Barbecue sauce is a thick mixture of garlic, herbs, peppers, tomatoes, vinegar, and seasonings used to prepare meat while cooking. Barbecue refers to the meat or cooking method, and the sauce is the secret to good barbecue. Barbecue is a Southern tradition, but its origin is disputed. Different regions prefer different sauces, and there are many variations.
Barbecue sauce is a thick concoction usually consisting of a base of garlic, herbs, peppers, tomatoes, vinegar, and assorted seasonings that is used to prepare the meat as it cooks. The ingredients in each recipe are often well-kept secrets and vary from place to place. Many cooks claim to have their own “secret recipes,” but bottled versions can be found on every supermarket shelf across the country.
The term barbecue can refer to the meat itself or the act of cooking it. It is often used interchangeably as a noun or a verb.
It’s commonly agreed that the secret to good barbecue is in the sauce, which is applied liberally as the meat cooks. More is usually provided when served. Barbecue sauce can also be used simply as a condiment.
In America, barbecue is traditionally defined as a feast or celebration whose centerpiece is an animal, usually a pig or cow, roasted whole on a spit in a fire pit. The meat is first marinated for hours while the fire pit is prepared. After being skewered, it is turned regularly and basted with the sauce. The grilled meat is very tender and permeated with the flavor of the sauce.
Barbecue is believed to be a Southern custom as the word was known to be used in Virginia before the 1700s. The term came into common use in America in the 1800s with western cowboys, who had to be fed long herds of cattle . Herd owners didn’t want to give them the good cuts of meat and normally had tough cuts like brisket to eat. Brisket can be stringy and unappetizing, but cowboys realized that if it was cooked for a long time, usually 5-7 hours, over low heat (about 200 degrees) and basted often, the meat would turn into something tender. and succulent. They soon discovered that other meats such as beef ribs, venison, pork, and goat also worked well.
The origin of barbecues and sauces as an American custom is sometimes disputed by those who point out that many cowboys were, in fact, from other countries and that the word “barbe-a-que”, which means “cooked from nose to tail “, is French. It has also been said that barbecue is a derivation of the term barbacoa from the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. As used there, it does not refer to the meat itself, but to a cooking structure of sticks placed on poles.
Barbecue sauces are big business today. They can be found in supermarkets, gourmet shops and by special order from the Internet. Different parts of the country prefer different sauces with different ingredients. In Louisiana, for example, salsa is traditionally hot and spicy. In Kansas it’s usually sweeter, and Carolinians tend to like the smoky-flavored gravy.
There are probably as many variations on barbecue sauce as there are states and countries. In most cases, the amount of preparation and extended cooking time required for a traditional barbecue serves as a backdrop for the gathering of friends and family.
For barbecue sauce recipes, enter “barbecue sauce recipes” into your favorite search engine.
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