tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4028847376818033952024-03-13T23:03:04.142-04:00Obsessive Compulsive BarbecueObsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.comBlogger159125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-18120945032705391572020-07-25T08:05:00.003-04:002020-07-25T09:31:25.689-04:00Louis Hughes's Firsthand Account of Antebellum Barbecues<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjBrBx8VOvbMbyVlpshCoYF3MZb6GHdBZBDH6UMp1YLpNeZE4uPsUTYBeovMALg_m1Is0HLwqwbXXiLRTdxZQb2vOZ1oBxewpAQVAfXOQhGXI1fmYn0PHREY-_aE-wNt3R9ELv9QkjC8/s1600/Louis+Hughes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjBrBx8VOvbMbyVlpshCoYF3MZb6GHdBZBDH6UMp1YLpNeZE4uPsUTYBeovMALg_m1Is0HLwqwbXXiLRTdxZQb2vOZ1oBxewpAQVAfXOQhGXI1fmYn0PHREY-_aE-wNt3R9ELv9QkjC8/s320/Louis+Hughes.png" width="229" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis Hughes, circa 1897. From<br />
<i>Thirty Years a Slave from Bondage to Freedom</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="tr_bq">
Louis Hughes (1832–1913) was born enslaved near Charlottesville, Virginia. He escaped slavery during the Civil War. In 1897, Hughes published his autobiography titled <i>Thirty Years a Slave from Bondage to Freedom: The Institution of Slavery as Seen on the Plantation and in the Home of the Planter</i> that was prefaced with the following:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The institution of human slavery, as it existed in this country, has long been dead; and, happily for all the sacred interests which it assailed, there is for it no resurrection. It may, therefore, be asked to what purpose is the story which follows, of the experiences of one person under that dead and accursed institution? To such question, if it be asked, it may be answered that the narrator presents his story in compliance with the suggestion of friends, and in the hope that it may add something of accurate information regarding the character and influence of an institution which for two hundred years dominated the country - exercising a potent but baneful influence in the formation of its social, civil and industrial structures, and which finally plunged it into the most stupendous civil war which the world has ever known. As the enlightenment of each generation depends upon the thoughtful study of the history of those that have gone before, everything which tends to fullness and accuracy in that history is of value, even though it be not presented with the adjuncts of literary adornment, or thrilling scenic effects.</blockquote>
Hughes left us a remarkably detailed record of his life and experiences. He also left us the following detailed account of antebellum Independence Day Barbecues.<br />
<blockquote>
A feast of this kind was always given to us, by Boss, on the 4th of July. The anticipation of it acted as a stimulant through the entire year. Each one looked forward to this great day of recreation with pleasure. Even the older slaves would join in the discussion of the coming event. It mattered not what trouble or hardship the year had brought, this feast and its attendant pleasure would dissipate all gloom. Some, probably, would be punished on the morning of the 4th, but this did not matter; the men thought of the good things in store for them, and that made them forget that they had been punished. All the week previous to the great day, the slaves were in high spirits, the young girls and boys, each evening, congregating, in front of the cabins, to talk of the feast, while others would sing and dance. The older slaves were not less happy, but would only say: "Ah! God has blessed us in permitting us to see another feast day." </blockquote>
<blockquote>
The day before the 4th was a busy one. The slaves worked with all their might. The children who were large enough were engaged in bringing wood and bark to the spot where the barbecue was to take place. They worked eagerly, all day long; and, by the time the sun was setting, a huge pile of fuel was beside the trench, ready for use in the morning. At an early hour of the great day, the servants were up, and the men whom Boss had appointed to look after the killing of the hogs and sheep were quickly at their work, and, by the time they had the meat dressed and ready, most of the slaves had arrived at the center of attraction. They gathered in groups, talking, laughing, telling tales that they had from their grandfather, or relating practical jokes that they had played or seen played by others. These tales were received with peals of laughter. But however much they seemed to enjoy these stories and social interchanges, they never lost sight of the trench or the spot where the sweetmeats were to be cooked. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
The method of cooking the meat was to dig a trench in the ground about six feet long and eighteen inches deep. This trench was filled with wood and bark which was set on fire, and, when it was burned to a great bed of coals, the hog was split through the back bone, and laid on poles which had been placed across the trench. The sheep were treated in the same way, and both were turned from side to side as they cooked. During the process of roasting the cooks basted the carcasses with a preparation furnished from the great house, consisting of butter pepper, salt and vinegar, and this was continued until the meat was ready to serve. Not far from this trench were the iron ovens, where the sweetmeats were cooked. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
Three or four women were assigned to this work. Peach cobbler and apple dumpling were the two dishes that made old slaves smile for joy and the young fairly dance. The crust or pastry of the cobbler was prepared in large earthen bowls, then rolled out like any pie crust, only it was almost twice as thick. A layer of this crust was laid in the oven, then a half peck of peaches poured in, followed by a layer of sugar; then a covering of pastry was laid over all and smoothed around with a knife. The oven was then put over a bed of coals, the cover put on and coals thrown on it, and the process of baking began. Four of these ovens were usually in use at these feasts, so that enough of the pastry might be baked to supply all. The ovens were filled and refilled until there was no doubt about the quantity. The apple dumplings were made in the usual way, only larger, and served with sauce made from brown sugar. It lacked flavoring, such as cinnamon or lemon, yet it was a dish highly relished by all the slaves. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
I know that these feasts made me so excited, I could scarcely do my house duties, and I would never fail to stop and look out of the window from the dining room down into the quarters. I was eager to get through with my work and be with the feasters. About noon everything was ready to serve. The table was set in a grove near the quarters, a place set aside for these occasions. The tableware was not fine, being of tin, but it served the purpose, and did not detract from the slaves' relish for the feast. The drinks were strictly temperance drinks - buttermilk and water. Some of the nicest portions of the meat were sliced off and put on a platter to send to the great house for Boss and his family.<br />
It was a pleasure for the slaves to do this, for Boss always enjoyed it. It was said that the slaves could barbecue meats best, and when the whites had barbecues slaves always did the cooking. When dinner was all on the table, the invitation was given for all to come; and when all were in a good way eating, Boss and the madam would go out to witness the progress of the feast, and seemed pleased to see the servants so happy. Everything was in abundance, so all could have plenty - Boss always insisted on this. The slaves had the whole day off, and could do as they liked. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
After dinner some of the women would wash, sew or iron. It was a day of harmless riot for all the slaves, and I can not express the happiness it brought them. Old and young, for months, would rejoice in the memory of the day and its festivities, and "bless" Boss for this ray of sunlight in their darkened lives.</blockquote>
Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-70701466383738299002020-01-19T22:51:00.000-05:002020-01-19T22:51:52.874-05:00A Virginia Barbecue - A poem by Robert Francis Astrop. Circa 1835."A Virginia Barbecue"<br />
<br />
A poem by Robert Francis Astrop from <i>Original Poems, on a Variety of Subjects, Etc.</i>, published in 1835.<br />
<br />
Ye who love good eating, just go to a ’Cue—<br />
Ye’ll find and enjoy it there, I warrant you.<br />
Who ever went there and ne’er got enough?<br />
Who ever went there and found the meat tough?<br />
Who ever went there and came mad away?<br />
Who ever went there, and kept steady all day?<br />
Who ever went there, discontent of distrest—<br />
Who ever went there with sorrow opprest—<br />
Who ever went there deep in love or grief—<br />
And did not immediately find some relief?<br />
Enjoyment here presides as the host,<br />
And he who’s least welcome is welcome the most.<br />
Freedom and Frolic here hold their domain,<br />
And good sense and wit all folly restrain:<br />
Here, age may be youth and live o’er its days,<br />
Here, virtue is honored and wisdom finds praise,<br />
Here, wealth and poverty, meekness and pride.<br />
Commingle in one and sit side by side.<br />
Formality here, and modish nonsense<br />
Is held in contempt, and banished hence;<br />
Contention and strife must here have an end<br />
While each is a neighbor and each is a friend.<br />
Republican plainness and candor preside,<br />
And all kind of precedence here is denied.<br />
Here sweethearts are toasted and sweet wives are lov’d;<br />
Virtue commended and vice is reproved.<br />
Ye ball-room revels and parties of Lou,<br />
Give me the Barbecue—Devil take you.Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-14362971041883325552019-09-07T10:11:00.001-04:002019-09-08T20:01:00.976-04:00Barbecue Secret Number 17 - How to Create the Perfect BBQ Bark<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDk2Tuavqnt5lR2k3T3TfbjKS81ztFpi2Gk97lndoL3HsGmf-c8fA3slsu7b3WhHSBEeiIIqsGNUXuoYaGKPYFPdajanC5cCopJ-mepl31eXqGEKzzI8JyDCCXCHCnWmnKA01IcKjCA4Y/s1600/Brisket-Bark.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="842" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDk2Tuavqnt5lR2k3T3TfbjKS81ztFpi2Gk97lndoL3HsGmf-c8fA3slsu7b3WhHSBEeiIIqsGNUXuoYaGKPYFPdajanC5cCopJ-mepl31eXqGEKzzI8JyDCCXCHCnWmnKA01IcKjCA4Y/s640/Brisket-Bark.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barbecued brisket with a low and slow bark cooked using the hot and fast method.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Many people struggle with the appearance of their backyard barbecue. It's either way too dark, sometimes burned, or it ends up looking pale with little appetizing color. If your barbecued chicken is always too dark in color or the bark on your pork barbecue isn't as well-developed as you would like, read on. Here is a very-little known secret to making your barbecue look appetizing with the perfect color and bark.<br />
<br />
The appetizing color and bark on barbecue is the result of several things going on during the cooking process but one of the most important things is known as the Maillard Reaction. This is where the natural sugars and proteins in meat begin to brown while cooking. There are several things that influence this reaction: sugar, protein, heat, and the pH level of the surface of the meat are a few. Sugar is often used to create a faux bark. Rather than a natural, delicious bark that is produced from only the interaction of heat, smoke and the natural sugars and proteins in the meat, the sugar on the surface caramelizes and becomes a crust. Too often, it burns and results in an unappetizing flavor and appearance.<br />
<br />
One of the least-known aspects of how the Maillard Reaction produces bark on barbecue is the pH level of the surface of the meat. When meat has the proper pH level for the heat and length of time it is barbecued, the bark comes out perfect every time. So, to up your game as a pitmaster, I suggest that you dump the sugar in your barbecue rub and move to ingredients that balance the pH of the surface of the meat so that a natural bark is produced to your taste. If you have to have sugar, apply it late in the cooking process so that it can caramelize without burning or turning too dark.<br />
<br />
There are several ways to influence the pH level of the surface of meat. Here are the essentials.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>The pH of a substance is an indication of its acidity</li>
<li>The pH of pure water is 7. That means it's pH is neutral.</li>
<li>The pH level of vinegar is between 2 and 3. </li>
<li>Natural cocoa powder has a pH of 5.3 to 5.8. IMPORTANT NOTE - Dutch process cocoa powder is not recommended because it's not acidic enough. The way it's processed makes its pH level neutral.</li>
<li>Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, has a pH of 9.</li>
<li>When the pH of a substance is below 7, it slows the Maillard Reaction.</li>
<li>When the pH of a substance is above 7, it speeds up the Maillard Reaction.</li>
<li><b>Lower pH in food means it will take longer to brown.</b></li>
<li><b>Higher pH in food means it will brown faster.</b></li>
</ul>
So, if your barbecue is always coming out too dark or with a burned bark, use an ingredient that can slow the Maillard Reaction. If your barbecue is too pale and you want to increase the production of bark and browning, add an ingredient that speeds up the Maillard Reaction. Here is how I change the pH of the surface of meat.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjnzE1cuvFBYlRHNhsFyWVvqdZASKnnMV9RXpIU50sAQN6v2VGyd5g9QC0S4XXt_VqZpfKBl3mCFS2TygPIG3P0WRRIXAl6dSg7JHWhePemJ6nfklxWqTHIOS9mhk0V5Jae_bX_MafG8/s1600/Chicken.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="961" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjnzE1cuvFBYlRHNhsFyWVvqdZASKnnMV9RXpIU50sAQN6v2VGyd5g9QC0S4XXt_VqZpfKBl3mCFS2TygPIG3P0WRRIXAl6dSg7JHWhePemJ6nfklxWqTHIOS9mhk0V5Jae_bX_MafG8/s400/Chicken.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious appetizing Shenandoah Valley Barbecue Chicken<br />
cooked for several hours over direct heat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When I cook Shenandoah Valley style barbecued chicken, I barbecue it old-school style directly over hot coals. The way I control the color of the meat and prevent it from becoming too brown and dark colored is with the vinegar-based Shenandoah Valley Virginia-style barbecue sauce. I start the chicken skin side down. When it starts to get a little color, I flip it over and baste it with the vinegar-based sauce. That not only adds flavor, it also lowers the pH of the surface of the meat. Once the other side gets a little color, I flip the meat again and baste it. I continue that process for several hours until the meat is perfectly done. The color always comes out a deep, rich, appetizing brown.<br />
<br />
When I want to lower the pH of meat without using vinegar, I add about 1/2 teaspoon of natural cocoa to enough of my rub recipe for a single brisket or pork butt. It won't change the flavor of your rub but will help slow down the production of bark.<br />
<br />
When I cook barbecue hot and fast, I like to speed up the production of bark because I don't have 8 hours for the bark to develop. In those cases, I add something to increase the pH level of the meat such as baking soda. I add about 1/2 teaspoon to the rub recipe for one brisket or pork butt, for example. It doesn't take much baking soda, so don't worry about making a perceptible change to the flavor of your barbecue.<br />
<br />
For more examples, read my other posts:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://ocbarbecue.blogspot.com/2013/08/barbecue-secret-number-14-how-to-get.html" target="_blank">How to get a Low and Slow Bark on a Hot and Fast Brisket</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://ocbarbecue.blogspot.com/2014/05/shenandoah-valley-barbecued-chicken.html" target="_blank">Shenandoah Valley Barbecue Chicken</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://ocbarbecue.blogspot.com/2012/02/picnic-fries.html" target="_blank">Picnic Fries</a>Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-54166586922991589452019-02-24T22:05:00.002-05:002019-02-24T22:16:16.136-05:00The Richmond, Virginia Police Benevolent Association Brunswick Stew Festival, 1913<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWV_uTf4XuzHg4svp509VRBup1JTRDk5pXXjIj8RWK5As4mihJgGlwJfeA0xAyfc3zr_eSL6dNU-TWwl78fnVXRbt9T0F_X2vCkEYEmYJI5pKKt1NGvtnczGf9M0wRsZFmrHpKKpmBn0s/s1600/Brunswick+Stew+Richmond+1913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="184" data-original-width="432" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWV_uTf4XuzHg4svp509VRBup1JTRDk5pXXjIj8RWK5As4mihJgGlwJfeA0xAyfc3zr_eSL6dNU-TWwl78fnVXRbt9T0F_X2vCkEYEmYJI5pKKt1NGvtnczGf9M0wRsZFmrHpKKpmBn0s/s640/Brunswick+Stew+Richmond+1913.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virginia Police Benevolent Association Brunswick Stew, 1913.<br />
Photo courtesy Library of Congress.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In the sweltering heat of July 30, 1913, throngs of Virginians passed through the open gates of the State Fair Grounds in Richmond, Virginia, to attend the festivities hosted by the Police Benevolent Association. Ticket sales set a new record for the annual event in only its eighth year.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgizIRc6wfTAEmqOVXBpvSNPA7E24WFYerk2ydHYsSeNHN6xIk9m4JlhPRgI5FTRSJxV-FZvzTbVeXaubOXjlNIHH6picqhJ8lI7yyHhmSRzxkk8O5Uln1yi4CkWdD0LEx7X_0A2v9zrzs/s1600/How+they+Brew+the+Brunswick+Stew+-+1913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="432" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgizIRc6wfTAEmqOVXBpvSNPA7E24WFYerk2ydHYsSeNHN6xIk9m4JlhPRgI5FTRSJxV-FZvzTbVeXaubOXjlNIHH6picqhJ8lI7yyHhmSRzxkk8O5Uln1yi4CkWdD0LEx7X_0A2v9zrzs/s400/How+they+Brew+the+Brunswick+Stew+-+1913.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Illustration courtesy Library of Congress.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The night before, one of Virginia's most famous Brunswick stew cooks Jack Sale was directing his stew crew while they cooked 500 gallons of Virginia-style stew all night to be served to the hungry crowd the next day. Among its ingredients was 400 pounds of chicken, 100 pounds of beef, 30 pounds of Smithfield bacon, 200 dozen ears of corn, 250 quarts of butter beans, 15 bushels of tomatoes, 12 bushels of potatoes, 1 barrel of onions, 3 bushels of peppers, 2 bushels of herbs, 50 pounds of butter and 5 gallons of sherry wine. Other ingredients were added but Sale refused to share the details.<br />
<br />
