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The Lowdown On Barbeque
By Kirsten Hawkins, Fri Dec 9th
Barbeque, in the southern and Midwest parts of the UnitedStates, consists of slow-cooking meat over indirect heat.Chicken, beef, pork, sausage, ham, and ribs can all be barbequed– even mutton is sometimes barbequed, at least in Kentucky. Withso many ways to make so many dishes, the perfect way to makebarbequed meat can be a regional “bone” of contention. In Memphis, Tennessee, is almost a religion. Barbequeribs – most often pork, are cooked for long hours, until themeat is so tender that it is ready to fall off the bone. Thecity bills itself as the pork capital of the world, andhas over one hundred restraints to back up that claim,many of whom participate in the annual pork cook off that islisten the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest porkbarbeque contest anywhere. The contest, part of the celebration called “Memphis in May”,draws some 90,000 cooks and spectators. Competitors come fromfifty smaller cook offs sponsored by the main contest. It evenruns a series of training seminars for potential barbequejudges. Good barbeque, they say, is all about being tender,without being too mushy, and being smoky, without beingoverpowering. Ribs commonly come “wet,” that is, with sauce of somekind, usually mild and sweet in Memphis and basted on before andafter cooking, or “dry,” with a dry rub of herbs and spices thatis applied during or right after cooking. Regardless of whichstyle is favored, the taste of the meat should come through –this is what separates good from something latheredwith sauce and put in the
oven for a few hours. InMissouri, there are not one, but two predominant styles ofbarbeque, both of which favor beef, which is not surprisinggiven the history of both Kansas City and St. Louis as “cattletowns.” They share a tomato-based sauce that is added aftercooking, and can be replicated by mixing ketchup, brown sugar,mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Interestingly, Missouri’sOzarks are the source of almost half of the charcoal briquettesproduced in the United States.Kansas City, like Memphis, has a large number of barbequerestaurants and hosts several annual competitions. However, itis particularly famous for its sauces, which are thick, rich,tangy, and spicy. The sauce is basted on during the last fewmoments of cooking, and more can be added thereafter. Dry rub,too, is common on Kansas City style barbeque. In St. Louis style barbeque, ribs are the flagship dish. Thesefamous spare ribs are a rack of ribs with the chine bone andbrisket bone removed. They are cooked with a sauce that is lessvinegary, tangier and thinner than its cross-state equivalent,closer, in fact, to that served in Memphis.
Whether sweet or spicy, dry or wet, slow cooked or grilled overan
open flame,
is one of the most diverse of allAmerican foods, and one to which many
cities lay claim. Each hasits own unique character, so get some bread and crackers,
orsome cole slaw, or even beans, (all traditional sidedishes) and give them a try.
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