For Meat Lovers Everywhere, There’s Barbecue

Barbecue (or BBQ) is a favorite amongst people all over the world. In America, it’s pretty common to have barbecues during the summer, especially on the 4th of July. When thinking of barbecue, you may be picturing tender meat drenched in barbecue sauce. However, there are other types of barbecue so perhaps you’re daydreaming about one of those instead.

For American barbecue, there are apparently four main types: Texas Style, Carolina Style, Memphis Style, and Kansas City Style. The history of barbecue started centuries ago with one source stating, “The barbecue craze dates back to around 1908, when Henry Perry, an African-American chef, first started slow cooking pork ribs over oak and hickory, drizzling them with a sauce consisting of molasses, chiles, and tomatoes. He served the meal in newspaper and sold it for 25 cents a piece, and the consumers’ acceptance and love of barbecued meat went better than expected“ (Taste Atlas, 2023). While there are four main types of barbecue in the U.S., Texas is such a large state that four subcategories exist: “Central Texas, East Texas, South Texas, and West Texas barbecue. The best-known variety is the Central Texas-style that originated in the Czech and German meat markets in the late 19th century” (Taste Atlas, 2023).

Korean barbecue has also become popular in recent years. At restaurants that serve Korean barbecue, you usually sit at a table and cook your own meat. Sauces such as ponzu (a Japanese condiment), sesame oil, gochujang (red chili paste), and ssamjang (fermented soybean paste) are served to dip the meats in. There are also plenty of side dishes (banchan) that are free with the meal. Other Korean dishes such as kimchi soup or tofu soup can be ordered (if you even have room after all-you-can-eat KBBQ). Korean barbecue is much lighter on the stomach compared to American barbecue and you get so much food, especially with the unlimited side dishes.

There are many barbecue styles across the globe (including yakiniku in Japan; yaki = to grill/cook/bake and niku = meat), however, the last style I will touch on is Brazilian barbecue. This style is different than the first two mentioned because you don’t cook the meat yourself. Instead, servers come to your table with different meats on skewers. Rather than placing the meats on grills, the method used for Brazilian barbecue is spit-roasting.

Whatever your preference is, there are many options for barbecue. Styles may differ depending on where you go, but they are equally as tasty. As I’m typing this up, I’m craving some Korean barbecue. Did I make you hungry too?

Sources:

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/blog/3728/types-of-bbq.html https://www.tasteatlas.com/most-popular-types-of-bbq-in-the-world