May 16th is National BBQ day – but actually, the entire month of May is devoted to celebrating the cherished American tradition that is the art of the Barbecue—the technique of using a wood fire and smoke to cook meat slowly until it turns fall-off-the-bone tender.
While the practice of slow-cooking meats in a pit of hot coals dates to prehistoric times, the version of barbecue we currently enjoy originated in the Caribbean, specifically the island of Hispaniola, site of the modern-day Haiti and Dominican Republic, where its practitioners called it barbacoa. What those early pitmasters knew was that the long, slow application of heat will— over a period of many hours and even days—transform tough, chewy cuts of beef, pork, even goat and sheep, into tender, smoky, succulent delicacies.
Having made its way to the South, the tradition of American barbecue now comprises four main types, each one associated with a particular region of the country and each one featuring its own unique combination of seasonings, sauces, types of meat, and signature dishes. Whether you are partial to the Carolina pork shoulder in a tangy mustard vinegar sauce, or the Memphis BBQ pork ribs served in a classic dry rub (dry) or tomato vinegar sauce (wet), or the classic Texas dry rub brisket and beef sausage, or fancy yourself some burnt ends served in a quintessential Kansas City ketchup and molasses sauce, there is something for everyone.
So celebrate by going out to your favorite BBQ joint, or cooking up some of your own on the 16th, or anytime this month, or heck, anytime of the year is the right time for Barbecue!
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Photo Credit: Tatiana Volgutova / Shutterstock.com