By the time the sun went down, there was not a single drop of stew left in the huge kettle. Wrestling matches, boxing matches, motorcycle races, card games and club swinging rounded out the festivities. <i>The Times Dispatch</i> reported, "From 11 o'clock . . . until nearly dark it was a grand frolic. Throughout the day there were no indications of disorder, and the utmost good-fellowship prevailed on all sides."<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You can read much more about Virginia's Brunswick stew and its amazing history in <i>Brunswick Stew: A Virginia Tradition</i> available at bookstores and online booksellers.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-44387226506901972722018-05-28T12:31:00.002-04:002018-05-28T19:35:13.861-04:00Competition Barbecue Secrets Revealed<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCSFjyCMvSkepXVoQJ5MGdpd82vdOZRNS2QTRgSLRkH7JHFmzWcGUP7l1fEYlZOc3CRPU9QTC7BMN-rT34Ri7pi8T2QKeuNegNbiI5w55cJYOSdKtfQVwbqEgUHoZXrcuJQm29qZAv_0o/s1600/Jamboree.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="542" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCSFjyCMvSkepXVoQJ5MGdpd82vdOZRNS2QTRgSLRkH7JHFmzWcGUP7l1fEYlZOc3CRPU9QTC7BMN-rT34Ri7pi8T2QKeuNegNbiI5w55cJYOSdKtfQVwbqEgUHoZXrcuJQm29qZAv_0o/s400/Jamboree.JPG" width="385" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of <i>The</i> <i>Free Lance Star</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The number of barbecue competitions across the U.S. has exploded over the past few years. The Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) alone sanctions about 500 competitions. Add to that the Memphis Barbecue Network (MBN) sanctioned events along with local sanctioning board events and non-sanctioned events that are held each year and it’s easy to see that barbecue contests have become a cultural phenomenon in the U.S. The competition barbecue craze is a two-edged sword. With the good comes the bad. Here are some things that you should know about competition barbecue.<br />
<br />
The proliferation of barbecue contests has reawakened American’s love for their oldest and most unique cuisine which is southern barbecue. In addition, barbecue contests are also a lot of fun. It’s great to get outside, fire up the barbecue pit, cook some tasty food while spending time with old friends and making new friends in the process. Even though cooking an entire KCBS or MBN contest is a tremendous amount of work, it’s also a lot of fun; especially when you hear your team’s name called at awards time.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5U-BKmBIw0Vak1fTM5if3mCqciQJuqm5jsqS_NbFuGCz4N2iuq6FbFiyb6AGru22rmfxIeL09Cq7YP6ZBVhazekPS978IZeKxQ7FMO6WGz7gAkzoYgFva2OodqESu9dsD62UBUFWGq8U/s1600/Sam+Chopping+Wood+May+8+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5U-BKmBIw0Vak1fTM5if3mCqciQJuqm5jsqS_NbFuGCz4N2iuq6FbFiyb6AGru22rmfxIeL09Cq7YP6ZBVhazekPS978IZeKxQ7FMO6WGz7gAkzoYgFva2OodqESu9dsD62UBUFWGq8U/s200/Sam+Chopping+Wood+May+8+2015.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
On the flip-side, entering and competing in a KCBS barbecue competition is an expensive and time-consuming venture. Just about any wood or charcoal powered barbecue pit can be used in the contests. However, if you are going to cook multiple contests each year you will face a variety of weather conditions that are not ideal for cooking barbecue. High winds, drenching rains, cold and extreme heat can be expected. To deal with the unpredictable conditions, you should invest in a professional-quality pit. Professional pits are expensive but you get what you pay for. Professional pits are usually insulted which helps to reduce the negative effects of unpredictable weather. Generally, they are also much heavier than your typical backyard-style pit. I’ve seen consumer-grade pits blow away in the wind meat, fire and all. That doesn’t happen to a 350 pound or heavier professional-grade pit.<br />
<br />
You also have the cost of the food. Many competition cooks use grades of meat that are far too <br />
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expensive for the typical restaurant to serve. Compart Duroc pork runs about $200.00 plus $50.00 shipping for the minimum amount needed for a competition. Wagyu brisket runs about $200.00 to $250.00 per brisket after the cost of the meat and shipping costs. Add to that the cost of wood, charcoal, rubs, sauces, pans, utensils, fire extinguishers (which are required by sanctioning bodies), shelter (tents, trailers, RVs, hotel, etc.), gasoline for vehicles, entry fees for contests, thermometers (Thermapens run $60 to $105), time off from work and the other miscellaneous costs, it can run upwards of $2000.00 to compete in a single event. Then you have the time preparing for the contest while making injections, practicing techniques, etc. That makes competition barbecue an expensive hobby for some and profession for others.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Popup Tents Destroyed by Wind at a BBQ Competition in Virginia</td></tr>
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A result of competition barbecue is the notion that competition barbecue is the best tasting and most delicious barbecue that you can serve. That is simply not true. Now, don’t get me wrong. Some competition barbecue is very tasty. However, some of it is average or worse. While judging, I have tasted competition barbecue that was almost perfect. It was tender, juicy, flavorful and everything one would expect from good competition barbecue. But, I have also tasted competition barbecue that is just, plain bad. I have seen ribs that were obviously dropped before being put in the box. The pine needle and leaf fragments on the bottom betrayed that fact. I have seen ribs with blood running out of them; chicken that was still cool in the center, brisket that was so tough it was literally impossible to take a bite and on one or two occasions I’ve judge pork that I had to spit out. Everyone has a bad day at the office every once in a while, and competition barbecue cooks are no exception.<br />
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You should also know that competition barbecue ingredients and techniques used to produce it often are far outside the realm of the American tradition of cooking southern barbecue. One of those ingredients is something called “phosphates.” Phosphates increase the moisture holding capacity of meat in a way that allows water to move in between protein molecules and stay there during the cooking process. Phosphates are used by the majority of competition cooks. The ingredient is necessary simply because so many other cooks use them. If a cook doesn’t use them, they are often at a disadvantage to the cooks that do use them. Regardless of any benefits phosphates may provide, there is growing concern over their safety. Some experts believe that over consumption of phosphates may lead to osteoporosis, damaged blood vessels and impaired kidney function. I’m not an expert on the subject, so do your own research on it.<br />
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Phosphates are usually introduced with the use of injections. Injections are not used in traditional <br />
southern barbecue. Neither are computer-controlled barbecue pits. Nowadays, it’s not unusual to see a professional “pitmaster” at a contest plug in his barbecue pit, add some pellets to the hopper, press a few buttons to set the temperature, put meat in the pit and then walk away. So much for the art of tending a fire, I guess. Compare that to the pitmaster at your local barbecue restaurant who gets up well before the sun, starts a fire, tends it all night and much of the day. That is the southern barbecue tradition.<br />
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Competition barbecue is often braised as much as it is barbecued. Braising is a cooking method whereby meat is cooked in a covered container while simmering in a small amount of liquid. Most competition barbecue cooks place ribs in the pit for about two hours until the ribs acquire the color they are looking for. After that, they wrap the ribs in foil that contains a little butter or margarine, honey, brown sugar and other ingredients. The butter or margarine and honey make a braising liquid. The ribs are then braised for about another two hours until they are tender.<br />
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The same is true of chicken, pork and brisket. Competition chicken is usually braised in butter or margarine. Pork is braised in apple juice or marinade. Brisket is braised in beef broth (often containing phosphates) or a mixture containing things like beer, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth and barbecue sauce. The original way of cooking southern barbecue does not include braising. In fact, braising is a crutch. Ask any chef worth her salt and she will tell you that the easiest way to preserve moisture in a cut of meat while tenderizing it is to braise it. But, braising is not barbecuing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_gnKC-xAyMum9PGEdim_Lk3w03MKZvDdLLTNTCFV_Csluh8RdtoPwqbN0SWC3NxWlsB9nB1k8JDNDuWTHl6GkBqirZN9hGRrZZxdqFa9bGUmUi85K-rT92Y1PTPJte-GG2-YowlUy9s/s1600/CompPork.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="884" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_gnKC-xAyMum9PGEdim_Lk3w03MKZvDdLLTNTCFV_Csluh8RdtoPwqbN0SWC3NxWlsB9nB1k8JDNDuWTHl6GkBqirZN9hGRrZZxdqFa9bGUmUi85K-rT92Y1PTPJte-GG2-YowlUy9s/s200/CompPork.JPG" width="200" /></a>Another thing about competition barbecue that you may find surprising includes the fact that many competition barbecue cooks don’t cook entire pork butts or briskets to perfection. There are only a few muscles in a pork butt that are truly competition worthy. Most people have heard of the “money muscle” on a pork butt and competition barbecue cooks' love of it. It’s actually part of the pig’s neck muscle. It is delicious and flavorful when well cooked. Then you have what is called “the tubes.” These are two or three muscles just behind the money muscle. They are surrounded by layers of fat that protect them while they cook. They too are tender and juicy. The third most popular part of the pork butt is called the “horn” meat. This is the muscle on the bone end of the butt. Lastly, we have the “butt bacon.” Butt bacon is the thin, long strands of meat on the bottom of the butt. They are surrounded by fat which needs to be gently scrapped way before the meat is served to barbecue judges.<br />
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Because most meat on the pork butt will not be turned in to the judges, many competition cooks only cook pork butts until the money muscle is tender. Because the money muscle cooks quicker than the leaner parts of the pork butt, those leaner parts are often still tough by the time the pork butts are removed from the pit. Basically, competition cooks ignore the parts of the butt they won’t be turning in and concentrate only on the few parts they will turn in. That’s certainly not something your local restaurateur can get away with doing. Restaurant owners have to cook the entire pork butt because they have to sell all of it. It is also not uncommon for part of a competition brisket to be perfectly tender while other parts remain tough. All the competition barbecue cook needs to cook to perfection is the portion from which comes six slices for the judges.<br />
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Competition barbecue requires copious amounts of sugar. North Carolina’s vinegar sauce loaded with salt and red pepper would fail miserably at a barbecue contest; so would Virginia’s tangy sauces. Competition barbecue judges love sugar on barbecue. Brown sugar, turbinado sugar, agave nectar, honey and corn syrup are generously doused on competition barbecue. In fact, many barbecue judges agree that proper competition barbecue is simply too rich to enjoy for an entire meal. One or two bites is enough.<br />
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The next three things you must know about competition barbecue concerns the sauces, rubs and the judges. Few competition barbecue cooks create their own sauces and rubs. Check out the major barbecue supply businesses. They sell a plethora of commercial sauces and rubs. People like Myron Mixon, Chris Lilly, Melissa Cookston, Bill Arnold and Heath Riles have created rubs and sauces that are used by competition barbecue cooks. I’ve seen people turn in commercial sauces that they didn’t make at barbecue sauce competitions and win with them. I’ll let you be judge on whether that is something to brag about or not.<br />
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Lastly, you may be surprised to know that competition barbecue isn’t always judged according to the <br />
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rules. From personal experience, I have seen KCBS judges deviate from the published rules of judging. KCBS rules call for judging barbecue based upon appearance, taste and tenderness. The scale is 2 to 9. 1 is given only if an entry is disqualified (called a DQ). When a judge gives an entry a 2, it means the entry is inedible. Fortunately, in my experience at least, it is extremely rare for any entry to get a 2. Most judges understand very well what a score of 2 – 6 means which is inedible to bad to poor to below average to average. A score of 7 is above average, a score of 8 is very good and a score of 9 is excellent.<br />
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All that being said, KCBS rules require the judge to judge the appearance <b><i>of the meat that is in the turn-in box</i></b> in terms of how<b> appetizing</b> the barbecue looks. However, some judges score based upon how the turn-in box itself looks. They look for how symmetric the meat looks, is the garnish neatly placed in the box?, are any of the slices of the meat slightly out of place?, etc. They look at the box like it’s a work of art rather than looking at the barbecue that’s in the box. Honestly, the Sistine Chapel is beautiful to look at but I’ve never wanted to eat it. The same is true of an artistic barbecue turn-in box. The meat can be perfectly arranged and the garnish placed in the box impeccably but if the meat doesn’t look appetizing, I have to score accordingly. Conversely, if the meat isn't arranged well or the garnish is poorly placed but the meat looks delicious, the judge must score based upon the appearance of the meat and ignore the garnish or sloppy arrangement of the box's contents and give a high score for the meat. The only consideration a KCBS judge needs to give the garnish is whether or not it's legal. KCBS judges judge barbecue not boxes or garnish, which is optional in KCBS contests. Therefore, it is a non-factor unless it is illegal to use such as is the case with red-tip lettuce.<br />
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Most KCBS judges that I know do a great job. However, every once in a while, there is one discovered that needs some additional training. On rare occasions I have witnessed judges trying to judge meat that <i><b>isn’t</b></i> in the box. For example, if a brisket entry doesn’t include burnt ends a judge might take a point away because of their absence. Or, a judge might take a point away because there is no white meat with the chicken entry. I think such notions might have come from the TV show “BBQ Pitmasters.” Often the famous, celebrity judges on that show will make a comment like, “I want to see white and dark meat in that box!” Or, “If the pitmaster doesn’t put burnt ends in the box, he must not know what he is doing.” And, even cooks on that show have said things like, “I’m gonna put chopped, sliced and pulled meat in my box to show the judges what I can do!” All of that may be well and good for a TV show, but that kind of criteria for judging is not in keeping with KCBS rules. To the KCBS’s credit, I have also witnessed cases where the KCBS representative has removed a judge from judging because of inappropriate comments about how they judge barbecue. The KCBS continue to take steps to prevent that poor and improper judging practices among certified KCBS judges and that's proof that they take the art and craft of competition barbecue very seriously, as they should.<br />
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Lastly, the most important rule of competition barbecue is to have fun. That's a rule that's easy for everyone to observe.Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-69349629904488274722018-02-25T16:47:00.000-05:002018-02-27T08:28:53.630-05:00The First White House Barbecue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you search the Internet, you will find several claims for which president was the first to host a barbecue at the White House. Most claim Lyndon Johnson was the first White House barbecue host. A few others claim Dwight D. Eisenhower hosted the first White House barbecue and a few others claim that it was Thomas Jefferson who first fired up a barbecue pit on the lawn of the "pleasant country residence," as Jefferson called it. However, history doesn’t support any of those claims. </div>
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In 1791, George Washington selected the site for the White House in Washington, D.C. Within just a few months, the cornerstone was laid in 1792 and Irish-born architect James Hoban was chosen to design the building. President John Adams and his wife, Abigail, moved into the unfinished house eight years later in 1800. The Aquia Creek sandstone used to construct the White House came from Government Island, Virginia. </div>
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Prime candidates for the first president to host a barbecue at the "president's palace" include the first five presidents: George Washington, 1789-1797, John Adams, 1797-1801, Thomas Jefferson, 1801-1809, James Madison, 1809-1817, and James Monroe, 1817-1825. Four of these five presidents were Virginians. Of course, the political barbecue was born in Virginia and all Virginian politicians of that era hosted barbecues as a part of their political campaigns. However, even though John Adams was not a Virginian, he was no stranger to barbecues.</div>
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Of course, George Washington was an avid Virginia-style barbecue enthusiast. There are numerous records of his barbecue adventures. He often hosted barbecues and attended barbecues held by others. His parents celebrated their marriage with several Virginia barbecues and he even fed his soldiers with Virginia-style barbecue at the end of the Revolutionary War. When the cornerstone of the Capitol building was laid, George Washington presided over the event that was celebrated with a Virginia barbecue. A 500-pound ox was barbecued old Virginia-style and was served to an eager crowd. Though it is possible that a barbecue was held during the laying of the White House cornerstone, there is no record of it. Further, George Washington never lived in the White House, therefore he is not the first president to host a barbecue there.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AGovernment_Island_Rock.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="By Cowpie21 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="Government Island Rock" height="133" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Government_Island_Rock.JPG/512px-Government_Island_Rock.JPG" width="200" /></a> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A section of large sandstone at the<br />
