Barbecue ~ regional variations

[bixaorellana]

This is so silly, you just have to love it. (Is that true about Alabama, though? Yeek.)

[Deleted]

I clearly was not raised as a southerner, because barbecue sauce to me has always been something to help you burn the meat on the grill, not to use as a sauce on your plate.

[bixaorellana]

Well, I was raised partly in the south and altogether by southerners, & I thought the same thing you think about barbecue sauce. I didn't have the other kinds of bbq until I lived in N.Carolina -- in Wilmington ( - it's pink & icky there) and near Elizabeth City, close to the Va. border, where it is divine, all peppery & vinegary.

Of course the singers say they're from NC, so that would explain their no-sauce bias.

[Don Cuevas]

I love Memphis dry ribs (and wet ribs; or dry ribs served with the sauce on the side), but I'm not all that fussy about regional variations, as long as it's good and lots of it.

A Memphis favorite: Central BBQ. www.cbqmemphis.com/

One of my favorites was south central Texas BBQ: mostly beef brisket cooked over oak wood and served sauceless. Eg; Kreuz Bros., Lockhart, TX

I'm not so fond of highly shredded pulled pork sandwiches, but they'll do in a pinch.

[Deleted]

Just the name "dry ribs" upsets me unless it is accompanied by the tag "unlimited free beer."

[bixaorellana]

I still quiver with desire thinking of White's Bar-B-Q in the corner of NC near Elizabeth City. That vinegary, black-peppery moist pork was a revelation to me, and I learned to love it the way the locals served it -- piled on a bun with cole slaw and hot, greasy corn pone on the side.

[Deleted]

The French know about grilling meats outdoors, but they have never understood barbecue sauce. Here it is just used as a condiment for dipping or whatever, and it never gets burned onto the meat.

[fumobici]

I'm such a total yankee ;D I had some luscious apple smoked prime rib at a party Saturday night, close enough y'all?

[bixaorellana]

That would be nice with mustard!

apple-smoked = smoked over an applewood fire? ~~ basted with cider ~~ what? Sounds fabulous, whatever it is.

[fumobici]

Smoked over chipped applewood for 7 hours. Served with horseradish, S&P.

[bixaorellana]

*makes whiny little moaning sound*

[imec]

That sounds succulent fb! There used to be a place on town that smoked prime rib - I still dream of it.

[Deleted]

Oh, that reminds me -- I must absolutely buy some spare ribs soon, even though I have to do them in my oven.

[cristina]

Jul 6, 2009 4:21:41 GMT bixaorellana said:

Well, I was raised partly in the south and altogether by southerners, & I thought the same thing you think about barbecue sauce. I didn't have the other kinds of bbq until I lived in N.Carolina -- in Wilmington ( - it's pink & icky there) and near Elizabeth City, close to the Va. border, where it is divine, all peppery & vinegary.

Of course the singers say they're from NC, so that would explain their no-sauce bias.

I also lived in North Carolina and notice that the singers failed to mention that NC is just as confused as Georgia.

There is a big difference between Western and Eastern NC bbq. They're both vinegar based, but Western adds spiced tomato sauce to the mix. Also, Eastern uses the whole pig, while Western only uses the shoulder. I lived in the Western half so that style is generally my preference.

And like you Bixa, I love it piled on a bun with coleslaw. The only time I ever eat coleslaw, btw.

Honestly, I like BBQ in almost all its forms. Although I'm not sure I could wrap my head around Alabama's mayonnaise based sauce. That just sort of sounds wrong...

[lagatta]

We don't really do what people in the US South would call bbq - it is mostly grilled or rôtisserie meat. There is a kind of bbq sauce used on chickens and served with them.

I have never had real southern bbq, but have had some slow-cooked beef pork dishes that must be similar. But my friends from the Southern Cone countries also basically grill their great hunks of meat.