The History of Barbecue & The Great BBQ Debate

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The subject of barbecue can cause some pretty strong reactions.  When you understand the history of this method of cooking, you'll understand why.

First, some definitions

It's important that we start off with defining what we mean when we say barbecue.  

A grill that can also barbecue.

Unfortunately, many people think that if you cook something on a grill then it is BBQ.  Not so.  While some grills can be used to barbeque not all of them can be.  Grills are used for grilling.  There are many cultures that barbeque that don't have grills.  

Barbeque is a method of preparing food, not the food that is prepared.  It is a low, slow, and dry cooking method that utilizes the heat in smoke to do the cooking.

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Grills can be expensive.  Protect yours with a cover.

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Etymology of Confusion

In fact, the word "barbecue" comes from the South American Spanish word "barbacoa" which in turn is from the Haitian word "barbakoa", which is the name for the wooden structure that held the meat out of the fire and in the smoke. 

Well, maybe it did.  There is some debate about that.

Some people believe that it comes from the French "barbe à queue" which can be translated as "from beard to tail".  As barbeque started with roasting whole pigs, one can see where this might work.

Except... that the French didn't give us BBQ, the Germanic peoples did.  Oddly enough, there is no theory on a Germanic origin to the word.

English is weird.

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The best sausage is the one you make yourself.  Here are some seasonings to try.

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Introducing... The Pig & Cow!!!

Pigs are not native to the Americas.  You'd never know that by the absolute domination they currently have over this hemisphere, but it's true.  Hogs were brought over here by European settlers.  This seems to have first started when the Spanish conquistadors came over to try and make a home for themselves here.

While the Native Americans didn't really take a shine to the Spanish settlers and worked pretty hard to drive them out, they certainly appreciated the horses, cattle, and hogs the retreating settlers left behind!

King of the Carolinas!

When the Germanic settlers come over about one hundred years later to what is now the Carolinas, they also brought with them pigs.  Along with the pigs they brought new methods of processing these porcine delights.

The Que you Knew

The Germanic people are really great at processing meat.  They brought over their love of sausage and many other processed types of meat.  Most meat processing takes quite a long time to do and these settlers had a bunch of homesteading stuff they needed to accomplish so that they didn't, you know, die.

To give them the time they needed, these settlers started using a system very similar to the Haitian barbakoa.  They would put a whole pig high above a smoky fire and let the heat from the smoke cook it for hours.  This would keep off flys and bugs while also not burning it.

This long, slow, dry heat works really well at breaking down fat and connective tissue and making the meat very tender.  Because it also dried the meat out, the process also helps it to last longer after cooking.

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Protect Yourself When You BBQ, Wear Gloves!

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Germans Everywhere!

In Texas, beef reigns.

Then, in the early 1800s, more of the Germanic peoples immigrated to the US.  This time to Texas.  Taking a look around at this new land, they found the cattle and pigs that the Spanish settlers had left behind so many years ago.

Being the swave and sophisticated cooks that they are, these folks quickly realized that 1 cow would feed a lot more people for a lot longer than 1 pig.  So they started using the same barbecuing method the previous folks did on cattle.

The Debate Rages

Now we have the setup for what would become the Great BBQ Debate!  

Pork reigns supreme on the East coast while beef holds sway in Texas.  To this day, this is the history and culture of BBQ in these areas.  Folks will argue day and night over the benefits of their favorite.

But, really, which is the real King of the Que???

Watch My Video To Find Out the Answer!

I know, I know.  Stringing you along and then bumping you off to YouTube.  What can I say, I gotta self promote!!

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