Texas and International BBQ
[Email series excerpt # 5]
On to the last American style barbecue… Texas BBQ. Sounds good to me! Now, if you’re a pork purest, then you may have just thrown a moan, but don’t give up yet… I’m throwing in some International BBQ info too.
In this issue…
- American Style Barbecue: Texas
- International Barbecue
American Style Barbecue
Although differences in barbecue are blurring as are many aspects of U.S. regional culture, variations still exist. The regional variations vary more widely than just state by state, but we can’t cover them all… that would take awhile! So, I’ll just break it down by state and hope we get enough in to satisfy everyone. 
Texas
Sliced brisket, sausage, and pork ribs are the most popular meats in Texas barbecue. Central Texans often refer to these three meats as The Holy Trinity. Chicken, beef ribs, and chopped beef are also often found. Even more exotic variants such as turkey, pork loin, pork chops, prime rib, mutton, and cabrito are sometimes available.
In Texas, barbecuing refers to what others call “hot smoking”—cooking with both smoke and low heat for hours over woods such as oak, mesquite, or pecan. Cooking with direct heat, such as a propane-fueled flame, is not referred to as barbecuing, but is instead known as grilling. Curing meat without heat is known as smoking. Meat prepared by Texas barbecue often has a red tinge even when fully cooked, and a pink smoke ring around the edges of the meat.
If used, traditional sauce consists of tomatoes with a vinegar base. It can be sweet or spicy and thick or thin, depending on the chef. At barbecue cookoffs in Texas, however, meat is generally judged without sauce, as sauce can cover up for poor-quality meats and cooking. Commercially available sauces usually bear little resemblance to traditional barbecue sauce, and are frequently made from tomatoes and corn syrup.
Since creating proper barbecue requires considerable expense of money and time, in that one needs a specialized smoker and has to start smoking many hours before the meat is ready, most Texans simply visit a local restaurant known as a barbecue joint. Such establishments typically serve the meat in a no-frills manner, on a plastic tray and butcher paper with white bread or crackers, or, to-go, in a brown paper sack. Traditional side dishes include potato salad, coleslaw (mustard or vinegar), pinto beans, which are often spicy. Banana pudding, peach cobbler and Blue Bell ice cream are popular dessert options. However, they are not always available—the film Kreuz Market: No Sauce, No Sides, No Silverware (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0279183/) depicts a popular barbecue joint in Lockhart that lacks the three items mentioned in the title.
Slight regional variations in Texas barbecue exist. In Central Texas barbecue is more likely to consist of leaner meats, while East Texans prefer more fatty cuts. It is possible, however, to find both kinds of meats all over the state.
In Texas, barbecue, and the best barbecue joints, are popular topics both in individual discussions and the media. The documentary film Barbecue: A Texas Love Story (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403867/) depicts the culture associated with Texas barbecue. Texas Monthly (http://www.texasmonthly.com/) magazine periodically performs roundups where they rate scores of barbecue joints across the state. The most recent roundup (http://www.texasmonthly.com/mag/issues/2003-05-01/feature5.php) was in 2003.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbecue
( Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. )
International Barbecue
The practice of cooking over fire pre-dates written history. This makes barbecuing and grilling a worldwide tradition as varied as the types of American style barbecue. Enjoy!
Australasia
In Australia and New Zealand, barbecues are a popular summer pastime. Australasian BBQs do not involve the smoking or sugary sauces of an American BBQ. Instead plain or marinated meat is grilled over the open fire. Seafood is sometimes cooked, although the barbecuing of prawns (’shrimp’ in the USA) was virtually unknown before being popularized by an American TV commercial featuring Australian actor Paul Hogan.
Caribbean
Jamaican jerk is an example of barbecue. Jerk is a style of cooking native to Jamaica in which meats (traditionally pork, but now including chicken and fish) are dry-rubbed with a fiery spice mixture (called Jamaican jerk spice) and then cooked in a pit, on a grill or on an open fire (an oven will do in a pinch). Jerk refers to the technique, the spice mixture, and the finished product.
The jerk seasoning relies upon a few typical items: Allspice (Jamaican pepper, Jamaican pimento) and Habanero peppers (Scotch Bonnet peppers) being the most common basic ingredients. Cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, thyme and other ingredients are often added. It is now possible to find pre-made jerk seasoning mixes.
Editor Comments: See the following site for 300+ Caribbean recipes…
Korea
Bulgogi (???) is thinly sliced beef (and sometimes pork) marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and chili pepper, cooked on a grill at the table. It is a main course, and is therefore served with rice and side dishes. Bulgogi literally means “fire beef” and is often called “Korean BBQ.”
South Africa
The braai (abbreviation of braaivleis, Afrikaans “meat grill”) started out as a major social tradition amongst the Afrikaner people of Southern Africa, though the tradition has since been adopted by South Africans of all ethnic backgrounds.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbecue
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_jerk_spice
( Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. )
I know, I know… you might be saying “Where are the great BBQ recipes I want?”. Don’t worry… it’s coming.
Thanks,
Joe B Que
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