BBQ is in the Eye of the Beholder

Texas Style
By R.F. Wright

Ask anyone, anyone at all, what real BBQ is, and you will have as many different answers as the number of people in the room.  But, people who love BBQ will agree on 2 points.

1.   That their home state is where BBQ originated. 

2.   So....their home state serves the only real BBQ.

And so, the debate goes on.  But can you think of any other subject so disputed and so loved, that everyone wants to stake their claim?  It's as American as apple pie.  And we do love our apple pie!

So, for the sake of "the love of BBQ" we will explore them all.  Starting with Texas BBQ.

First of all, it helps to know that BBQ, as a method of cooking, is almost secondary to what's "on the grill."  Meaning, what was available to cook.  The slaves in the southeast cooked mainly pork ribs.  The farmers allowed their hogs to roam free getting fat on apples and nuts.  This saved many hours in labor and the cost of raising them in pens.  They would be caught and slaughtered as the need arose. Slaves getting only the portions of the hog that were considered by the farmers as "unusable."  So pork ribs were on the menu all over the southeast, into Arkansas, and eventually, brought up Chicago way.

But Texas was and always has been cattle country.  So the abundance of beef meant beef ribs and brisket for everybody.   Texas was settled in the mid 1800's by people of German decent.  Meat cutters, by trade, they migrated and settled in Texas to live and work.  The German Butchers were largely responsible for the available cuts, and the popularity of the brisket.  Considered a tough cut of meat, it would be slow cooked for up to 20 hours at a temperature of 200 to 275 degrees.  Always about 3 ft. from the actual fire.  The dry rub was the preferred way to season the beef before cooking, and the sauce, always served on the side.  The type of wood is most important to achieve the great flavor that Texas Style BBQ is famous for.   The hardwoods, preferably oak, and most important, mesquite.  No charcoal briquettes here!   Beef ribs, of course, was always on the menu, and no self respecting Texas BBQ would be complete without Cowboy beans and corn bread.

You can serve real Texas BBQ at home, too!  Just go to the grocery store and buy a box of Hot Wood for your BBQ pit.  Pick up a bag of Mesquite chips while you’re there.  Be sure to read the directions on the bag.  You’ll need to soak them in water before you scatter them on top of the hardwood so they can create that wonderful smoky mesquite flavor and aroma. Be sure to keep your brisket off the direct flame using indirect heat to slowly smoke and cook your meat at the same time to achieve real Texas BBQ taste!

Or, you can check out the many fine Texas Style BBQ restaurants right here at www.SoulFoodGuide.com.  You're sure to find one right in your own neighborhood. If you don’t see your favorite BBQ place in our list. Just email our Editor, Bob Moses, and give us the information and we will list it for you. 

So when you ask a Texan what real BBQ is, the answer will most certainly be......... brisket!   Oh, the beef ribs are great, likewise the sausage, ham and don't forget the chicken.  But it's the brisket that put "Texas Style” BBQ on the map! 

BBQ is in The Eye of the Beholder

"Arkansas Style"
By R.F. Wright

Several summers ago when this web site was launched, I was sitting and talking with my sister, Katy.  Katy lived in Little Rock for years and raised 2 sons there, before moving out to California with my nephews.  Her younger son moved back to Rogers, Arkansas where he lives today with his wife, and their new baby girl, Debra Michelle.  So, real ‘"Arkansas Style BBQ"   according to Katy, is served all over Little Rock, and is the preferred regional favorite.

So, now you’re in "Razorback Country" and it should come as no surprise, that the regional favorite is......pork!  The best part about this BBQ is not how you cook it, but how you serve it!  You start with a fresh pork picnic roast.  Now the picnic roast is the same cut as a country ham, only not cured or smoked in any way.   It usually comes "bone in" with the rind still intact.  BBQ the meat using your own preferred method and your favorite pit.  You can use a gas grill, charcoal, or hardwood.   It doesn't matter.  Take your time; you've got all day, right?  After the roast is fork tender and falling off the bone, use forks to totally shred all of the pork, discarding the bones and rind.  (Unlike a ham, you do not remove the rind before cooking, it continues to "self baste" your pork keeping your meat tender and juicy.  Simply remove it by cutting it off with a knife.) 

Now, while your pork is slow cooking, coarsely shred a head of cabbage, and a few carrots together with a small green bell pepper.  Finish your cole slaw with a sweet mayo based dressing made with a small amount of cream or milk.  Take about 1 cup of real mayonnaise and stir in a small amount of cream or even a little milk, 2 percent if you are watching your waistline.  About 2-3 teaspoons.  To add a "little sweet", add 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar, and for added color and texture, toss in a few poppy seeds.  You can get them in the spice section of your local supermarket.  Or, simply buy your favorite Poppy Seed dressing, I really like Marie's.

Now, make your favorite tomato based BBQ sauce with brown sugar and plenty of fresh ground black pepper, so it is thick, sweet and smoky.  Combine the shredded pork with the sauce, and serve it hot on a fresh Kaiser roll, with a scoop of cole slaw right on top of the BBQ’d pork!

The wonderful combination of the BBQ'd pork and the coleslaw are fantastic and well worth the extra effort.  It's a great entrée’ for your next back yard party.  Just have plenty of napkins available, and pitchers of ice tea.  Your family’s favorite baked beans, some corn on the cob, a peach cobbler for dessert, and let the compliments flow.

Or you can go to Little Rock and try this wonderful regional "Arkansas Style BBQ" for yourself. It's almost vacation time, and Arkansas is beautiful in the summertime. Very historic, with plenty to see.  But before you venture out, don't forget to consult your web site, www.SoulFoodGuide.com for travel tips and restaurant suggestions.  We will soon have listings on our directory of establishments you may want to visit the next time you go to Arkansas. 

So, just tell 'em, "Katy sent ya!"  Have a great time and "Go Pigs!!"