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John Adams was the first president to live in the White House. Even though he was from Massachusetts, he was known to have attended barbecues from time to time. He, like his Virginian colleagues, came to understand how effective barbecues could be in reaching rural populations. In 1769, Adams attended a barbecue at Dorchester Heights in Boston hosted by the Sons of Liberty. He wrote in his diary that barbecues, “tinge the Minds of the People, they impregnate them with the sentiments of Liberty. They render the People fond of their Leaders in the Cause, and averse and bitter against all opposers.” Even so, there is no record that John Adams ever hosted a barbecue anywhere including at the White House.</div>
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Thomas Jefferson was the second president to reside in the White House. Being a Virginian, Jefferson was very familiar with barbecues. He had at least one spring on his property at Monticello that was a popular place to host them. Even so, there is no record of Jefferson ever hosting a barbecue at the White House. The following account from the July 26, 1808, <i>Enquirer</i> is of a barbecue to which Jefferson was invited but didn’t attend choosing instead to stay at the White House where, apparently, no barbecue was being hosted.</div>
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“The citizens of Albemarle County convened in Charlottesville to celebrate the 4th of July. The Declaration of American Independence was read to a large assembly in the Courthouse. At three o'clock the company animated by the presence of many of the most accomplished ladies in the vicinity, sat down to a handsome barbecue provided by Mr. Elijah Garth. After dinner, on the retiring of the ladies, the gentlemen drank toasts to July fourth, the People, the Constitution, America ‘the world’s best hope,’ George Washington, the Patriots of ’76 and to Virginia saying ‘In the war of the revolution she led the van. In the dark period of the reign of terror, she fanned the decaying flame, and cheered the drooping sons of freedom. She will never tarnish the luster of her fame.’”</blockquote>
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By 1820, Jefferson had abandoned barbecue events all together. In an 1820 letter written by Elizabeth House Trist to Nicholas P. Trist she wrote, “Mr. Jefferson had an invitation to a barbecue near Charlottesville which he declined as he had long given up attending these festivals.”</div>
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James Madison (the father of the U.S. Constitution) was an avid lover of Virginia barbecues. There are numerous records of the events hosted by him and his wife, Dolly. Some of Madison’s old Virginia barbecues were private events and others were official dinners with hundreds of guests in attendance including foreign leaders and dignitaries. At the official barbecues, male servants would dress in colorful clothing with shiny brass buttons and clean aprons, and women servants would dress in impressive and colorful dresses. Dolly Madison’s niece, Mary Cutts, wrote of barbecues at Montpelier (Madison’s plantation in Orange, Virginia):</div>
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“Barbecues were then at their height of popularity. To see the sumptuous board spread under the forest oaks, the growth of centuries, animals roasted whole, everything that a luxurious country could produce, wines, and the well filled punch bowl, to say nothing of the invigorating mountain air, was enough to fill the heart . . . with joy! . . . At these feasts the woods were alive with guests, carriages, horses, servants and children—for all went—often more than a hundred guests. All happy at the prospect of a meeting, which was a scene of pleasure and hilarity. The laugh with hearty good will, the jest, after the crops, ‘farmer’s topics’ and politics had been discussed. If not too late, these meetings were terminated by a dance.”</blockquote>
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Recently, archaeologists discovered a barbecue pit on the south lawn of Montpelier that was in use during Madison’s lifetime. Remains included several fragments of animal bones including those from pigs. In spite of Madison’s obvious fondness for Virginia barbecues, there is no record of him hosting one at the White House. It appears that the closest to a barbecue held at the White House during Madison’s tenure as president was during the War of 1812 when the British set fire to the President’s House in 1814.</div>
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James Monroe lived in the White House between the years 1817 and 1825. He too was a Virginian and many records describe old Virginia barbecues that he attended or hosted. However, there are no records that he hosted a barbecue at the White House. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Political Barbecue</i> by Henry Robinson, 1834.</td></tr>
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Surprisingly, history records that the first president to host a barbecue at the White House was Andrew Jackson. I discovered this fact when reading the transcript of an address made by Kentucky Congressman John Kincaid in August 1829. In that address, Kincaid mentioned “the barbecue at the White House on the 4th of July.”<br />
<br />
Andrew Jackson was the president between March 4, 1829 and March 3, 1837. Therefore, history records that he was the first president to host a barbecue at the White House.<br />
<br />
President Jackson had a long history with barbecues. The city of Fredericksburg, Virginia, rolled out the red carpet when President Andrew Jackson visited to reside over the laying of the original Mary Washington, Mother of George Washington, monument cornerstone in 1833. Music filled the air as military processions, parades, dignitaries and crowds of admirers filled the streets. The occasion drew more people to Fredericksburg than Lafayette's visit to the town in 1824. The event was celebrated with a barbecue "in the old-fashioned Virginia style . . . prepared under an ample awning, in the beautiful grounds of Hazel Hill." Five hundred attendees partook of the Virginia-style barbecued beef.</div>
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Andrew Jackson has always been a controversial figure. Some love him. Some hate him. As President Jackson was travelling to Fredericksburg to attend the barbecue, the first recorded instance of physical assault on an American president occurred. Lieutenant R. B. Randolph had been severely reprimanded for misconduct. Encountering the President on a road between Quantico and Fredericksburg, the lieutenant decided to administer some personal retribution because of the court martial. As the discussion between Randolph and the President became heated, he grabbed President Jackson’s nose and violently wrung it before fleeing away. No doubt this assault by a young man against a man in his seventies was painful. As the Bible tells us, “the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood,” and reports of the assault describe it as “reckless and brutal” even though President Jackson played down the event.<br />
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</div>
<br />
An 1834 political cartoon titled "The Political Barbecue" satirized the controversy surrounding<br />
Jackson's withdrawal of federal funds from the Second Bank of the United States. In the cartoon Jackson is depicted as being barbecued like a hog on the fires of public opinion. Martin Van Buren (depicted almost like a rodent) scampers away with a hoard of Treasury Notes. The barbecue cooks are depictions of five vocal critics of Jackson's bank policy—Senators Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, William B. Preston, Bank president Nicholas Biddle, and an unidentified fifth man.<br />
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Controversy aside, perhaps Jackson’s most significant contributions to the history of barbecue in the United States were the barbecue trees planted during his presidency. An old newspaper account tells us,</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTl8mw-GREMY5yTBWbKv2y2QoatLAGd_TO0_9Dy6fUEn1QAv2gL-ldasg3eqfilLGmXIBV9E-VrToxX0ZctAZlr8LZdaVEYkQXRID_LxQkzxYdj3_Xj06twlLcgCRVstJ_aOwtns_4kRk/s1600/BBQ+Trees.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="597" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTl8mw-GREMY5yTBWbKv2y2QoatLAGd_TO0_9Dy6fUEn1QAv2gL-ldasg3eqfilLGmXIBV9E-VrToxX0ZctAZlr8LZdaVEYkQXRID_LxQkzxYdj3_Xj06twlLcgCRVstJ_aOwtns_4kRk/s320/BBQ+Trees.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "Barbecue Trees" can be seen in the lower left corner<br />
of this 1860 pencil drawing of the U.S. Capitol.</td></tr>
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“South of the Washington Elm are the Barbecue Trees planted during Jackson’s Administration by James Maher, a Jolly Irishman who owed his appointment as superintendent of the Capitol Grounds to the President’s personal friendship. These trees are relics of two circular groves intended for barbecue celebrations one for Democrats the other for Whigs.”</blockquote>
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Images of the “barbecue trees” were captured by an artist in 1860. The pencil drawing shows two oval groves just outside the Capitol building.</div>
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To read more, see <i><b>Virginia Barbecue: A History</b></i> available in bookstores and online now.</div>
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Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-16834748506806453352018-02-14T21:28:00.000-05:002018-02-15T13:06:43.233-05:00A Georgia Barbecue in the 1870s<div class="tr_bq">
John Herring's account of a barbecue in Georgia sometime in the 1870s is a fascinating look into the history of southern barbecue. John Lewis
Herring was born on December 8, 1866, in Albany, Georgia. He was the son of
William Jasper Herring and Rebecca Paul Herring. In 1886, he married Martha
Susan Greene. They had 10 children. Herring was the editor of the <i>Tifton Gazette</i> newspaper for 26 years. In
1912, Herring briefly left the <i>Gazette</i>
under the management of his sons to work as an associate editor with the <i>Savannah Morning News</i>. While in Savannah,
he began writing a series of articles titled "Saturday Night
Sketches" which describe life in the Wiregrass area of Georgia during the
last half of the 19th century. The articles were published in the <i>Gazette</i> for several years. In 1918, they
were published in Herring’s book titled <i>Saturday
Night Sketches; Stories of Old Wiregrass Georgia</i>. Herring died in 1923. This account of a Georgia
barbecue in the 1870s is from the chapter of Herring’s book titled “Fourth of
July in the Olden Time.”</div>
<br />
Herring makes it clear that Brunswick stew was not widely served at Georgia barbecues until after the Reconstruction era. In the book <i>Brunswick Stew: A Virginia Tradition</i>, I show in great detail with documented sources that Brunswick stew was most certainly born in Brunswick County, Virginia, not Brunswick, Georgia, as is claimed by some today. Herring also points out that by the early 1900s, southern barbecue had changed. I document and describe the changes to southern barbecue after the end of the Civil War and some of the causes in the book <em>Virginia Barbecue: A History</em>. Stating, "barbecue in those days was seasoned in the cooking," Herring was referring to the emerging use of barbecue sauces served on the side and the use of rubs to season the meat before placing it on the pit. In the 1870s, unseasoned animal carcasses were placed on a grill set over a pit dug in the ground filled with hot coals. The only seasoning put on the meat came from the vinegar-based basting mixture that was applied as it cooked. By the early 20th century, barbecue with sauce served on the side was becoming a common offering. At any rate, the account of the old time barbecue is well worth the read.<br />
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<blockquote style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Oh, Lordy, Ma; Jack Kilcrease has drunk seventeen cups o' coffee, and now it's all gone." The plaintive wail of the bereaved caused some of the eaters nearby to turn their heads and look, but their attention was brief. Four or five deep, they stood by long lines of tables, the men outside, the women inside, with hands full of barbecued meat and cornbread, jaws working, and pocket-knives cutting from time to time liberal portions to supply the vacancy the expanded swallows created. </div>
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The one feature of the festival of forty years ago in which time has wrought little change is the barbecue. There is a difference in detail now, but the essentials are about the same as half a century gone. </div>
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Then there was not much of a display of Old Glory, for too many men were alive to whom the flag brought unpleasant memories; but the speech was pretty much the same; the barbecue almost the same — only the people were different. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The beeves, the hogs, the goats and the sheep had been killed the day before, and brought in by the contributors during the afternoon. In the long pits fires of oak wood, hauled from a distant grove, had been burning all day; now a bed of embers glowed their length. </div>
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Nearby there was a burning heap of oak logs, to replace the coals from time to time.</div>
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On spits of oak laid across the pits, the meat rested — usually a quarter of beef cut in half; a hog, sheep or goat split lengthwise. Under this, all night the fires were kept going, the meat being turned occasionally as it slowly cooked. It was this deliberate, gradually broiling process, that gave the barbecue its flavor. From time to time the chief cook's first assistant passed up one side and down the other of the pits, and with a mop on a short handle basted the roasting meat from a bucket containing salt, pepper, and various seasoning condiments. For barbecue in those days was seasoned in the cooking. </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
All night long the cooks kept their vigil, for constant supervision was the price of well-cooked meats, and on the cook the success of the day depended. Many were the yarns told — principally personal recollections of the war just passed, for usually it was veterans who were supervising the cooking — during the night around the fire. When morning came, the cooks were gaunt-faced and egg-eyed, but their task was not done, for the meat must be cooked up to the hour the tables were placed, and then the fire withdrawn just in time to allow the meat to cool enough to cut. </div>
</blockquote>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
About nine o'clock the crowd began to arrive. They came in buggies, a few in two-horse wagons, but a great many in horse-carts, the man on the horse, the family balanced In the cart over the axle; still others on horseback, but a great many, hundreds in fact, on foot, for little was thought of a ten-mile walk in those days. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
After each newcomer had made a round of inspection of the barbecue pits, each expressing his opinion of how it ought to be done, they gathered under the shade of the pines, to swap gossip and neighborhood news, trade horses, or crack jokes. </div>
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There was a lemonade stand with its hard-worked force, for ice had been hauled many miles, at great expense, and the weak compound was swallowed more for the cooling "kick" than for any ingredients it was supposed to contain. Of watermelons there were none, for they did not ripen so early then. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Near the stand were many boys, with long breeches and watering mouths, gazing on what they had not the money to buy. They had been the rounds of the pits. Inhaling the savory odor of the cooking meats until hunger drove away even the smart from bare feet that had incautiously stepped on live coals. Only too close by was the grocery, where stronger liquors were sold, and where later in the day a row started which afterwards bereaved two families. </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A small platform had been built, covered with brush and floored with borrowed plank. Here the orator of the day held forth. The Fourth of July speech then was much the speech of to-day. The tail feathers of the eagle were yanked until the bird of freedom screamed, and the adherents of the more or less famous politician applauded according to their devotion or enthusiasm, liquid or mental, while the urchins looking on and understanding not, wished he would quit, so dinner could come. The babies cried, the young folks courted, a group nearby laughed at a joke, sundry matrons swapped confidences and dipped snuff — all within plain hearing of the speaker, who heroically stuck to the job. </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Everything must end, and at last the speaking was over. Up from the pits, tubs and cedar piggins [small wooden pails] of the meat were carried and distributed along the tables, these innocent of even paper covering. There was no Brunswick stew in those days; no pickles, nor trimmings, but the cue was there in abundance for every man to eat his fill, and for many of the provident to carry off a supply against the day to come. </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The housewives had brought great stacks of pone cornbread — there was no baker's bread to be had — and this was cut and distributed with the meats. Then the wives brought forward trunks and baskets and from these what looked like an inexhaustible supply of good things to eat, and added them to the cue on the tables. Many could not miss, even for a meal, the cup of coffee, and to supply them, pots had been set on the coals near the pits until their contents boiled. It was when he diminished the supply in sight that a thirsty citizen provoked the boy to protest. </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Those people did not know much of the delicacies, but they brought to the meal appetites of plow hands and the digestions of rail-splitters. It was no small task to feed them but the men in charge knew what to provide for, and at last they were fed. Then hot-foot for the well, and crowd and push for the water that after all is the only perfect quencher of thirst. </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After dinner, the speaker gone, the platform gave place to the fiddlers, the straw-beaters, the caller and the dancing couples. Despite the July heat, despite the perspiration that made rags of the home-laundered shirts and collars and caused the color to "run" in many a beloved calico dress, until the shades of evening drove them home, the dancing went on, ever-changing individuals, but the same thing in form. There we leave them, the old folks hitching up for the homeward journey, the young folks still stepping lively to the jingling tune of the "Arkansaw [sic] Traveler," or one of his many kindred, or: </div>
