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Barbeque is a meal traditionally served by gracious hosts to their guests, family and close friends. It takes time and perseverance as well as attention to detail, which is why the meal was reserved for special occasions. American barbeque got it's taste recognized today by the captive African slaves of the mid 1700-1860's and then passed down generation to generation as a time honored tradition. Slaves were given what was believed by the wealthy owners to be superfluous cuts of meat, like ribs (i.e. spare ribs), shoulders, and briskets (of cattle). This is where the term, living high on the hog, came from as the slaves were given the anatomically lower cuts, which were more dense. These tough cuts of meat had to be cooked slowly over low heat coals from indigenous woods, found in the locale that the meat was cooked. Another reason for cooking the meat until so tender, besides the fact it is utterly divine, is that these slaves certainly did not have dental plans on the plantations and had very few, if any teeth that were worthy of chomping into a tough cut of meat. The south eastern reigion of the U.S. used a lot of Hickory, the south west used Mesquite, and both used other blends of fruit and nut trees in their area, giving the barbeque meats a regional specific taste, preferred by locals. We've heard about Texas bbq vs. Carolina bbq, vs. Memphis, and et cetera; but there is some truth in all that chatter because historically, they taste different and the difference is the woods used in cooking. The spices are a little different by region too, but for the most part, traditional barbeque spices did not include ketchup or high fructose corn syrup because these did not exist in the period. The cooks used spices that could be grown and found easily in their area or bought at a market nearby. Barbeque style is as diverse as the people who make it, to their own preference of taste because after all, if you're going to cook for an entire day; wouldn't you want to enjoy the results too? I started making bbq for friends and family several years ago and after much prodding to go professional, here I am. I wanted to be a bbq purist, creating the old fashioned taste that gave bbq it's mystique. I found history to be my best guide into the world of barbeque, from its origins a world away to our very own back yards centuries later, enjoyed by my family and close friends, can now be yours as it was intended. So, pull up a chair, stump, or knee and set down for a spell; tell a story and live in each others company. Relax. Let us do the cooking and have fun. |
The Story of Barbeque |