The BBQ Stop.com

[Email series excerpt # 2]

Okay, time for your first “lesson”. Today we’ll cover the origin of the word barbecue, the basics of barbecue including the difference between barbecuing and grilling, and the basics behind regional variations.

In this issue…

- Barbecue: Name Origin
- Basics of Barbecue
- Regional Barbecue

Barbecue: Name Origin

Editor Comments: There doesn’t seem to be many debated “origins” of the word Barbecue… unlike the fierce debates by some purists over vinegar versus tomato based sauces and pork versus beef! However, I know you’ll let me know if you think I’ve got it wrong.

The word varies in spelling; variations include barbeque, BBQ, and Bar-B-Q. Smoky Hale, author of The Great American Barbecue and Grilling Manual (ISBN 0936171030) traces the word back to its Caribbean roots in Taíno (one of the Arawak family of languages). In one form, barabicoa, it indicates a wooden grill, a mesh of sticks; in another, barabicu, it is a sacred fire pit. Traditional barbacoa implies digging a hole in the ground putting some meat (goat is the best, usually the whole animal) on it with a pot underneath (to catch the concentrated juices, it makes a hearty broth), cover all with maguey (cactus) leaves then cover with coal and set it in fire. A few hours later it is ready.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbecue#Etymology

( Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. )

More on the origin of the word “Barbecue” by Michael Quinion:

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-bar1.htm

Basics of Barbecue

Barbecue, (also spelled barbeque, or abbreviated BBQ, Bar-B-Q, Bar-B-Que, or Q) is a method of cooking food with indirect heat and smoke, or the end-result of cooking by this method. It is usually cooked in a covered environment heated by an outdoor open flame of wood, charcoal, natural gas or propane. Restaurant barbecue may be cooked in large brick or metal ovens specially designed for that purpose.

The word ‘barbecue’ is often used to refer to a casual party, usually outdoors or with an outdoor theme and usually with food that has been barbecued or grilled. For this reason many people consider any outdoor cooking, including grilling, as barbecue, which is frowned upon by purists. The device used for cooking barbecue can usually be used for both barbecuing and grilling and is often called a ‘Barbecue grill’, thereby adding to the confusion.

As a cooking method grilling is almost always a fast process over high heat and barbecue is almost always a slow process near indirect heat. For example, in a typical home grill with two separately controlled burners, grilled foods are placed over both burners, while if barbecuing, one burner is turned off and the food is placed over the cold burner and heated from the side. The meat is turned one or more times to ensure complete cooking. This method of cooking breaks down the collagen in meat and turns tougher cuts into easy eating.

Regional Barbecue

Barbecue has a lot of regional variations, based on several factors:

- the type of meat used
- the sauce or other flavoring added to the meat
- when the flavoring is added during preparation
- the role that smoke plays in preparation
- the equipment and fuel used to cook the meat
- how much time is spent cooking the meat

At its most generic, any source of protein may be used, including beef, pork, poultry, and fish. The meat could be ground, as with hamburger, processed into sausage or kabobs, and/or accompanied by vegetables. Sometimes the cut of meat (e.g. brisket or ribs) matters; sometimes the cut is irrelevant. Even vegetarian alternatives to meat, such as soyburgers can be barbecued.

The meat may be marinaded or rubbed with spices before cooking, basted with a sauce or oil before and/or during cooking, and/or flavored in numerous ways after removed from the heat. Typically meat is covered with barbecue sauce which can be tomato or vinegar based. Vinegar-base sauce is typical of Southern barbecue while tomato-based sauce is Western style.

Some forms of barbecue are barely distinguishable from grilled meats; most involve tougher cuts of meat, requiring hours of cooking over low heat that barely exceeds the boiling point of water. With direct heat grilling, the food is placed directly above the flame or source of heat. With indirect heat barbecuing, the food is off to the side and almost always under a cover, frequently with added smoke for additional flavor. Direct grilling is rapid cooking at a high temperature, while indirect barbecuing is much slower at a low temperature. Sometimes an open flame is required, with the fuel source irrelevant. In other cases, the fuel source is critical to the end result, as when wood chips from particular kinds of trees are used as fuel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbecue

( Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. )

Well, that covers it for today. Tomorrow we’ll begin covering the different styles of American barbecue.