</blockquote>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i>"Johnny, get your
hair cut, hair cut, hair cut,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i>Johnny, get your hair
cut, shave and shine,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i>Johnny, get your hair
cut, hair cut, hair cut;<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">Johnny,
get your hair cut, just like mine."</span></i> </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-67645784676757609572018-01-24T19:39:00.001-05:002018-02-03T12:20:24.054-05:00The Modern Myth of the Word "Barbecue"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the biggest myths surrounding barbecue is the meaning and origin of the word "barbecue." The myth is repeated so often that people have started believing it. The myth is even propagated by a very famous TV personality who hosts his own popular cooking show (Alton Brown; Good Eats). He once said, "The word "barbecue" derives from a very old Caribbean word, "barbacoa," meaning to cook on green sticks directly over a smoldering fire."<br />
<br />
Though it may be true in our times that "barbacoa" refers to cooking over smoldering coals, few, if any, use green sticks as a grill nowadays. Alton Brown may be confusing what we call "barbacoa," or "barbecue," today, with how 16th-century Native Americans prepared meat that was resting on green sticks. However, the word "barbacoa" had a very different meaning in those days. Originally, the word "barbacoa" had nothing to do specifically with cooking. The word "barbacoa" started as a noun. Only after European mangling of the word in the 17th century did it become a verb referring to cooking.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9oiDWPG7-7lMc_hRlg_6NVyyEJC6qP4hsegl0FSBJdVZ3awBsi5mmaZ6AOYXfG0Pfvo3YbiQ2CftZR7owwWLxyre3BGfoyUE8Oc347omjk0aVws83q2zjO3JWgr4tt8IfwPtFxnZoek/s1600/IndianGraves.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; clear: left; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="175" data-original-width="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9oiDWPG7-7lMc_hRlg_6NVyyEJC6qP4hsegl0FSBJdVZ3awBsi5mmaZ6AOYXfG0Pfvo3YbiQ2CftZR7owwWLxyre3BGfoyUE8Oc347omjk0aVws83q2zjO3JWgr4tt8IfwPtFxnZoek/s1600/IndianGraves.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
Deceased Native American Bodies<br />
Resting on Hurdles a.k.a. Barbacoas.</div>
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Circa 1900.</div>
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History teaches us that the word "barbacoa" referred to “The Haitian name for a framework of sticks set upon posts"; no more, no less. From the 16th through 17th centuries, a barbacoa, a.k.a. barbecue, was nothing more than what English writers referred to as an American Indian hurdle and most often it had nothing to do with cooking over a fire.<br />
<br />
Native American hurdles were used for many different purposes. Corn cribs, dinner tables, beds, chairs, food dehydrators, bridges and even above ground graves were all made with hurdles or what we would call a wooden barbecue grill. Those kinds of non-cooking uses of the word "barbacoa" or "barbecue" represent the vast majority of the word's appearances in old writings. Overall, very few of the 16th through 17th century references to "barbacoa" or "barbecue" refer to food being cooked over fire. For example, in 1699, William Dampier used the word "barbecue" to refer to beds and chairs.<br />
<br />
16th and 17th century Europeans didn't always have words to describe what they witnessed in the New World. Therefore, they often adopted Native American words. That's how we get our words succotash, opossum, raccoon, hominy and barbecue.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijF96Lkj6G7TuqCwCXE2feRtncAgCkQ4T7ave_cfXp8z-1MhDSJ6wbdZG0BBug-i1pVFsyrl5xj1zHACFGXkmnr_L15ySrfEySp7Dj1v0ADEyIX52AsfWdKLGui2SJFWbF8c2Wew1fbWA/s1600/Powhatan+Bed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijF96Lkj6G7TuqCwCXE2feRtncAgCkQ4T7ave_cfXp8z-1MhDSJ6wbdZG0BBug-i1pVFsyrl5xj1zHACFGXkmnr_L15ySrfEySp7Dj1v0ADEyIX52AsfWdKLGui2SJFWbF8c2Wew1fbWA/s1600/Powhatan+Bed.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Powhatan Indian Bed made using a Hurdle</td></tr>
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<br />
Our English word "barbecue" comes from the Spanish word "barbacoa." 17th-century Taino people in Haiti used to call wooden hurdles "barabacoa." The Spanish adopted the word from the Taino Indians changing it to "barbacoa." The English, like so many other New World words, adopted the word "barbacoa" from the Spanish but Anglicized it into "barbecue."<br />
<br />
Different Native American tribes used their own words to refer to hurdles. In parts of the New World explored by the French, Native tribes called their hurdles "boucan." Native Americans in Guyana called their hurdles "barbacot." The Island Carribs, neighbors to the Taino in Haiti, called their hurdles "aribel." Powhatan Indians called their hurdles "petaosawin" (pronounced “petō-saw-ween”). However, the word "barbecue" is the one that English speakers adopted.<br />
<br />
French speakers adopted "boucan" from the Tupi Indian word "mukem" (possibly "bukem"). Spanish speakers adopted "barbacoa" from the Taino word "barabacoa." By the 1630's, the English word "barbycu" was adopted by English speakers. <i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>Virginia Barbecue: A History</b></i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">documents that the first use of an Anglicized version of the word "barbecue" used as a verb in English literature occurred in 1648. That is thirteen years earlier than <i>The Oxford English Dictionary</i> (<i>OED</i>) and just about every other barbecue history book in existence. Those sources wrongly claim that the first use of the word "barbecue" in English literature was in 1661. The first use </span>in English literature <span style="font-family: inherit;">of the word "barbecue" as a noun occurred in 1657. Again, that is earlier than the <i>OED</i> and all other barbecue history books that I have ever read claim except for </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><b>Virginia Barbecue: A History</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIUNNzkE7KiKZufM6J4s3xO9f25GesfcGzcSIVmVi-5oCqwhjoXSe81XKUZdR28v0ELQnMavjzOmYdk4o1-OXQRaAB4AkAN7HK4nP96YCd0K-Om3El-Md7i41MCh966p5b0wYBDwasAA/s1600/Powhatan+Hurdle-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="182" data-original-width="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIUNNzkE7KiKZufM6J4s3xO9f25GesfcGzcSIVmVi-5oCqwhjoXSe81XKUZdR28v0ELQnMavjzOmYdk4o1-OXQRaAB4AkAN7HK4nP96YCd0K-Om3El-Md7i41MCh966p5b0wYBDwasAA/s1600/Powhatan+Hurdle-1.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virginia Powhatan Indian-style Hurdle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, you may be wondering, when did the word "barbecue" acquire its modern meanings? That happened in Virginia in the 17th century. Sometime in the late 1500s or early 1600s, English speakers started using words they learned from Spanish writings about the New World. And, why wouldn't they? Englishmen of that era were interested in making money from the New World. Therefore, they used the terminology that the Spanish had already established in the 1500s.<br />
<br />
For example, Powhatan Indians in Virginia grew tobacco. However, they called it "apook." When English colonists started growing tobacco in Virginia using techniques they learned from Powhatan Indians (not the Taino in Haiti who taught the Spanish how to grow tobacco) they called it "tobacco" when marketing it for sale rather than "apook." They did that because that's what people who previously bought it from the Spanish called it. The adoption of the word "tobacco" doesn't mean that tobacco was "invented" in Haiti by the Taino and spread to the North American colonies. It just means that the same plant was grown by Natives in Taino and Powhatans in Virginia but the commerce of the day dictated what Europeans called it. If the English were the first to go to market with tobacco we very may well be calling it an Anglicized version of "apook" today.<br />
<br />
The English adoption of New World Spanish words in that era was often driven by business requirements. After all, what European hooked on Spanish tobacco would want to switch over to something called "apook"? No one would and the English knew that. In the case of the word "barbecue," it became well known among the English as a New World word so they accepted it too; not because they learned to use a barbecue from people in the Caribbean but because that was the already accepted New World word for the device.<br />
<br />
So, after toying with the words roasting, carbonadoing and barbecadoing, early Virginian colonists finally started calling the wooden Powhatan grills "barbecues." From there, Virginians started calling events where barbecued meats were served a "barbecue"; the act of cooking on a barbecue they called "barbecuing"; and the meat so cooked was "barbecued" and called "barbecue." That's how and where the modern usages of the word barbecue were born. James Hammond Trumbull, a renowned 19th century American scholar and philologist, plainly stated that the word barbecue is a “Virginian word” due to the fact that it was first used in the British North American colonies in Virginia and was transformed into the word we know today.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcr_RuQ9fesDg-ASoQ63Ek5EwYm1J1b-VOChL_KBJ1vBB2Y-0hxaNhIbYdi9FHKQQ0qAa6lFgDzW8GTYNvyp33JRZEgSq_ft6rY3SCeaWPg0p_5hx6G60IFbU6MGkHClSXwHqP6aylWic/s1600/DryingMeat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="139" data-original-width="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcr_RuQ9fesDg-ASoQ63Ek5EwYm1J1b-VOChL_KBJ1vBB2Y-0hxaNhIbYdi9FHKQQ0qAa6lFgDzW8GTYNvyp33JRZEgSq_ft6rY3SCeaWPg0p_5hx6G60IFbU6MGkHClSXwHqP6aylWic/s1600/DryingMeat.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drying Meat on a Hurdle. Circa 1900.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A similar myth to this one claims that barbecue the food and cooking technique originated in the Caribbean and was imported into North Carolina where it spread to the rest of the South. That tired, old myth is engrained in so many poorly researched barbecue TV shows and magazine articles that it is a tough one to dislodge. However, just because it is often repeated doesn't make it true. I will tackle that myth in my next "Barbecue Myths" post.<br />
<br />
<b>Read more in<i> Virginia Barbecue: A History.</i></b>Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-10609016318047749862018-01-12T21:43:00.001-05:002018-05-30T08:07:44.267-04:00Delicious Virginia-style Barbecue Brisket Recipe<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #1d2129; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
Virginians have been barbecuing beef since at least 1645. That's no less than 35 years before the first Spanish colony was established in Texas.</div>
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If Texans think they are the only ones who know how to expertly barbecue beef, as Yoda would say, "No, there is another."</div>
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Here is an authentic, Virginia-style barbecued brisket recipe that's easy to barbecue at home and delicious.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JSNZbA9XfPQAzYqUaBJTZ-U3Kwx4q4fGhH-OnrSS5cT_53zI_K0W3GrXG-kNgkOxnrSqFk2KtStocnceZFfNIxb6UQtNSXUZOBhKTac4WibNdTK5dRDsAo1waQw2aIlKDhjznLZe5UM/s1600/Brisky.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="916" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JSNZbA9XfPQAzYqUaBJTZ-U3Kwx4q4fGhH-OnrSS5cT_53zI_K0W3GrXG-kNgkOxnrSqFk2KtStocnceZFfNIxb6UQtNSXUZOBhKTac4WibNdTK5dRDsAo1waQw2aIlKDhjznLZe5UM/s640/Brisky.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-68191640798821668782017-09-16T11:06:00.003-04:002017-09-18T08:31:52.809-04:00Texas Barbecue Myths – Part 2 of 2<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This is part 2 of the post <i>Texas Barbecue Myths</i>. For <i>Texas Barbecue Myths – Part 1</i> – <a href="http://ocbarbecue.blogspot.com/2017/09/texas-barbecue-myths-part-1-of-2.html" target="_blank">Click Here</a>.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b>Myth #5 – Texas-style Barbecue must be Cooked Low and Slow</b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">If you do an Internet search on Texas-style barbecue brisket
recipes, you’d think that Texans have nothing to do all day and night but tend
a barbecue smoker. Numerous recipes tell the reader that the “proper” way to
barbecue a brisket is to do so at low-and-slow temperatures for upwards of 12
to 18 hours. The truth of the matter is, some of the most famous barbecue
restaurants in Texas take no more than 5 hours to barbecue a brisket. In fact,
some very famous restaurants there “barbecue” their briskets with temperatures
as high as 600 degrees. Aaron Franklin of Franklin’s Barbecue in Austin has
given several temperatures for barbecuing brisket over the years but all of
them are in the 275- to 326-degree range.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5HKIQ8-ej2r0GP8OaHQQgBswKt9Zgaa4IOnEUxKlnlVf1HkgGwdYl4rLJu2vJ_UtSRWXxhLYTq3pg1F2BsNv5uo-xMKLmZOaGc_jQEHM902Yg4RfUvyMlUbtgP_ILWreBgxPJNF7GVXE/s1600/Smittys+Pit.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="557" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5HKIQ8-ej2r0GP8OaHQQgBswKt9Zgaa4IOnEUxKlnlVf1HkgGwdYl4rLJu2vJ_UtSRWXxhLYTq3pg1F2BsNv5uo-xMKLmZOaGc_jQEHM902Yg4RfUvyMlUbtgP_ILWreBgxPJNF7GVXE/s320/Smittys+Pit.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
The glorious barbecue smoker at Smitty's Barbecue</div>
<div>
that greets you when you come through the back door.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">If you think about it, it is kind of ridiculous to take 12
hours to cook a 10-pound cut of beef especially when you consider the fact that
an entire hog or side of beef can be perfectly barbecued in 8 hours. If you are
cooking 25 briskets, perhaps the extra time is needed. If you are cooking one at
a time like we do at home, perhaps we should rethink what “low and slow”
actually means in terms of cooking barbecue. Some of the greats in Texas
certainly have.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b>Myth #6 – Brisket is the Hardest Cut to Barbecue</b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">People who believe that brisket is the toughest cut of meat
to barbecue have never tried to barbecue venison, beef round (a Virginia thing),
beef shoulder (also a Virginia thing) or a whole hog (also a Virginia thing). The famous Texas barbecue
cook Walter Jetton didn’t believe that brisket was the hardest meat to
barbecue. In fact, he used to recommend the cut to people without experience
cooking barbecue because, according to Jetton, “it’s a self-basting cut.” (from
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook</i>)</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5rFhzUAcoUZ3JYC5XB7JVcQP29xrjN_UmiRm5g9nKzDEuFBq20vUnW2Ftd2GaB29ptATc-Yi-bigOoTOGKJBNA66WaSOFChTw4ju-v3-kZWsLGsA1qwe_aU4M9AHzu2K09bdXIXAyaM/s1600/Kreuz2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="572" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5rFhzUAcoUZ3JYC5XB7JVcQP29xrjN_UmiRm5g9nKzDEuFBq20vUnW2Ftd2GaB29ptATc-Yi-bigOoTOGKJBNA66WaSOFChTw4ju-v3-kZWsLGsA1qwe_aU4M9AHzu2K09bdXIXAyaM/s200/Kreuz2.PNG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brisket being served at Kreuz Market.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">In my opinion, one of the reasons people fail so often when
barbecuing brisket is the plethora of ridiculous instructions found on the
Internet. When someone instructs you to barbecue a 10 pound brisket for 12
hours at 200 degrees, it should raise a big, red flag. That sounds more like a
beef jerky recipe to me than a barbecue recipe. It’s not the cut of meat that makes it so difficult, it’s
all of the bad barbecue cooking methods floating around.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Not only is brisket not the hardest meat to barbecue, it’s
also not the tastiest. Though a well barbecued brisket is delicious (think John
Lewis Barbecue in Charleston), so is well barbecued pork, chicken, round roast
and chuck. I think that many Texas barbecue restaurant owners, deep down
inside, know that. That’s why so many are now resorting to cooking prime grade
brisket. At least one famous Texas barbecue restaurant, Killen’s Barbecue in
Houston, cooks Wagyu brisket that they sell for $30.00 per pound while claiming
that they make no profit from it at all. If you have to resort to the highest
price grade of meat for barbecue (where the tradition is to turn low quality
cuts into a delicacy) to make the barbecue delicious, perhaps that cut of meat
isn’t so great tasting to begin with.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b>Myth #7 – Texas Barbecue is the Best Barbecue in the World</b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">How many times have you read a review of barbecue in Texas
and it included some kind of outrageous statement such as, “Texas barbecue is
the best in the world!” When I read things like that I think one of two things:
either the writer is actually a salesperson masquerading as a writer or the
person writing the review hasn’t eaten much barbecue in their life. The truth
is, you can find very tasty and exceptional barbecue in Texas. However, you can
find very tasty and exceptional barbecue in Kansas City, Virginia, South
Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky and a slew of other
places. To claim that Texas barbecue is the best in the world is a far-fetched
fantasy. To be correct, I’d say that some Texas barbecue is among the best in
the world. But, I’d say the same about South Carolina and Virginia. That’s a
fact-based statement that recognizes the succulent barbecue in those states
while leaving room for other places like Texas to also have delicious barbecue.
