subject: Barbecuing Is Not Synonymous With Grilling [print this page] The true origin of barbecue is elusive, and debatable at best. Some people claim that barbecue originated in a specific state, such as South Carolina. Others believe that barbecue was invented by the French. Some think that it may have originated in the Caribbean. Does it really matter where or by whom barbecue was invented? What is more important, is understanding just what barbecue is, and what it is not.
There is a common misconception, especially out west, that grilling is synonymous with barbecuing. People will invite their friends and neighbors over for a barbecue, where they will eat hamburgers, steaks, and hotdogs. The only things that a hamburger, a steak, or a hotdog have in common with barbecuing, is the involvement of meat and fire.
Grilling is a fast method of cooking something. Most hamburgers, hotdogs, steaks, or chicken can be cooked in five to 15 minutes. The process of barbecuing pork or beef can take over 24 hours at times. Typically at least seven or eight. Barbecue is meat slow cooked over a low flame, in order to achieve absolute tenderness. Have you ever had real barbecue beef or pork that wasn't falling off the bone, and tender enough to cut with a spoon? If the answer is yes, then you either weren't eating real barbecue, or whomever did the barbecuing was a real fraud.
Two of the big barbecuing states in the US are Texas and South Carolina. If you are in Texas, the word barbecue refers to beef brisket. In South Carolina, barbecue means pork. Most everywhere else, barbecue is going to involve both beef and pork. In Oklahoma for example, a barbecue joint will probably give equal precedence to both pork and beef.
In the 1800's, cowboys out driving cattle would often barbecue, due to the poor quality of meat which was available to them. Even the most stringy, tough hunk of beef could be transformed into a tender delicacy after several hours of slow cooking. Even goat could be made delicious with a proper barbecuing. Different rubs and sauces would be added to the meat both during and after cooking to give it a better flavor, and this is no different from how barbecue is done today.
True barbecue is done with charcoal or wood. Using different types of woods and charcoals will impart different flavors to the meat. While gas barbecues are becoming more common, true barbecue will be done with wood, charcoal, fire, and smoke.
Wherever you are, chances are you can find some good barbecue. Just remember, there is a big difference between grilling and barbecuing. If you have the time, barbecuing is always worth the wait.
