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For millions of years man has cooked food over an open flame. Cavemen hunted food and then learned by accident to cook over a fire. There is a difference when it comes to cooking over a fire that most of us don’t really realize. The difference is explained with the definition between grilling and barbecuing. Put simply, Grilling is fast cooking over high heat, while barbecuing involves a slower cooking method, over a lower heat. Both methods produce delicious food, but true barbecue requires sauce added to the direct flame method.
Grilling is usually done over a gas flame, or hot coals. Tender cuts of meat are best used for this cooking method. The high heat makes the meat cook very quickly as it seals in the juices, creating a juicy piece of meat. On the other hand, if you leave the meat on too long, it will dry out, as with any dry cooking method.
Barbecue sauces can be used, but since the heat is so high, they should only be added at the end of the grilling time. The sweeter barbecue sauces definitely need to be added at the end of the grilling time, so that the sugars don’t burn. Vegetables and fruits can also be grilled and taste delicious barbecued. Just remember they don’t need a long cooking time and can burn quickly. I especially like grilled peaches and pineapple, the natural sugars in the fruit caramelize wonderfully over the high heat. When you grill food, you need to pay special attention to it, so it doesn’t get overcooked. You should always stay by the grill the whole time the food is cooking..
Barbecuing is usually done over charcoal or wood. Tougher cuts of meat are usually used in barbecuing. These include meat like beef brisket, whole chickens or pork ribs. These meats improve in taste with a long and slow cooking process, becoming so tender that will be amazed as they ffall off the bone. Since the cooking process is much slower, and the heat from barbecuing is not as high as grilling, barbecue sauce can be brushed onto the meat throughout the cooking process, forming a delicious glaze on the outside of the meat.The correct method of barbecue normally takes five to seven hours of basting at a low temperature. The typical temperature for a barbecue is roughly 200 degrees. Apple juice is sometimes sprayed onto the meat to keep it moist and flavorful. Flavorful wood chips can added to the fire to give a delicious smoky flavor to the meat.
Some meats, like chicken, will benefit from either cooking method. It’s great either grilled quickly with a glaze or barbecue sauce applied towards the end of the cooking time, or slowly barbecued, absorbing the flavors of the smoke.
Today when people think barbecue they think of hamburgers and hot dogs. Or maybe even a nice big juicy steak. Barbecue is now associated to both the food item and the act of cooking it. When family and friends get together in the back yard they cook food on the barbecue. The event is called a “barbecue”. These barbecues parties which are very popular in the summer months are a nice way for families and friends to get together for a nice afternoon of fun and great tasting food.
So how did the idea of the social family barbecue come from? Well, there are many different theories and lots of stories about where the barbecue originated. The states of Texas, North and South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia all have claimed to have originated barbecue. If you look into the history of the barbecue, you will see that each state has different barbecue methods and each unique technique means that each could have a valid claim to the original barbecue.
However, in my opinion and I think barbecue aficionados all will agree that the original barbecue sauce is the Texas BBQ sauce. This famous barbecue sauce has a sweet tomato flavor that is thick and delicious. It also contains special seasonings and dry rub mixtures that are added to the meat before it is barbecued.
On the other hand, barbecue sauce found in Georgia, is slightly different from the Texas BBQ. The barbecue sauce is noticeably thinner and has more of a vinegar taste. The meat that is used is usually pork instead of beef. And a lot of barbecues is done in barbecue pits so that heat and smoke can help cook the meat.
Everyone has their own technique of barbecuing. Many own “secret formula” or family recipe that has been passed down for generations. And many have their own special barbecue sauce. Experiment and you may even come up with your own. Whether you prefer the flavors of a Midwest sauce or the taste and BBQ flavor from the southeast or even a combination , you will have fun tasting and learning the differences of a barbecue and sharing the fun with your family and friends.