It’s truth, not salesmanship or myth.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b>The Truth About Texas Barbecue. What’s Really Unique about It?</b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The truth about Texas barbecue is that there are very few
things about it that are unique. Like some Californians, some Texans cook
“barbecue” by burying it in holes after wrapping it in burlap. Like
Californians, some Texans also claim to be able to barbecue steaks (west Texas
barbecue). Texans barbecue brisket much like people in Kansas City barbecue it.
The barbecue sauces in Texas aren’t much different from the sauces you find all
around the South. Serving barbecue with only a vinegary hot sauce on the side
as they do at Kreuz isn’t confined to Texas. It’s done in North Carolina, too
and is probably more of a “North Carolina thing” than a “Texas thing.” Rubs
made with only salt and pepper are old hat in Virginia. King’s Barbecue in
Petersburg has been in business for 70 years. They serve delicious Virginia-style
barbecued beef (not briskets) that they season with a rub made with only salt
and pepper. Texans cook their barbecue using white oak (called post oak in
Texas and in Virginia for as long as I can remember) just like many southerners.
There is even a district in my county in Virginia named Post Oak. My Mother's family is from an area named White Oak.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It’s also a centuries old tradition in the South to eat barbecue with your
fingers. That’s not just a “Texas thing” and was a “Virginia thing” and a
“North Carolina thing” for well over 200 years before it ever became a “Texas
thing.” Barbecue served on butcher paper has also been done outside of Texas
for a long time. Barbecue restaurants and stands in Kansas City have been
serving barbecue on or wrapped in butcher paper at least as far back as the
late 19<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century when the Father of Kansas City barbecue Henry
Perry opened his barbecue stand.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Texas lacks its own barbecue stew. Virginia has Brunswick
stew. South Carolina has barbecue hash. Texas lacks a defining barbecue sauce
flavor profile. Eastern North Carolina has its undiluted vinegar with salt and
peppers. Virginia has its spiced sauces of the central region and the tangy
sauces with a hint of mustard in the southside. Texas lacks a true brisket
burnt ends tradition like that found in Kansas City. When I visit Texas, I miss
barbecue sandwiches with coleslaw on them. The lack of these things is not
necessarily a bad thing; it’s a Texas thing.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">One of the most unique things about Texas barbecue is a
popular magazine that devotes reams of paper, gallons of ink and uncountable
numbers of electrons producing lavish and glowing praise on barbecue found in
the state or at least in one part of Texas. Texas is a huge state but it only
has four barbecue styles found in four regions: Eastern Texas with its
southern-style barbecue, Central Texas with its butcher shop-style barbecue, South
Texas with its Mexican-style barbacoa, and the cowboy ‘que of West Texas.
However, all of the styles of barbecue found in Texas are mostly ignored by the
“press” except central Texas-style barbecue. One wonders why there is a
noticeable lack of pride in the other styles. I have some ideas about it but
they are for another post.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPxEfvoCWIwFwq8XPo9K83pel0qnrB3HbjR4jt980IGsGn90S3HkuCD62OWiq9sa4G2HyadYzlEpQiWFoAeoMgTQ-w4L_hV8uJrYCvX2DWjV1sCuWa4CZ1GizxJqkFWA685HLzLrWw8g/s1600/Snows3.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="708" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPxEfvoCWIwFwq8XPo9K83pel0qnrB3HbjR4jt980IGsGn90S3HkuCD62OWiq9sa4G2HyadYzlEpQiWFoAeoMgTQ-w4L_hV8uJrYCvX2DWjV1sCuWa4CZ1GizxJqkFWA685HLzLrWw8g/s320/Snows3.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pork "steaks" at Snow's Barbecue.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Some in Texas like to cut pork butts into three sections before
barbecuing them. They call them “pork steaks” (Snow’s in Lexington does this).
When I tried them, though tasty, they weren’t exactly pull tender. Though the
sauce served at The Salt Lick is tangy reflecting its Alabama roots, many Texas-style
barbecue sauces lack a pronounced tanginess. In North Carolina, some there use
what’s pretty much undiluted vinegar. In Virginia, we like to tame the vinegar just
a little with “spicy condiments” such as Worcestershire, mustard or tomato
sauce. Many Texas-style barbecue sauce makers tame the vinegar so much it’s
hard to tell it’s there. Perhaps, it isn’t.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Another unique feature that you can find in some Texas
barbecue restaurants is the barbecue pit with an open fire at the end. The
first time I walked through the backdoor at Smitty’s Barbecue in Lockhart, I
was amazed, thrilled and mildly shocked to see an open fire at my feet situated
at the end of a barbecue pit with no fence, walls or other safety barrier to
prevent someone from stumbling into it. I don’t know of any other state that
would allow such a thing due to safety regulations. Even so, to me, the pits at
Smitty’s barbecue are nothing less than national treasures and shrines to
barbecue history. That’s a true Texas barbecue thing.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I’m all for enjoying Texas-style barbecue. When it’s done right,
it is delicious. However, I refuse to close my eyes and blindly accept the
Texas barbecue myths that are so blatantly spread nowadays by slick writers and
over-enthusiastic TV hosts. As they say, "Everything is bigger in Texas" and that includes their barbecue myths.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><i>Texas Barbecue Myths – Part 1</i> – <a href="http://ocbarbecue.blogspot.com/2017/09/texas-barbecue-myths-part-1-of-2.html" target="_blank">Click here</a>.</span></div>
Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-88248534162504174942017-09-16T11:05:00.000-04:002017-09-18T08:40:45.024-04:00Texas Barbecue Myths – Part 1 of 2<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This is part 1 of the 2 part post <i><b>Texas Barbecue Myth</b>s</i>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">For <b><i>Texas Barbecue Myths – Part 2</i> – <a href="http://ocbarbecue.blogspot.com/2017/09/texas-barbecue-myths-part-2-of-2.html" target="_blank">Click Here</a>.</b></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I often hear people say something like, “I like my brisket
Texas-style seasoned only with salt and pepper, cooked low and slow and served
without sauce because my barbecue has nothing to hide.” Though the message is
conveyed with relatively few words, it’s an encyclopedia of innuendo, backhanded
insults and, frankly, ignorance of barbecue as it exists in Texas. Such a
statement goes to show just how far today’s shallow, barbecue themed TV shows
and drive-by magazine articles have dumbed down people’s knowledge of barbecue.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Though there is more information about barbecue available
nowadays than ever in the history of the world, thanks to the Internet, TV, magazines,
books and newspapers, some of the popularized portions of that “knowledge” are nothing
more than half-truths and downright falsehoods. The worst part is the fact that
too many writers with amplified outlets lazily take turns regurgitating faulty
information and echoing each other’s errors ad nauseam. Sadly, the old adage,
“A lie travels around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes”
is still true; so is the old adage, “If you repeatedly tell a lie, people will
come to believe it.” All of the false information about barbecue available
today is a witness to the truth of those old sayings.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So, what’s the truth about Texas barbecue? Is barbecue only
seasoned with salt and pepper uniquely Texan? Is sauced barbecue shunned in
Texas? Is barbecue supposed to be wrapped in butcher paper? Is brisket really a
difficult cut of meat to barbecue? Doesn’t everyone “who knows what they are
doing” barbecue a brisket for 12 to 18 hours? What about barbecued sausage? Let’s
turn off the echo chamber of monkey-see-monkey-do writers and examine the
facts.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b>Myth #1 - Texas-Style Barbecue is Seasoned Only with Salt
and Black Pepper</b></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUMRh8k1BhXRPzTrdz4Thv2OLZNhrNXLPGDhfwB3L21GHT2b975MQDsUdAk_205xc4tsHbvS9kNRJRtOsIW4I7Q6Q4hOI-LZ1jBU9N5HC8rIIfHPfli7bAwkQAqmNDczZwS0SCzAiK8w/s1600/Blacks+Rub.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="261" data-original-width="241" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUMRh8k1BhXRPzTrdz4Thv2OLZNhrNXLPGDhfwB3L21GHT2b975MQDsUdAk_205xc4tsHbvS9kNRJRtOsIW4I7Q6Q4hOI-LZ1jBU9N5HC8rIIfHPfli7bAwkQAqmNDczZwS0SCzAiK8w/s200/Blacks+Rub.PNG" width="184" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black's Barbecue Rub.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I know of only one place in Texas that MIGHT season its
barbecue with only salt and black pepper. The majority use additional
ingredients including sugar. Kreuz (pronounced Kr<span style="margin: 0px;">ī</span>tes) Market in Lockhart uses
salt, pepper and cayenne. The same is true of the rub at the Salt Lick in
Driftwood. Black’s Barbecue in Lockhart uses additional ingredients in their
rub including what looks like red pepper flakes (much like a Virginia-style
rub).</span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">However, beyond the rub, Texans add other things to season
their barbecue through the use of mops, spritzes and bastes. The people at
Snow’s barbecue in Lexington season their barbecue with salt and pepper; some
claim that they have also spotted some red pepper flakes. They add other
seasonings to the barbecue when they baste it. Snow’s pit masters mop their
barbecue as it cooks with a liquid that includes seasonings such as
Worcestershire sauce, citrus juice, onions, oil and vinegar. There is much
fanfare over Aaron Franklin’s claim that he only seasons his briskets with salt
and pepper. But then, he spritzes the briskets as they cook with an amber
colored liquid that is yet to be revealed. Unless <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwtEkSa_L2ijwO8C7zIIZD0XOMWi4h9JQSkiKFsO_Xrw2r7d3kMKmJQx0J1LZKaussNcwIv-tPA4EkvjjC6-63GtGVPt7cTiZgSpbu324Uu8gH62rCPJVKiLPnoSa_rwFtnLWY80prBqs/s1600/Snows.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="525" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwtEkSa_L2ijwO8C7zIIZD0XOMWi4h9JQSkiKFsO_Xrw2r7d3kMKmJQx0J1LZKaussNcwIv-tPA4EkvjjC6-63GtGVPt7cTiZgSpbu324Uu8gH62rCPJVKiLPnoSa_rwFtnLWY80prBqs/s200/Snows.PNG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
The pot of mop in the background</div>
<div>
with Tootsie Tomanetz at Snow's</div>
<div>
Barbecue.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
there is some secret liquid
salt and pepper in Texas, something more is being used to season the barbecue. John
Lewis grew up in El Paso and honed his Texas barbecue cooking skills at
Franklin Barbecue in Austin for 2 ½ years. He flat out stated, <a href="https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/interview-john-lewis-of-la-barbecue/" target="_blank">“I’ve never cooked a brisket in my life whether it be at La Barbecue, at Franklin Barbecue or on the competition circuit with just salt and pepper.”</a> Mopping and spritzing
adds seasonings and flavor to the barbecue and the use of a seasoning liquid
during the cooking process invalidates the claim that “only salt and black pepper”
is used to season the barbecue cooked “Texas-style.”</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b>Myth #2 - Texas Barbecue Doesn’t Need Sauce</b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifgpF2dlEfAfP1Hq1gzy76EYR04hubbFq_U88KzQ7Ug2DsrDdqVT_kPmYUVD-FrzkXgY_VukgVAGfEHEAGTS-HrJju7bJaAwNF-8EEHclnvYHFK9iAJVlQkW-U0RVqqcRwQpQukLVUOio/s1600/Kreuz+Sign.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="432" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifgpF2dlEfAfP1Hq1gzy76EYR04hubbFq_U88KzQ7Ug2DsrDdqVT_kPmYUVD-FrzkXgY_VukgVAGfEHEAGTS-HrJju7bJaAwNF-8EEHclnvYHFK9iAJVlQkW-U0RVqqcRwQpQukLVUOio/s200/Kreuz+Sign.PNG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
The famous sign that greets</div>
<div>
customers at Kreuz Market.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Apparently, everyone, except Texans, knows that Texas-style
barbecue shouldn’t be served with sauce. Writing about barbecue in Texas in
1937, a reporter for a Dallas newspaper wrote, "Good <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QGjwRXUcWBalv6yL3A8hdrRePjseVV-ihrC25HLohigSevcugegOhjY26WiUVVB0qHUUBoK5J2A2rt6pu1tih7ihVU9Ks832GLRvagCVuTBokLjiWM03LV-L34nJQp64ieWeUbMKXzo/s1600/Blacks.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="622" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QGjwRXUcWBalv6yL3A8hdrRePjseVV-ihrC25HLohigSevcugegOhjY26WiUVVB0qHUUBoK5J2A2rt6pu1tih7ihVU9Ks832GLRvagCVuTBokLjiWM03LV-L34nJQp64ieWeUbMKXzo/s200/Blacks.PNG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sauce for sale at Black's Barbecue.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
barbecue requires
much sauce." He went on to describe the Texas-style barbecue sauce that
was made with vinegar, hot water, melted butter, sometimes rendered beef suet,
salt, black pepper, red pepper, tomato ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, onions
and thickened with flour. The writer concluded, "It is useless to ask a
Texan for a barbecue sauce recipe in small amounts." That hasn’t changed
to this day. If you’ve ever been to Texas and eaten at a barbecue restaurant
there, you know that Texans love their barbecue sauces. The stuff is on display
at barbecue restaurants there like precious jewels. In fact, I know of NO
barbecue restaurant in Texas that doesn’t serve sauce with its barbecue. That’s
right, there is NO restaurant in Texas that doesn’t serve sauce with its
barbecue; NONE.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheXo69gAs6Tcn_-DQ_Xafe7xlzNdwcKiFxHxG3cw-3zdCkKgzO9YeZ5LMPtVAwvGdabwKg6ikIgutsr3BIFzpY_Xkn2YEjsqbQVs7J96EWgx0hq-LCx7y8_UY_a_1wkCJ-BIxdSyK9dNo/s1600/IronWorks.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="597" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheXo69gAs6Tcn_-DQ_Xafe7xlzNdwcKiFxHxG3cw-3zdCkKgzO9YeZ5LMPtVAwvGdabwKg6ikIgutsr3BIFzpY_Xkn2YEjsqbQVs7J96EWgx0hq-LCx7y8_UY_a_1wkCJ-BIxdSyK9dNo/s200/IronWorks.PNG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
Barbecue Sauce for sale at</div>
<div>
Iron Works BBQ in Austin.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Apparently, we have Kreuz Market to thank for the Texas no-barbecue-sauce
myth. Kreuz Market has a sign hanging in the restaurant with the words “NO
BARBECUE SAUCE (NOTHING TO HIDE).” That sign has a lot to do with the myth that
Texas barbecue isn’t eaten with sauce on it. Even so, Kreuz Market does serve
sauce with its barbecue. I’ve had their barbecue topped with it. The way they
skirt the issue is by calling the sauce in the bottles on their tables hot
sauce. However, the sauce is meant to be put on their barbecue which makes it a
barbecue sauce regardless of what they choose to call it. Further, the families
behind Smitty’s and Kreuz Market (both in Lockhart) opened a restaurant near
Austin. Squeeze bottles full of barbecue sauce are prominent features on the
tables. At the famed “Cathedral of Smoke,” Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor,
Texas, they serve a sauce that’s made with such ingredients as tomato ketchup, high
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvhk-V5Hz2Gg3nXPC6saNSaFtl_EMbQ4yYEU7og1ap-OZXPstgonxjdX87p8QsZMAXxEL_d4FXaywUGRgkocSy8OuftNttaohlsJzXvMoSxlLJ6BM5ZHQ996NWzyjvIfVEEjbNukbWBP8/s1600/Kreuz.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="459" data-original-width="603" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvhk-V5Hz2Gg3nXPC6saNSaFtl_EMbQ4yYEU7og1ap-OZXPstgonxjdX87p8QsZMAXxEL_d4FXaywUGRgkocSy8OuftNttaohlsJzXvMoSxlLJ6BM5ZHQ996NWzyjvIfVEEjbNukbWBP8/s320/Kreuz.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
Barbecue served at Kreuz Market with</div>
<div>
sauce bottle in upper right corner.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
fructose corn syrup, MSG, sugar and molasses. Interestingly, black pepper and salt
are the last two items listed in the ingredients indicating that the quantity
of those two is the smallest. Two interesting omissions are jalapeno and cumin.