Thanks,
Joe B Que

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At the time I launched Ver 1.0 of this site I wrote/compiled a short autoresponder series/newsletter called “The Barbecue Cooking Update List”. I know, exciting name, right?

If I recall, it goes through some different regional and general BBQ history and then moves on to recipes (the stuff everyone really wants ;)). I think that would be a good way to get this site going again, so for the a little while I will be posting excerpts from that series here.

When I just re-read the first letter in the series… I even got a little excited… and I wrote it! The writing style seems much better to me than what I was posting on the original site because the purpose was different at that time. Also, the first letter gives more details on me and this site’s theme. Anyway, it gives me some more content to post before I have to start working hard for it again.

Please note: All posted excerpts will be updated to posting date and formatted for posting here.

So, here we go, the first excerpt from that email series…

Who Am I?

Ahhh… the eternal philosophical question! Just joking.

My name is Joe B Que. I am married and have 3 children with whom I really enjoy spending time. Some of the best quality time we have had as a family has been preparing and then sitting down to a home cooked meal or maybe picking something up and going to the park for some fun.

I have worked in the restaurant industry for 14+ years as an employee and manager. Including a stint in a hole in the wall kitchen as a line cook, grill cook, fry cook, etc. I have managed a hotel in a capital city (Springfield, IL)  with with an active tourist industry mostly based on historic sites and Abraham Lincoln.

I really enjoy working with food and someday might open my own restaurant here in (or near) Springfield, IL. (Land of Lincoln… origin of the Horseshoe Sandwich and Corn Dogs served across the country at state fairs.)

By the way, if you ever get by Springfield, check out a place called “Clay’s Popeye’s Bar-B-Que”… not to be confused with “Popeye’s Chicken”! It is a long time favorite here in town with a 100 year old BBQ recipe invented by Vincent “Popeye” Jones and is famous for it’s good food… well, locally anyway.

Local News: Popeye’s BBQ

Now, I wouldn’t try to compete commercially with the local BBQ restaurants which include Smokey Bones, Corky’s, and a few Mom and Pop stops, but BBQing and Grilling is something of a passion for me. ( Hey, you should have hobbies, right! ) So, that’s brings us to the next section…

What this site is about… Barbecue!

No matter what you label it… Barbecue, Barbeque, BBQ, Bar-B-Q, Bar-B-Que or just plain Q… it’s the same thing and it all taste’s good! That’s what this site is all about… BBQ!

Whether you’re a total beginner, weekend BBQer/Griller, or seasoned veteran who knows the ins and outs… you’ll get something out of this site.

I’ll give you the occasional history lesson regarding BBQ, BBQ techniques, BBQ cooking tips, and any other information I can dig up about BBQing.

You’ll be tantalized with great recipes for Barbecue dishes, Grilled dishes, sauces, rubs, marinades, sides dishes, and more.

Even though this site is mainly about BBQing, I’ll also throw in some stuff about Grilling too for those who don’t have all the time true BBQing takes. You may be saying to yourself… “Is there a difference?”. If so, you may not be BBQing at all!

No problem… I’ll teach you how to graduate from Grilling to BBQing. I’ll be in touch tomorrow with our first “lesson” together.

Thanks,
Joe B Que

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Mongolian “BBQ” sounds more like stir-fry to me than BBQ. Honestly, who cares… stir-fry is great! The reason it sounds more like stir-fry is the fact that it is a vegetable, meat, and sauce mixture cooked on a flat griddle.

Of course, BD’s Mongolian BBQ restaurant provides an origin for their own unique style of Mongolian “BBQ” that tells an entertaining story about Mongol warriors grilling food on shields over a fire and turning the food with swords… pretty close to BBQ, if you ask me.

