In South Carolina, the meat is usually slow-cooked, pulled pork, but the sauces differ. According to some, South Carolina is the only state to offer all four types of barbecue sauce: vinegar, mustard, thin tomato, and thick tomato. Barbecue here is served with bread, coleslaw, and hash with rice. You can also find barbecued ribs in South Carolina.
Georgia
Georgia-style pork is often cooked over an open pit with oak or hickory smoke. The tomato-based sauce, served on the side, has numerous variations that mix sweet, spicy, and sometimes a splash of bourbon.
Tennessee
Pulled pork is the name of the game in Memphis, although you’ll also find slow-cooked pork ribs. Memphis focuses on a dry rub, with sauce on the side. According to a former resident of Memphis, this type of barbecue is the best because the dry rub “lets the meat, the seasoning, and the smoke speak for itself.” The sauces in this region of the south are usually tomato-based, with vinegar and spice and sweetened with molasses. A traditional pulled pork sandwich is served with chopped coleslaw on a hamburger bun.
Memphis also hosts Memphis in May, a huge barbecue festival.
Alabama
Alabama has a huge number of barbecue restaurants and most of them serve pork ribs and chopped or pulled pork. Sauces in Alabama are tomato-based, spicier than those in Tennessee, and are sometimes mixed with mayonnaise for a creamy, spicy, tangy sauce.
Missouri
When people talk about Missouri barbecue they’re usually talking about Kansas City, which along with Memphis, is one of the most well known barbecue spots in the country. Here they have thick sauces that are tomato-based and sweetened with brown sugar or molasses, usually applied liberally on ribs.
Kentucky
Mutton, slow cooked sometimes over a hickory fire, is the barbecue specialty of western Kentucky. But in most parts of Kentucky, especially Owensboro, which hosts the annual International Bar-B-Q Festival in May, you’ll also find smoked pork shoulder, as well as beef and chicken. The sauce in Kentucky is tomato-based with vinegar, spice, and sweetness varying according to the cooking establishment.
Texas
In Texas, most of the barbecue uses beef, since cattle ranching is prevalent. Brisket is the cut of meat most often used, usually grilled, cut thinly, and topped with a tomato-based sauce. Barbecued ribs are also common, which have a dry rub and red sauce served on the side. Farther west, you’ll find sauces that incorporate chilies.
The truth is that in most Southern states, including Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana, you’ll find barbecue, and chances are there’ll be as many intrastate variations as there are interstate ones. Pork is the mainstay, some places dry rub while others heavily sauce, and tomato levels rise and fall, making categorizing and typifying barbecue difficult. It could mean sampling them all, which, given a hearty appetite and a long summer, doesn’t sound so bad.