Aren’t they unique Texas ingredients? John Mueller, protégé of the famous Louie
Mueller, has been known to dress his pork ribs using a sweet sauce made with
Italian dressing and Karo syrup. That’s real Texas barbecue; or is it Italian
barbecue being cooked in Texas? When I was served barbecue at The Salt Lick in
Driftwood, Texas, it came with barbecue sauce drizzled over it.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQTM1nJe_fJn0UEuy9vPVSBt2o_vLGSEahB7R7GRxKj54XZtrg_uALLxXFP41SXBYe10Xhh_8nufuzBPX1uw2Acb9bFiPpOVBiuOebdEGoP5DlJXYJVJR8BkTicR0Uy-CRW28cEUA_ZI/s1600/Salt-Lick.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="700" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQTM1nJe_fJn0UEuy9vPVSBt2o_vLGSEahB7R7GRxKj54XZtrg_uALLxXFP41SXBYe10Xhh_8nufuzBPX1uw2Acb9bFiPpOVBiuOebdEGoP5DlJXYJVJR8BkTicR0Uy-CRW28cEUA_ZI/s320/Salt-Lick.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
Barbecue slathered with sauce served by</div>
<div>
The Salt Lick in Driftwood, TX.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Regarding the “nothing to hide” remark about barbecue sauce,
apparently, according to people who hold to that philosophy, every barbecue
restaurant in Texas has something to hide. However, in truth, serving barbecue
sauce on the side is a long-held tradition in the United States that goes back
to at least the earliest years of the 19<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Barbecue served with sauce on the side rather than on the barbecue is not merely a
“Texas thing.” Many places in the United States serve barbecue with sauce on the side and have done so for a long time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Actually, barbecue sauce isn’t a bad thing. Barbecue sauce can
complement the flavor of barbecue in several ways. It can intensify the flavor of the meat, introduce a counterpoint flavor (vinegar countering the
richness of the meat, for example), and, as every competition barbecue cook
knows, sauce can enhance barbecue’s appearance.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfIXXC7ny15t39ofKBqws-lrXJ4VO0kZ3w9ZclvJNyEHPv-uG5tx35XbAkMkPeaTJPf2P4rNfIqBSs4JHw5EVQbd7bGddFf2ha7wwqJY9Uh8LnrmbZtwhlBEMkRuQXZdbmW0jTjIuoIo/s1600/Smittys.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="516" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfIXXC7ny15t39ofKBqws-lrXJ4VO0kZ3w9ZclvJNyEHPv-uG5tx35XbAkMkPeaTJPf2P4rNfIqBSs4JHw5EVQbd7bGddFf2ha7wwqJY9Uh8LnrmbZtwhlBEMkRuQXZdbmW0jTjIuoIo/s200/Smittys.PNG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
Barbecue Sauce served at Smitty's</div>
<div>
Barbecue in Lockhart.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Some variations of southern barbecue have sauce mixed into
the meat, other styles call for it to be served on the side. I’m all for it and
so are Texans. If you want to cook “real” Texas-style barbecue, fill up that
sauce bottle and serve it with the barbecue. Otherwise, your “Texas” brisket is
a poser. In Virginia, many old-time barbecue restaurants not only serve delicious barbecue with the sauce on the side, they don’t even put a barbecue rub on the meat
before barbecuing it. That makes it a “Virginia thing,” doesn’t it? So, let’s
put this Texas no-sauce myth to bed for good.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b>Myth #3 – Texas-style Barbecued Sausage</b></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bZ5PyRx5rJtMMfw4-HbXas3PRaPhw2Q1AC_V7xwkTm9esfKg61ihEKIqDlHuBDcZz9Tym6a-G2hJ_wZ5Y6iC8PlaqGwq_ZxtXLMjR_F47LNMguZknx2Mwr5WQaIvCVWWjcXknYfpdO0/s1600/Snows+Smoke+Roaster.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="670" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bZ5PyRx5rJtMMfw4-HbXas3PRaPhw2Q1AC_V7xwkTm9esfKg61ihEKIqDlHuBDcZz9Tym6a-G2hJ_wZ5Y6iC8PlaqGwq_ZxtXLMjR_F47LNMguZknx2Mwr5WQaIvCVWWjcXknYfpdO0/s320/Snows+Smoke+Roaster.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The smoke roaster at Snow's Barbecue.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Texas-style horizontal barbecue smokers may cook what we
call today good barbecue, but they are relatively new devices that only started
showing up in Texas around the 1950s. Cooking meat in them is more of a
roast-smoking technique than a traditional southern barbecuing technique. The
Texas horizontal cookers are a major contributor of the origin of the custom of calling a
smoke roaster a barbecue smoker. As a result, central Texas-style barbecue is
not a traditional southern-style of barbecue.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2l_IExweZziOs29HkpxaodLdJmXpU18_WQtxCWqsUeRxejnQfaA6uzWsY3432CXftb9HMD4jhmsz9g0E1eO5vdqN45s0NtF6hq9xGw19Gd_l22lhoJnkUUxBX-cPhhcYjvTtDDBvfx4/s1600/Franklin.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="573" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2l_IExweZziOs29HkpxaodLdJmXpU18_WQtxCWqsUeRxejnQfaA6uzWsY3432CXftb9HMD4jhmsz9g0E1eO5vdqN45s0NtF6hq9xGw19Gd_l22lhoJnkUUxBX-cPhhcYjvTtDDBvfx4/s200/Franklin.PNG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
"Barbecued" sausage at Franklin</div>
<div>
Barbecue in Austin.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Traditional southern barbecue isn’t cooked with indirect
heat or in a “smokehouse.” Traditional southern barbecue is cooked while being suspended directly
over a pit filled with hot coals (not flames). A smokehouse is used to smoke Virginia ham and
bacon. Smoked meat in Virginia is a very different thing than barbecued meat. That’s
why old school barbecue joints in Virginia and North Carolina advertise their
“pit cooked” barbecue rather than their “smoked barbecue.”</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Like backyard “barbecuers,” Texans claim to be able to
barbecue sausages. We can’t do that in Virginia. Neither can North </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Carolinians.
We can smoke roast them, braise them or grill them, but not barbecue them. Hot
dogs are sausages and they can’t be barbecued any more than Texas hot links can
be barbecued. Texans smoke roast their sausages and some there use temperatures
above 400 degrees Fahrenheit to do so and they call those sausages “barbecue” just
like some New Yorkers call their grilled hot dogs “barbecue.“</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b>Myth #4 – Texas-style Barbecued Brisket Must be Wrapped in
Butcher Paper</b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7nCjo38R5ShqaPX6q3HlMqm3YnI5v8tZfTdSpDn-8zWj9OOwanOkyxrYEWENyq9TkgRzJL8dpiPAVbrL3zWwaZqr0RgUhwmpIHru8GzTwooZr4KxnvPXZkPmzdStcOYchIINZMdETdo/s1600/Snows+Foil.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><br /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7nCjo38R5ShqaPX6q3HlMqm3YnI5v8tZfTdSpDn-8zWj9OOwanOkyxrYEWENyq9TkgRzJL8dpiPAVbrL3zWwaZqr0RgUhwmpIHru8GzTwooZr4KxnvPXZkPmzdStcOYchIINZMdETdo/s1600/Snows+Foil.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="705" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7nCjo38R5ShqaPX6q3HlMqm3YnI5v8tZfTdSpDn-8zWj9OOwanOkyxrYEWENyq9TkgRzJL8dpiPAVbrL3zWwaZqr0RgUhwmpIHru8GzTwooZr4KxnvPXZkPmzdStcOYchIINZMdETdo/s200/Snows+Foil.PNG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
Barbecue at Snow's Barbecue</div>
<div>
wrapped in foil.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Someone please tell Tootsie Tomanetz that Texas-style
brisket must be wrapped in butcher paper while barbecuing it. Ms. Tomanetz is
the pit master at Snow’s Barbecue in Lexington. She is an expert who has cooked
barbecue in Texas for 50 years. Snow’s barbecue was named the best barbecue in
Texas back in 2008 and still today routinely shows up in top-5 and top-10 lists
of Texas barbecue restaurants. Ms. Tomanetz wraps her award-winning brisket in
aluminum foil while it cooks. The people at Black’s Barbecue do the same thing.
There is a reason why </span><br />
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</div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">aluminum foil is known as “the Texas crutch” and butcher
paper isn’t. Both are crutches but foil is the crutch of choice in Texas just
as it is everywhere else in the country. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;"><b>For <i>Texas Barbecue Myths – Part 2</i> – <a href="http://ocbarbecue.blogspot.com/2017/09/texas-barbecue-myths-part-2-of-2.html" target="_blank">Click Here</a>.</b></span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span>Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-21611146736299255522017-09-12T08:17:00.002-04:002017-09-12T08:17:41.628-04:00Just About Everything You Don't Know about the History of Barbecue and Brunswick Stew<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56pc38Qs6v5OiOoxsGnUrYlvTl2sFNB7IIvx7A8q82-b87MGbsQkWFk9gPuOJr9pfywoypy8Wx8bbwjHJGa4RaMv_x0W8Ig7q1WZemSGtUzVf4IXQS_LPPSqtkwoAd_QQueI1hGQMHJE/s1600/BBQ+%2526+Stew+Books.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56pc38Qs6v5OiOoxsGnUrYlvTl2sFNB7IIvx7A8q82-b87MGbsQkWFk9gPuOJr9pfywoypy8Wx8bbwjHJGa4RaMv_x0W8Ig7q1WZemSGtUzVf4IXQS_LPPSqtkwoAd_QQueI1hGQMHJE/s640/BBQ+%2526+Stew+Books.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://tinyurl.com/yd226mjf" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/joseph+r.+haynes/_/N-8q8?_requestid=51213" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a><br />
<br />Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-46870936084475616482017-07-23T11:33:00.000-04:002017-09-12T08:13:03.349-04:00Brunswick Stew: A Virginia Tradition - Coming in October 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2kd0njqZNNGsdfiQjcR-5FFvyPmovqiEY42mDvMZYthhLvO5m-lvoV6SDoARLjvmm3N6U3HP3x10IvfdwJQX2GzDrdMxnCzPHiRyew0BjH5zN84q74D6BvwvBcmVG6t5oX1kry7XdRGg/s1600/Brunswick+Stew+Book+Preorder+Flyer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1600" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2kd0njqZNNGsdfiQjcR-5FFvyPmovqiEY42mDvMZYthhLvO5m-lvoV6SDoARLjvmm3N6U3HP3x10IvfdwJQX2GzDrdMxnCzPHiRyew0BjH5zN84q74D6BvwvBcmVG6t5oX1kry7XdRGg/s640/Brunswick+Stew+Book+Preorder+Flyer.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-16586184526139646722017-06-17T17:36:00.004-04:002017-06-17T23:17:52.376-04:00Sweet Tasting No-sugar and Low-sugar Virginia-style Barbecue Sauces<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1fgMNtiugDPfRSZArAT0_K6Cs3_nN6xIhSbe1s4Q5Hh6wE8dFhijc2_u7Slz92F9XXcOJztV_WJS4izlKGpD5DOIbOSH8g_SSgrI7-vcjAnEtxYykzfsZkpBrDSVFobIg5zRotJa2to/s1600/Sauces.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="781" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1fgMNtiugDPfRSZArAT0_K6Cs3_nN6xIhSbe1s4Q5Hh6wE8dFhijc2_u7Slz92F9XXcOJztV_WJS4izlKGpD5DOIbOSH8g_SSgrI7-vcjAnEtxYykzfsZkpBrDSVFobIg5zRotJa2to/s400/Sauces.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No-sugar Shack Sauce, Low-sugar NOVA Sauce, Low-sugar Central-VA Sauce</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At around the turn of the 20th century, sugar prices were affordable and manufacturers figured out that the sweet stuff makes just about everything taste better. Though controversial among barbecue purists in those days, increasing amounts of sugar were beginning to be added to barbecue sauces.