Now, if you are talking about a Barbecue in the social gathering sense of the word, then it makes more sense. Many Mongolian BBQ restaurants allow the patrons to choose their own vegetables, meats, and sauces and cooking the food is a centerpiece of the dining experience with the chef quick searing the food while turning with a sword, chopsticks, or large stick.

Mongolian BBQ Restaurants

BD’s Mongolian Barbeque

Su’s Mongolian BBQ

Three Flame’s Mongolian BBQ

For more search google for “mongolian bbq restaurant”.

Mongolian BBQ Recipes

Mongolian BBQ Pork Loin With Pear, Raisin, Pecan Stuffing

Mongolian Bbq Chicken

Mongolian Barbecued Lamb or Beef

These recipes include “BBQ” in the title, however, there are lots of Mongolian style recipes prepared in the same way that are not labeled as such. For instance, consider Mongolian Beef (that’s good stuff!).

For more search google for “mongolian bbq recipe” or “mongolian recipe”.

Mongolian Barbecue

Learn how to assemble a Mongolian Barbecue. This makes for a fun party or group dinner. Much like many Mongolian BBQ restaurants, guests choose their own ingredients and cooking the food is a centerpiece of the dining experience.

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There are basically two kinds of BBQ Restaurant.

Real BBQ Restaurants

Restaurants that slow cook their meat to serve up a true barbecue meal experience

http://www.smokeybones.com/

http://www.mosbbq.com/

http://www.blacksbbq.com/

“BBQ” Restaurants

Restaurants that serve BBQ food that isn’t slow cooked, but maybe just BBQ sauced.

Well, I could have some links here, but why bother? Think… better than a McDonald’s McRib, but not as good as real slow cooked barbecue!

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What exactly are barbecue pits? Well, it seems there are three possible meanings of “barbecue pit”. The oldest meaning, and probably first to come to mind, refers to a crude pit fashioned to cook food over.

A cooking pit is a simple pit dug in the ground to hold wood or other flammable materials for food to be cooked over. The presence of cooking pits is a key sign of human settlement often sought by archaeologists.

Many races still use cooking pits, at least for ceremonial or celebratory occasions. Perhaps the best known examples are the Hawaiian luau and the Maori hangi.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooking_pits

( Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. )

For historically based instructions on how to create two types of basic cooking pit, see Secwepemc earth oven or cooking pits.

The next most recent meaning for barbecue pit seems to have been most popular around the 1940’s and 50’s and refers to the backyard barbecue pits usually constructed of bricks ( sometimes concrete blocks or stone ). There are many variations from basic grill and fire pit to multiple cooking compartments, smoker boxes, and fire boxes. One thing you can always recognize is the tell tale chimney releasing tantilizing aromas into the neighborhood.

The modern barbecue pits are commonly metal behemoths sometimes made from metal barrels. The term seems interchangable with smoker, but not limited to referring to smokers.

For plans to Build Your Own Metal BBQ Pit, check out Garry’s BBQ Pit.

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Not everything that comes from a grill is Barbecue nor is it necessarily grilled. Learn more below about different grill types and some history of grills. See also Barbecue.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grill

This article is about the cooking surface or compartment called a grill or griller. For the cooking method, see grilling.

There are multiple varieties of grills, with most falling into one of two categories: gas-fueled and charcoal. There is a great debate over the merits of charcoal or gas for use as the cooking method between grillers.

Gas-fueled grills typically use propane gas as their fuel source, with gas-flame either cooking food directly or heating grilling elements which in turn radiate the heat necessary to cook food. Propane grills are available in sizes ranging from small, single steak grills up to large, industrial sized restaurant grills which able to cook enough meat to feed a hundred or more people.

