Barbecue is a way of cooking, a seasoning, and one of our uniquely American traditions. Starting with techniques developed by Native Americans in the Caribbean and Florida, the culinary technique of cooking whole animals low and slow over open fires evolved in the American South. Over the years, numerous regional styles of barbecue have popped up and we’ve adapted to cook smaller parts of animals like beef brisket or pork shoulder.
In Carolina, they barbecue pigs and season them with a sauce based on vinegar or mustard. In Memphis, you’ll get either a dry style rubbed with spices or served with a thinner style of sauce based on tomato and vinegar. In Kansas City, your barbecue will be smoked with a dry rub and then served with tomato based sauce for dipping. Texas goes for barbecued beef as well as pork, and it comes in two main styles, East Texas or Central Texas style. East Texas is frequently beef cooked and served in a sweet tomato sauce, while Central Texas barbecue is typically rubbed with spices and served with a thin sauce for dipping.
There are so many styles of barbecue and everyone has their own preferences and secret recipes. It’s our American tradition and there’s no wrong way to do BBQ. Here are our suggested BBQ recipes, use them as inspiration to make your own masterpieces!