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Since the beginning of time, man has been using flame to cook food. Cavemen hunted food and then cooked over a fire. However, when it comes to cooking with a flame, there is a difference between barbecue and grilling. Both are great but true barbecue requires sauce added to the direct flame method. Barbecue normally takes five or six hours of basting at a low temperature. Typical temperature for a barbecue is about 200 degrees.
Most people today think barbecue, they think of hamburgers and hot dog. Or you might also think of a big, fat juicy steak. The term barbecue has come
to refer to both the food item and the act of cooking it. If you have a get together with family friends and cook food on the barbecue, you might refer to the event itself as a “barbecue”. These barbecues are very popular with people all over the country. No matter where you live, it is a great way to get together with friends and family
and eat some really great food.
So just where did the idea of the social barbecue come from? Well, there are many different theories about where it originated. The states of Texas, Virginia, North and South Carolina and Georgia all have claims to the barbecue. Now if you look into
the history of the barbecue, you will see that each state has a different barbecue method and each unique technique means that each could have
their own claim to the original barbecue.
However, every barbecue lover knows that there is nothing like the original Texas BBQ sauce. This famous barbecue sauce has a sweet tomato flavor that is thick and delicious. It also contains special seasonings and dry rub mixtures that are added to the meat before it is barbecued.
Now if you get a southeast barbecue sauce like that found in Georgia, it is slightly different from the Texas BBQ. The sauce is thinner and has
more of a vinegar taste. The meat that is used is more commonly pork instead of beef. You also see a lot of barbecues being done in “barbecue pits” or enclosures so that heat and smoke can help cook the meat.
Everyone that barbecues comes up with their own technique, their own “secret formula” and their own favorite barbecue sauce. You may discover your
own. Whether you prefer a Midwest or southeast BBQ flavor or even a combination of different ones, you will have fun discovering your own taste and the fun and socialization you get from having a barbecue. So the next time you are at a barbecue or hosting one of your own, spark some
conversation by asking people if they know the difference between barbecue and grilling or Texas BBQ sauce and Georgia sauce.
Grilling and Barbecuing, two of the most popular cooking methods in the U.S., especially in warmer weather. There are some who know the difference between grilling and barbecuing, and some who don’t. Do you?
To put it simply, Grilling is fast cooking over high heat, while barbecuing involves a slower cooking method, over a lower heat.
Grilling is generally done over a gas flame, or hot coals. Tender cuts of meat are best for this cooking method. The quick cooking and the high heat seal in the juices, creating a juicy piece of meat, but leave the meat on too long, and it will dry out, as with any dry cooking method. Barbecue sauces can be used, but since the heat is so high, it should be added right at the end of the cooking time, especially for sweeter barbecue sauces, so that the sugar in the sauce doesn’t burn. Vegetables and fruits can also be grilled, as they don’t need a long cooking time. Peaches and pineapple are particularly good for grilling, the natural sugars in the fruit carmelize over the high heat. When you grill food, you need to pay attention to it, so it doesn’t get overcooked. You need to stay by the grill the whole time.
Barbecuing is typically done over charcoal or wood, although gas can be used. I’ve seen kalhua pig being cooked slowly on a gas grill, but usually, barbecuers will use either charcoal or wood. The meats usually used in barbecuing are tougher cuts of meat, such as the beef brisket, or pork ribs. These meats benefit from the long, slow cooking process, becoming so tender that they will just fall off the bone. Since the cooking process is slower, and the heat not as high as grilling, barbecue sauce can be brushed onto the meat throughought the cooking process, forming a delicious glaze on the outside of the meat. Apple juice is sometimes sprayed onto the meat to keep it moist and flavorful. Damp wood chips added to the fire add a delicious smoky flavor to the meat.
Some meats, like chicken, will benefit from either cooking method. It’s great either grilled quickly with a glaze or barbecue sauce applied towards the end of the cooking time, or slowly barbecued, absorbing the flavors of the smoke.