<br />
<br />
Nowadays, the most popular commercial barbecue sauces are extremely sweet often including high fructose corn syrup, honey, brown sugar and molasses. Many people have developed a taste for sweet barbecue sauces but due to dietary changes for losing weight or other health reasons, they have had to give them up. If you are one of those people, here are some suggestions for sweet barbecue sauce recipes that you might find suitable. One of these Virginia-style barbecue sauces is tangy rather than sweet and contains no sugar or sweeteners. The other two sauces are sweet, low-sugar or no-sugar variations of Virginia-style sauces.<br />
<br />
The first sauce is my extremely popular Shackleford Pounds barbecue sauce, or "Shack sauce" for short. This barbecue sauce was inspired by a 19th-century Virginia barbecue cook named Shackleford Pounds who lived in Pittsylvania, Virginia. You can read about his amazing story in my book <i>Virginia Barbecue: A History</i>. It is in the southside Virginia-style of sauce and contains no sugar whatsoever. You can find the recipe by <a href="http://ocbarbecue.blogspot.com/2013/04/old-virginia-barbecue-sauce-recipe.html">clicking here</a>.<br />
<br />
The second sauce is of the the Northern Virginia-style. It is a low-sugar alternative to the sweeter sauces found in that region of Virginia that also contain fruit.<br />
<br />
Low-sugar NOVA Barbecue Sauce<br />
<br />
1/2 Cup Shack Sauce<br />
1/2 Cup Low Sugar Ketchup<br />
3 Tablespoons No Sugar Added Peach or Apple Jelly<br />
Splash of Worcestershire Sauce<br />
Juice of 1/2 a Lemon<br />
Stevia to taste (optional)<br />
<br />
Add all ingredients to a saucepan except the lemon juice. Whisk while heating over low heat. Do not boil. Heat the sauce while whisking it long enough for the jelly to melt. When the jelly has melted into the sauce, remove from the heat. Add the lemon juice and mix well. If you use artificial sweeteners, optionally you can add Stevia (or your favorite artificial sweetener) to taste.<br />
<br />
The third sauce is a low-sugar sauce similar to what you will find in central Virginia.<br />
<br />
Low-sugar Central Virginia Barbecue Sauce<br />
<br />
1/2 Cup Shack Sauce<br />
1/2 Cup Walden Farms Balsamic Vinaigrette<br />
1/4 Cup Low-sugar or No-sugar Ketchup (optional)<br />
3 Tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce<br />
Juice of 1/2 a Lemon<br />
Stevia to taste<br />
<br />
Mix all ingredients well. Add Stevia (or your favorite artificial sweetener) to taste.Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-66995897527867580512017-06-13T07:35:00.002-04:002017-06-13T07:40:39.645-04:00King's Barbecue in Petersburg, Virginia: 70 years of Virginia-Style BBQ<iframe height="300" src="https://mcp-media12.cdn.anvato.net/wric/299/16/12/30/1201356/1201356_BC01945ED7EA4DAC80F644DCC1D1CFE5_161230_1201356__MadeInRVA__King_s_Barbecue_600.mp4" width="100%">
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<br />
<br />
King's Barbecue in Petersburg, Virginia, is celebrating 70 years of Virginia-style barbecue excellence. <a href="https://wric.com/2016/12/30/madeinrva-kings-barbecue-celebrates-70-years-in-petersburg/">Read more at WRIC's website here</a>.Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-85871642666434411222017-06-11T09:39:00.000-04:002017-06-11T09:39:00.825-04:00Virginia Barbecue and the Big Green Egg - Match Made in Heaven<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcRZv1lRhlHI89Le-Va5D_1GIbas54cJqQSRV8sIAwD8oybBrCKy9SxNUGJSnaofpH9UzX6w-ilGMJ9ixWAQUXKeCH6BN_b1YI0Dy2OC1sCwI2u-aLuqTX-uhyphenhypheniYHj-lky-WXK1KO6Ens/s1600/BGE-VABBQ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcRZv1lRhlHI89Le-Va5D_1GIbas54cJqQSRV8sIAwD8oybBrCKy9SxNUGJSnaofpH9UzX6w-ilGMJ9ixWAQUXKeCH6BN_b1YI0Dy2OC1sCwI2u-aLuqTX-uhyphenhypheniYHj-lky-WXK1KO6Ens/s640/BGE-VABBQ.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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You can cook some mighty fine Virginia-style barbecue on a Big Green Egg. If you need recipes, browse the archives and pick up a copy of the book <i>Virginia Barbecue: A History</i> available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and local booksellers.Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-77814702617106886262017-05-28T09:16:00.004-04:002017-05-28T18:21:12.856-04:00Memorial Day, 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-Be0XgkYVBAjz7zdl5Wm72SpfQlqfGfjstJSFnqvqKoQRPblGpbqSlbii-oARnX0mUbc3Lf3cMIGXS-GX1A3L87zxwlvH7HkFhipKuLGM8vKd4DjenzNwf986OpnQxwEicQsQIZV6Bc/s1600/Memorial+Day+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1194" data-original-width="1600" height="475" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-Be0XgkYVBAjz7zdl5Wm72SpfQlqfGfjstJSFnqvqKoQRPblGpbqSlbii-oARnX0mUbc3Lf3cMIGXS-GX1A3L87zxwlvH7HkFhipKuLGM8vKd4DjenzNwf986OpnQxwEicQsQIZV6Bc/s640/Memorial+Day+2017.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
“Your silent tents of green,<br />
We deck with fragrant flowers;<br />
Yours has the suffering been,<br />
The memory shall be ours.”<br />
<br />
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-82735391094648106072017-05-23T18:27:00.003-04:002017-06-25T22:48:27.059-04:00Goldie's Virginia Barbecue in Phoenix, Arizona<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="qu3t" data-offset-key="bmhr9-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span data-offset-key="bmhr9-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">If you've read my book (You have read it haven't you? If not, get a copy and get started. You'll be glad you did), you know that people all over the country used to frequently cook and sell Virginia-style barbecue. Though not as widespread today, there are still a few places outside of Virginia that proudly serve Virginia-style barbecue.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sauer's Barbecue Sauce is based on an old Virginia recipe. Bubba Lou’s Barbecue near Orlando, FL still sells Virginia-style barbecue and so does the Mason Dixon Line Restaurant in Washington state. There is even a <a href="http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/virginia-style-smoked-and-spiced-barbecue-ham-hocks/" target="_blank">Virginia-style barbecue recipe that is popular in the UK</a> and <a href="https://www.vomfass.at/virginia-barbecue" target="_blank">another in Germany</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here is an unfortunate account of Virginia-style barbecue in Arizona from the October 3, 1929 edition of the </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Arizona Republic</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> under the headline "Fire Destroys Barbecue Shop on Opening Day."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In 1929, J. B. M. Goldsmith (Goldie) invested his savings of $500.00 to open a barbecue stand at 1154 East Washington Street in Phoenix, Arizona. $500.00 in 1929 would be about $7000.00 today. He not only invested his money, he invested his hard work and his expert knowledge of cooking barbecue.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">On October 1, 1929, at 7:00 am, Goldie celebrated the grand opening of <b>GOLDIE'S VIRGINIA BARBECUE</b>. However, the day didn't go as Goldie had planned. By 1:30 pm, Goldie's barbecue stand was in ruins. In only a few hours, the entire operation burned to the ground due to defective wiring. The business was a total loss and Goldie carried no insurance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I haven't been able to determine if Goldie persevered and reopened his restaurant, but I'm not through researching his story. Stay tuned.</span></div>
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Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-38622511861384184082017-05-06T09:15:00.003-04:002017-05-06T09:32:22.227-04:00Charleston Barbecue - Southern Hospitality is its Secret Ingredient<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhygzfN907WLLz0ZPERaJjFTqKb6sVIMGxbWWDoOmflRvx2zIge55uf0GyBwDQ3ZHDiSRrfuYGl7FU6qjxugbCiWgRVrAAaJ_EjufcNW8yqt-AYxYrzeRakwndeuupIE6inE9u9hJBPZHM/s1600/S%2526S-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhygzfN907WLLz0ZPERaJjFTqKb6sVIMGxbWWDoOmflRvx2zIge55uf0GyBwDQ3ZHDiSRrfuYGl7FU6qjxugbCiWgRVrAAaJ_EjufcNW8yqt-AYxYrzeRakwndeuupIE6inE9u9hJBPZHM/s400/S%2526S-1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barbecued Pork Belly at Swig & Swine in Charleston</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you've never visited, the first thing you need to know about Charleston, South Carolina, is that all of the good things you hear and read about it are true. It is a beautiful city that offers a rich history, unique culture, amazing music and delicious foods all warmly wrapped in heartfelt southern hospitality.<br />
<br />
Even though I had a very busy agenda during my most recent visit to Charleston, I was determined to visit as many barbecue restaurants there as I could. Fortunately, I was able to visit Bessinger's Bar-B-Q, Swig & Swine, Duke's Barbecue, Melvin's Ribs & Que, Home Team BBQ and Lewis Barbecue which included all but two of the places I had on my list.<br />
<br />
Hogs are the animals of choice for barbecue in Charleston. You can find barbecued shoulders, ribs and pork belly as well as whole hog. The phrase "whole hog" means something a little different in Charleston than it does in most other parts of the South nowadays. In Charleston, barbecue restaurants literally serve the whole hog including heads, trotters and livers. <br />
I have confessions from the pitmasters that they use those parts of the hog and suspicions that they may also use other parts such as the kidneys, lights and goozles. Parts of the hog that are not suitable for barbecuing are used to make South Carolina-style barbecue hash.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkV5fHgncgv9rkP-4H01oL-0CgE5PVBKXAPjlJVZZj1vyrT32Vi-odlT36ndXZ__yWbFCMlt1cDBKdSCc7a6mZNE_L3oK6_pvtsA1gZfE6ngOKL9zqhvAjD5XwU7HOfVZv6GueBc6vH4/s1600/SSH%2526R.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkV5fHgncgv9rkP-4H01oL-0CgE5PVBKXAPjlJVZZj1vyrT32Vi-odlT36ndXZ__yWbFCMlt1cDBKdSCc7a6mZNE_L3oK6_pvtsA1gZfE6ngOKL9zqhvAjD5XwU7HOfVZv6GueBc6vH4/s200/SSH%2526R.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BBQ Hash and Rice at Swig & Swine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Barbecue hash is an old southern tradition that is forgotten by most other places in the South. In colonial and federal times, when hogs were slaughtered for a barbecue, the parts of the animal that were not well suited for barbecuing were simmered in a large iron pot to make a stew they called hash. Barbecue hash in those days was made with livers, trotters (feet), lights (lungs), goozles (wind pipes), heads, and scraps of meat. Often it was seasoned with nothing more than salt and red pepper. South Carolinians have preserved <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5QAN0Xwsag67V_Z8LS-RRrLESFJ-YiDxKh7A48HrZpOayO2TbVx1FemUfQJJjGxPs58dfzxHmXY_HarK4-8hkpTyDZC9sTRs4mxUfXEY2chuMM518SG-lhPE9TnzQT01g3XsnJlaebI/s1600/DukesH%2526R.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5QAN0Xwsag67V_Z8LS-RRrLESFJ-YiDxKh7A48HrZpOayO2TbVx1FemUfQJJjGxPs58dfzxHmXY_HarK4-8hkpTyDZC9sTRs4mxUfXEY2chuMM518SG-lhPE9TnzQT01g3XsnJlaebI/s200/DukesH%2526R.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BBQ Hash & Rice at Duke's Barbecue</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
that old custom even though some in the western parts of the state now use only lean meats in their hash. But, in Charleston the hash is made the "old school" way with scraps, heads, feet and lots of liver. It's all cooked down to a mush, seasoned and served over rice. The best barbecue hash I had during my visit is served at Swig & Swine.<br />
<br />
Another distinguishing characteristic of Charleston-style barbecue is the sauce. Though all of the places I visited served a variety of sauces, some of which were not particularly South Carolinian, all of them except Lewis Barbecue (more about that later) serve a sweet and slightly tangy mustard based sauce.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSBLi5YvBwU7PcUmDFX43xtjIxpL3QI9TMsQnctCzOacEnRI8o__2dl_X2NUdCHbAvq3dCz9NCa23Oo2HP_qhpPTXz-OxuiO6mDvK09DzguxvRyoH2A36toWQRur-FSF7L0Y0LHzZO0w/s1600/Dukes-sauce.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSBLi5YvBwU7PcUmDFX43xtjIxpL3QI9TMsQnctCzOacEnRI8o__2dl_X2NUdCHbAvq3dCz9NCa23Oo2HP_qhpPTXz-OxuiO6mDvK09DzguxvRyoH2A36toWQRur-FSF7L0Y0LHzZO0w/s200/Dukes-sauce.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mustard based sauces at Duke's Barbecue</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQ41q6-uziX4yDvRh1GGIPmTuWvHPW1_BoljLMAQpPsj-mWCgfypbTlpei9FHbTBzMWQ-EaFynOm96j1b2NAEnvuf7400vcslwhyphenhyphenkmLCeWav8dIEEyj_KYj_PzbSkGjdlQHYRA-Be7V4/s1600/HT-Sauces.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQ41q6-uziX4yDvRh1GGIPmTuWvHPW1_BoljLMAQpPsj-mWCgfypbTlpei9FHbTBzMWQ-EaFynOm96j1b2NAEnvuf7400vcslwhyphenhyphenkmLCeWav8dIEEyj_KYj_PzbSkGjdlQHYRA-Be7V4/s200/HT-Sauces.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BBQ Sauces at Home Team Barbecue</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To my Virginian taste buds, it is very reminiscent of honey-mustard vinaigrette. In Virginia, we use a little mustard in our Southside-style barbecue sauce but not much and it isn't sweet (recipe in my book <i>Virginia Barbecue: A History</i>). So, the Charleston-style sauce took me a little while to grow accustomed to eating.<br />
<br />
The last barbecue restaurant I visited was Lewis Barbecue. The folks at Lewis Barbecue don't serve Charleston-style barbecue; they serve Texas-style barbecue. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNB1DAat3sXuztGHjULSaAFz3yajiFkAxDqvDGhpqmaD0lzhXXjAnyKcJ7C4kN1_KMH7tVYW15ZShkY8efZTMV9c6jQ8awNFZvJ5IHMMfzFXDxUpxIn87P9ADNiJ2k2-H_wm91lBj8G6Y/s1600/Lewis.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNB1DAat3sXuztGHjULSaAFz3yajiFkAxDqvDGhpqmaD0lzhXXjAnyKcJ7C4kN1_KMH7tVYW15ZShkY8efZTMV9c6jQ8awNFZvJ5IHMMfzFXDxUpxIn87P9ADNiJ2k2-H_wm91lBj8G6Y/s320/Lewis.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barbecue brisket & sausage at Lewis Barbecue</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
John Lewis, formerly a pitmaster at Franklin Barbecue in Austin, and his partners opened Lewis Barbecue in June of 2016. They serve barbecue brisket, beef ribs and sausage. There is no barbecue hash and the barbecue sauce is decidedly not a Charleston-style sauce. However, the brisket I had there was superb.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately for me, Rodney Scott's BBQ was one of those I missed. Scott's new Charleston restaurant opened the week after I had to depart for home. Of course, that means that I will have to visit again. Yep, it's a tough job but somebody's gotta do it.Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-72118218422379259942017-04-15T22:48:00.001-04:002017-04-15T23:06:43.317-04:00Virginia Barbecues Separated by 65 Years<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6Sq17U4n6pi8pjQqljF86HTRfdoVSv5QRJ6UAYpARCkQ3S6JbZIYBgrjpOSzLwafoRf5R8GV2Q03H-DIvm8sg8vnHwX4qcvnCet-0t-YCzTTXmer3_88_ZaoA4fvdp8rlJVb7n6t4jk/s1600/65+years+of+VA+BBQ.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6Sq17U4n6pi8pjQqljF86HTRfdoVSv5QRJ6UAYpARCkQ3S6JbZIYBgrjpOSzLwafoRf5R8GV2Q03H-DIvm8sg8vnHwX4qcvnCet-0t-YCzTTXmer3_88_ZaoA4fvdp8rlJVb7n6t4jk/s640/65+years+of+VA+BBQ.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left - Illustration by Alexander R. Boteler from <em>My Ride to the Barbecue:
Or, Revolutionary Reminiscences of the Old Dominion</em> published in
1860. Right - Virginia Barbecue circa 1920s. Holsinger Studio Collection. Courtesy of Special Collections, University of Virginia Library.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
On the left above is an illustration of a Virginia barbecue held in 1859. On the right is a photo of a Virginia barbecue held in the 1920s. Though separated by about 65 years and the Civil War, the similarities are striking.<br />
<br />
