Does barbecue and BBQ sauce fit in the entrée, appetizer, condiments, or snacks section of my family cookbook?  I think it all depends on where the barbecue recipe comes from. For example, Kansas City ribs are certainly dessert; Texas brisket is certainly an entrée. 

There are more opinions about what makes good barbecue than probably can be counted.
And, maybe I’m stepping into a subject best left unaddressed on these blog pages. However, with the coming of summer and an increase in outdoor dining, it seems logical to mention some of the barbecue traditions that define some regions of these United States.

You be the judge where they fit into your family cookbook.

Memphis – Pork Ribs
Probably the best ribs I’ve ever eaten (for all time) were in Memphis in two joints: one on Beale Street, and one downtown near the Peabody Hotel (the world famous The Rendezvous). Both were outstanding. Memphis barbecue ribs are slow cooked and can be made with a dry rub and served with sauce on the side (which is less messy to eat), or served “wet” with the sweet spicy sauce already mopped on. Either way the result is quite divine.

 
Kansas City – Pork Ribs
A slightly sweet sauce with a bold smoky flavor is a signature of Kansas City barbecue. You can smear the thick ketchup-based sauce enhanced with brown sugar or molasses on slow cooked ribs and enjoy a real finger-licking good treat. KC Masterpiece in a bottle is a good sample of the Kansas City style of barbecue sauce. It is especially good on a hot day, when ice cream is the next course.

North Carolina – Pork Roast
If you don’t have a whole pig handy to pit roast overnight, a nice pork roast will do to simulate the North Carolina style of barbecue. Cooked slowly over coals (often in converted oil drums) and shredded off the bone, your pork roast will become the famous Carolina Pulled Pork when served with a water-thin hot pepper vinegar sauce and eaten with cole slaw and hush puppies. (I’ve had success cooking pork roast for pulled pork in a crock pot, too.)

Texas – Brisket
Perhaps the largest cut of meat for all the barbecues discussed herein is the brisket cut that makes up the Texas barbecue experience. A very large cut ranging from 10-30 pounds (of course its big, this is Texas), brisket is dry rubbed with a chili powder blend, slowly smoke-grilled for hours, then sliced and typically piled onto a sandwich bun. The thin tomato-based sauce that accompanies the meat is a tangy mixture of Worcestershire sauce and vinegar

California – Tri Tip
Barbecue in the Wild West such as California stems from Mexican cooking traditions, with the flavors of cumin, chili, garlic and cilantro often blended into dry rubs for the meat of choice: typically a trimmed tri-tip. A beautifully slow-cooked barbecued tri-tip sliced thin and served on a long sandwich bun can be an ultimate taste treat for Western barbecue enthusiasts. A savory tomato-based sauce is often used to dress the meat.

Making a recipe book? Check out all the recipe software and cookbook binding supplies we have at CookbookPeople.com.

If you enjoyed this article, you might check out:
• Traditional Luau Kalua Pork & Summer Crock Pot Cooking
• Fried Bologna Sandwich Creates Memories Past & Present
• Pretty Good Lasagna Recipe from My Family Cookbook

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...