The month of May is National Barbecue Month, where Americans do one of the things they do the very best: grill the best dang meats and veggies you’ve ever had the joy of scarfing down. Many barbecue aficionados insist that the secret to good barbecue is the sauce or rub, but others contend that it’s the time spent preparing and smoking the meat that makes all the difference. We’ll look at several tips from the pros to help you celebrate National Barbecue Month in the wilderness or your own backyard!
Grilling vs Barbecuing
People who are serious about barbecue are quick to make the distinction between barbecuing and grilling. While you can certainly slather some meats and veggies in barbecue sauce, throw them on your outdoor grill, and invite the neighbors over for a barbecue, true barbecue cooking involves hours of work to get to the end product. In plain English:
- Grilling is cooking quickly at high temperatures
- Barbecuing is cooking slowly over several hours
Grilling is sometimes referred to as direct cooking, because food is cooked directly over the heat source. Sauces and marinades are used to beforehand to keep meat moist, as grilling over high heat can cause the meat to dry out quickly, resulting in tough leather that even the dog won’t eat.
Barbecuing, on the other hand, is referred to as indirect cooking, since the meat will be placed near a heat source, not directly above it. A container of water is usually present to keep humidity high during cooking, and the smoke produced during this process is one of the main flavor profiles of barbecue cooking. A dry seasoning rub is more common with true barbecue than sauce or marinade.
Secret’s in the Sauce
Barbecue is another subject of much contention between experts, and certain sauces do reign supreme in particular regions of the country. Here is the breakdown for just a few popular styles of barbecue across the United States:
- Eastern North Carolina: Noted by many as the original barbecue sauce of the US, this sauce uses a vinegar or cider vinegar base, with cayenne, black pepper, salt, crushed red pepper, and hot sauce rounding out the flavor. No tomato is used in this style of barbecue sauce.
- South Carolina: Mustard is the base for this tangy sauce, often thinned out with vinegar and seasoned with various spices
- Kansas City: A tomato-based barbecue sauce, a blend of ketchup, molasses, Worcestershire, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and sometimes liquid smoke are all characteristic of this region’s sauce.
- Texas: Beef is the name of the game in Texas, so beef broth, tomato, and Worcestershire tend to be the base of the Lone Star state’s barbecue sauce, with salt, pepper, vinegar, cumin, hot chiles, and garlic rounding out the unique flavor.
Fire it Up
Whether you’re cooking in your own backyard or at a campsite, keep your mind on safety when it comes to your coals. An open fire should never be left unattended, and children should be watched when grills or campfires are active. Once cooking is done, allow the coals to burn out as much as possible before dousing, stamping, and burying the remains the next day. Whenever cooking is being done over an open flame, have first aid supplies for burns ready to grab just in case there’s an accident. Nothing ruins National Barbecue Month like a severe burn and a trip to the hospital!
Featured Image from Emerson Vieira/Unsplash