Charcoal grills typically use charcoal briquets as their fuel source. The briquets, when burned, will transform into embers radiating the heat necessary to cook food. One may say with certainty that E.G. Kingsford was the prime force behind the American grilling tradition. Kingsford was a relative of Henry Ford who saw that Ford’s Model T production lines were producing a large amount of wood scraps that were just being discarded. Kingsford pitched a simple idea to Ford: Set up a charcoal manufacturing facility next to the assembly line and sell the charcoal, with the Ford name, in Ford dealerships. Ford, knowing a good idea when he saw one, immediately implemented Kingsford’s idea. After Kingsford’s death, the company was renamed Kingsford Charcoal Co. in his honor. Today, Kingsford charcoal is the dominant brand used by charcoal grillers.

Another personality in the charcoal grilling camp is George Weber. The stereotypical American charcoal grill is a hollow, metal hemisphere with three legs and a small metal disc to catch ash, with a lower grate to hold the charcoal and an upper grate to hold the food to be cooked. You can thank George Weber for creating the hemispherical grill design. Weber worked at a metal fabrication shop primarily concerned with welding steel spheres together to make buoys. Weber was tired of wind blowing ash onto his food when he grilled. One day he had an epiphany: he took the lower half of a buoy, welded three steel legs onto it, and fabricated a shallower hemisphere for use as a lid. He took the results home and within weeks was selling the grills first to his neighbors, then to customers, and finally started the Weber Grill Company. Weber grills come in many sizes, again, in small 14 inch diameter grills up to a full size 24 inch diameter grill.

Grilling is a grand tradition in the United States. There are many cook-offs for steak grilling around the United States with serious cash prizes involved in most. Almost all competition grillers use charcoal, most often in large, custom designed brick or steel grills. They can range from a few 55 gallon oil drums sawed lengthwise on their sides to make a lid and grill base, to large, vehicle sized grills made of brick, weighing nearly a ton.

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Well, technically… I guess it’s my wife’s “BBQ” grill. It’s a Char-Broil brand gas grill converted to charcoal (rusted innards) with 3 grilling racks, a side table, a side burner, utensil hangers, and spice/etc rack. Honestly, the thing is about to fall apart! The legs are starting to rust away quite nicely now.

She bought it around 1998 when we first started dating. At the time she lived in a second story apartment in a decent complex here in Springfield, IL. Fortunately each apt had a porch or balcony and each balcony was equipped with a rectangular heat shield ready to place a grill on.

The grill came in a big box and my wife put it together in the living room without any help, if I remember right. Of course, she did ask my opinion after it was all together. She must have been excited (or impatient) to get it together and cut some corners, because there were some extra parts in addition to the standard extras. I never did put the logo name plate on or install the recessed temperature gauge.

I don’t remember what we first cooked out on the grill, but I do know it got plenty of use! At the time we got the grill it was just me, my wife (well, girlfriend), and my young step-daughter. We would cook out often… probably one to three times a week. Sometimes it would include my wife’s brother and his fiance and a day of swimming at the pool. A few times Alicia’s parents came to town for a weekend cook out.

Our favorites were at the time and still are Filet Mingon (sometimes teriyaki), Salmon (sometimes teriyaki), Thin Sliced Teriyaki Ribeye Sandwiches, BBQ Ribs in a Pan (my own rib creation), Chicken breasts (marinated), Hamburgers, Cheeseburgers, Hot Dogs, and Bratwurst.

Some of the best quality time we have had as a family (then and now with 3 children, extended and immediate) has been preparing and then sitting down to a home cooked meal from my (our) Char-Broil BBQ grill.

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Welcome!

This is Ver 2.0 for this site. The first version was built offline using “static” .shtml pages. I haven’t had much time to deal with the site or update the Content Management… so, I am updating/upgrading to WordPress to see what I can do with it. I will be moving over my content from the old site and adding new content as I go.

Obviously, this site is about BBQ (barbecue, barbeque, bar-b-q, whatever)… one of my hobbies. Hopefully, it is one of your hobbies too. The writing style of some of the previous content was geared toward the previous type of site concept. Now that the site is set up as a blog… it will likely get better.

That is it for now.

Thanks for visiting!

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