Read all about it in <em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Virginia-Barbecue-History-Joseph-Haynes/dp/1531699979/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank">Virginia Barbecue: A History</a></em> now available in hardcover.Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-832832051685663782017-04-15T21:25:00.001-04:002017-04-15T21:25:43.811-04:00The Pitmaster's Prayer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmA7Zmz_ebkLp854ccxmwlHINRZK8oPCqeoYl3_KyWPcrT2ortyw-1iDui-UYIGMvLBnv3wT2QhlbViu0ipAdPIv6D0Qvw0ljX4Hwj8m7Xrow7HvFZfFnnDHxBakt9xUNDjnjM21qSQPI/s1600/PitmastersPrayer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmA7Zmz_ebkLp854ccxmwlHINRZK8oPCqeoYl3_KyWPcrT2ortyw-1iDui-UYIGMvLBnv3wT2QhlbViu0ipAdPIv6D0Qvw0ljX4Hwj8m7Xrow7HvFZfFnnDHxBakt9xUNDjnjM21qSQPI/s640/PitmastersPrayer.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-74100023856562768792016-09-21T22:58:00.003-04:002016-09-22T09:55:26.884-04:00Delicious Tangy Virginia Brown BBQ Sauce Recipe - Southside Style<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgCnlaEHC1O4gbYNGTstrxSykL8dMfsKOIVoQWvFnPkJJRTqImYucCoPjyCdgm9SyQV7xVWvLSgTS9fETX5LASjmO4UqJHpZKzi-j1j12TMCXkTC2SK77CXW8lwLsgcojgjw1hvZpZTBw/s1600/Tangy-VA-Brown-v1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgCnlaEHC1O4gbYNGTstrxSykL8dMfsKOIVoQWvFnPkJJRTqImYucCoPjyCdgm9SyQV7xVWvLSgTS9fETX5LASjmO4UqJHpZKzi-j1j12TMCXkTC2SK77CXW8lwLsgcojgjw1hvZpZTBw/s400/Tangy-VA-Brown-v1.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Tangy Virginia brown barbecue sauce drizzled on hickory smoked pork barbecue.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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It's tangy. It's savory. It's Virginia's own barbecue sauce that originated in Virginia's southside region. The recipe is in the book <i>Virginia Barbecue: A History</i>. The book is available online and at local booksellers.Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-50983238465937828592016-09-17T09:58:00.001-04:002016-09-17T09:58:54.116-04:00The Correct Answer is . . . Barbecue!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRF1ClgCrbYEuIVA7ZrukhgFBNp9AJ8lBGPfvH-5l3a4AY7Su4_PgO4aY-Fo4Ai8rFTBzwV_Ea3B4e9e3oaGJ8YKjExLBKd8oN3OJ4SVTDo6uI0NAHHADkMzWpW3DXxESLV_Rw9jl-Lc/s1600/THeAnswer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRF1ClgCrbYEuIVA7ZrukhgFBNp9AJ8lBGPfvH-5l3a4AY7Su4_PgO4aY-Fo4Ai8rFTBzwV_Ea3B4e9e3oaGJ8YKjExLBKd8oN3OJ4SVTDo6uI0NAHHADkMzWpW3DXxESLV_Rw9jl-Lc/s640/THeAnswer.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-44412987639970399402016-09-14T20:09:00.001-04:002016-09-14T21:49:10.785-04:00North Carolina Did Not Kidnap Barbecue from Virginia and no Theft was CommittedSo, there are some articles on some news websites that make the sensational claim that I, the author of <i>Virginia Barbecue: A History,</i> make the case in that book that North Carolina kidnapped or stole barbecue from Virginia. One North Carolina newspaper even put the story in the crime section of their website. One paper asks, "Did North Carolina steal barbecue from Virginia?" Another newspaper writes, "'North Carolina kidnapped Virginia barbecue': Author asserts the delicacy started in the commonwealth."<br />
<br />
First of all, let me make it perfectly clear. <b>I do not argue, insinuate, imply or assert that North Carolina stole or kidnapped barbecue from Virginia in the book!</b><br />
<br />
The misunderstanding is apparently based on a quote I used in the book from Nita Jones who wrote in the <i>Richmond Times Dispatch</i> in June of 1978:<br />
<br />
"A quick survey of barbecue houses locally might convince you that 'North Carolina-style' barbecue has not only crossed the state line, but kidnapped the market as well."<br />
<br />
So, let's set the record straight.<br />
<br />
<b>I did not make any claim, assertion, argument or insinuation that North Carolina stole or kidnapped barbecue from Virginia. Yes, southern barbecue was born in Virginia and eventually made its way into what is today North Carolina from there. However, that was simply a migration, not a crime. The word <i>kidnapped</i> was in the book from a quote made in 1978 about the proliferation of North Carolina-style barbecue restaurants popping up in Richmond, Virginia, at that time. </b>The person who wrote the quote was simply making a point about the number of North Carolina-style barbecue restaurants that existed in Richmond in 1978. That's it.<br />
<br />
And, as Paul Harvey used to say, that's the rest of the story.<br />
<br />
You can purchase the book at online booksellers and local bookstores.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbZaAeg0hY-RqGNTWmIzyD3ofLiOQL97fcbaR1KdEuAJzKpC76QiQVgdO2seYs1Fc_xig_27PSG5YyOYYuBB4LVJ7-D5e4wNTYUu0i68mQTcW1tN63lL6CudZd6_A7ah4lpBKupjbwWE/s1600/On-Shelves.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbZaAeg0hY-RqGNTWmIzyD3ofLiOQL97fcbaR1KdEuAJzKpC76QiQVgdO2seYs1Fc_xig_27PSG5YyOYYuBB4LVJ7-D5e4wNTYUu0i68mQTcW1tN63lL6CudZd6_A7ah4lpBKupjbwWE/s640/On-Shelves.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402884737681803395.post-18368196054615601592016-09-12T08:41:00.002-04:002017-10-10T09:21:18.346-04:00Now Shipping! Brunswick Stew: A Virginia Tradition & Virginia Barbecue: A History<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFdYa1lqmJIIkogHO5go2wd63ABZf4yT6H4izK7dqBecJw-usGfsO_IdshKOe-OAnsgieIRDdNXPCTb7biqyDVWgtZd3qNQ6Q4zA1FygCUO8aIILK8vg-nFwbn8KzLSqW1YvXb2xzoTI/s1600/The+Books.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="639" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFdYa1lqmJIIkogHO5go2wd63ABZf4yT6H4izK7dqBecJw-usGfsO_IdshKOe-OAnsgieIRDdNXPCTb7biqyDVWgtZd3qNQ6Q4zA1FygCUO8aIILK8vg-nFwbn8KzLSqW1YvXb2xzoTI/s320/The+Books.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div>
<i><b><br /></b></i>
<i><b><br /></b></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Brunswick Stew: A Virginia Tradition </i>and<i> Virginia Barbecue: A History</i></span></b> available in stores and at online booksellers now!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Virginia Barbecue: A History</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">8 Chapters</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Over 100 photos and illustrations</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">288 Pages</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Over 750 primary and secondary sources cited</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Over 70,000 words</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Virginia-style barbecue has deep roots in history that go back to the earliest colonial times when it was first developed through a collaboration between colonists and Powhatan Indians. The Virginian style of barbecue eventually spread all over the south to become what we call today southern barbecue.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The basic barbecue cooking technique is ancient. American barbecue innovations are not. This book focuses on southern barbecue but also traces the origins of several other styles of American barbecue including California barbecue, backyard barbecue and kitchen barbecue.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Here is a sample of what's inside</span> -</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are four regional styles of real, authentic Virginia barbecue today.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read the story of the fateful Vauxhall Island barbecue in 1869.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read about the Virginia barbecue served in other states such as Missouri, Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Minnesota, Ohio.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read about the prominent 19th century American philologist James Trumbull who explained why the word <i>barbecue</i> is a "Virginian word." </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The word <i>barbecue</i> was used as a noun in English literature years before<b> </b>the Oxford English Dictionary claims.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">An English version of the word <i>barbecue</i> was used as a verb in English literature 13 years earlier than the Oxford English Dictionary claims.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">White barbecue sauce wasn't invented in Alabama. It's been around for hundreds of years.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read about the origin of southern barbecue's basic sauce of oil, vinegar, salt, black pepper and red pepper.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Discover why the often repeated myth that barbecue was first cooked in the Caribbean and migrated to the North American colonies is wrong and unfounded.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Find out why California barbecue is so different from southern barbecue.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read about when and why backyard barbecues became popular.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">America's first barbecue club was established in Virginia centuries before the KCBS.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Virginians were the first to barbecue meats over hickory wood using the southern barbecue cooking technique.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The first barbecue restaurant in the United States is found in Virginia about 100 years before the first recorded North Carolina barbecue restaurant.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the 1830s, two groves of trees were planted on the U.S. Capitol building's grounds to be used for holding barbecues. One grove for the Democrats and one grove for the Whigs. The "Barbecue Trees" (as they were called) remained on the Capitol grounds until the 1870s.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read about the 19th century Virginia barbecue cook named Black Hawk who was so accomplished at his craft that he had an audience with the President.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read about the African-American barbecue cook from Virginia who was a veteran of the Civil War but fought to save lives rather than take them.</span></li>
</ul>
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<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<div>
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="color: black; font-style: italic;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Brunswick Stew: A Virginia Tradition</span></b></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="color: black; font-size: medium; font-style: italic;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With roots in Native American, African and European cooking traditions, Brunswick stew developed in colonial- and Federal-era Virginia, when squirrel was a necessary ingredient. By the nineteenth century, the mouthwatering delicacy had become an important part of politicking, celebrating and family gatherings. At the same time, it spread beyond Virginia into the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Drawing on historical and contemporary sources, author, award-winning barbecue cook and Brunswick stew expert Joe Haynes entertains with barbecue stew legend and lore, complete with recipes.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Seven Chapters, over 50 photos & illustrations, over 50,000 Words, over 475 primary & secondary source citations complete with authentic recipes and preparation techniques revealed.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Book Chapters</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">1. The Barbecue Stews</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. Virginia’s Food Traditions</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. Squirrel Soup</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. Barbecue Hash</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5. Brunswick Stew</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">6. Burgoo</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">7. Recipes</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Reviews</span><span style="color: #1d2129;"> -</span></span></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1d2129;">"Joe Haynes adds to the scholarship of American barbecue with his </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">remarkably well-researched book</span><span style="color: #1d2129;"> on Virginia barbecue. His work goes a long way toward putting the contributions of Virginia on the barbecue map.“</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1d2129;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129;">- <b>Jim Shahin</b>, <i>Washington Post</i> Barbecue Columnist</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1d2129;">"I have been allowed sneak peaks into some portions of Joe Haynes' forthcoming book, and I assure you,</span><span style="color: #cc0000;"> if you love culinary history and barbecue, you will want this book!</span><span style="color: #1d2129;">"</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Joe’s work is significant scholarship. This is American culinary history and ethnology at its finest, researched with passion and recited with love, humor and intelligence. Joe understands and appreciates the historical depth and cultural significance of these traditions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">He clearly sees and helps tease out the contributions of ancient English foodways and their adaptations to and adoptions of those of Native America, as well as the role of enslaved Africans and African Americans who often were the true masters of the barbecue and stewpot. </span><span style="color: #1d2129;">He follows traditions as they spread and evolved through the southward and westward expansion of the nation."</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">- <b>Dr. L. Daniel Mouer</b>, Chief Archaeologist, Professor of Anthropology and Archaeology at Virginia Commonwealth University, retired, founder and former Vice President of the Culinary Historians of Virginia</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129;">"Keep an eye out for Joseph Haynes book on Virginia Barbecue. Joe is an excellent historian </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">when it comes to digging up truly remarkable BBQ related information that seems to have slipped by his contemporaries</span><span style="color: #1d2129;">. He makes a strong case that shouldn't have to be made for the legitimacy of Virginia 'Q."</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129;">- <b>Eric Devlin</b>, Editor in Chief of <i>Smoke Signals Magazine</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"I've lived most of my life in Virginia, and for a while nearly a half-century ago, my work took me to the back roads near Surry, Va. There I found country barbecue places and smokehouses that were run by families that had been around most of the century. I visited many of these places and talked to their owners about their barbecue. What I found was clearly Virginia barbecue, done the old way as it had been since at least the civil war." "While I have no definite proof, <span style="color: #cc0000; line-height: 19.32px;">what I learned then is consistent with what you're finding now. I think you're right."</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">- <b>Wayne Rash</b>, Freelance Writer and Editor</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1d2129;">"Is Virginia the true motherland of Southern barbecue? If you want to say it isn't, you should be prepared to go toe-to-toe—and footnote-to-footnote—with Joseph Haynes, author of Virginia Barbecue: A History. Across 236 exhaustively documented pages (another 42 of notes), Haynes lays out the historical foundations supporting his argument that </span><span style="color: red;">“the only unbroken line of Southern barbecue history begins in Virginia.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129;">- <b>Caroline Kettlewell</b>, <i>Virginia Living Magazine’s Smoke & Salt</i>, October 2017</span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129;">"If you like barbecue, then this is the book for you. If you don't like barbecue, but like history, then this is the book for you. If you are just interested in what barbecue is all about, then this is the book for you. <i>Virginia Barbecue, A History</i>, by native Virginian Joseph R. Haynes, is probably more of an encyclopedia of Virginia barbecue than a history."</span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129;">- <b>Wilford Kale</b>, HRBooks contributor, <i>The Daily Press</i></span></div>
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Obsessive Compulsive Barbecuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11217172955097110057noreply@blogger.com0