There are few foods as intrinsically American as BBQ. Hell, even George Washington threw ’em back when we were just starting out, plating up pork ribs not too different from the ones we enjoy today. And though it’s generally accepted that BBQ came into its own in the South (70 of the country’s top 100 BBQ joints exist in the swathe of states between Texas and Virginia), each region puts its unique spin on things. Meat + smoke + a side of sauce equals a very different dish in Dallas than it does in Durham. So let’s take a look at how meat’s made great in different parts of the U.S.
Carolina
A region so diverse it warrants two states, Carolina-style actually represents five different approaches to BBQ. It’s all pork-based, be it pulled, shredded or chopped, and is often rubbed with spices and vinegar.
In North Carolina you’ve got the Eastern approach, which sees the use of the whole hog. Expect a thin sauce of vinegar and cayenne pepper. Go west (also called ‘Lexington-style’) and you’ll be served pork shoulder dressed up with vinegar sauce and a bit of tomato paste.
Venture south and the main difference you’ll encounter is in the sauce; the further west you go, the more peppery and ketchup-based your condiment will be; in the eastern part of the state, your juice’s spicy and full of vinegar; square in the middle, expect some sweetness by way of mustard and molasses.
Kansas City
Mo’ meat, mo’ fun is the saying in Missouri, as Kansas City-style BBQ isn’t limited to pork ribs. The Show-Me State also smokes up chicken, turkey and beef, slow cooked low over hickory wood. The results are topped with a thick, spicy, sweet molasses-and-tomato sauce, which sets the region’s BBQ apart. If you’re a fan of the tangy taste that sticks to your fingers no matter how many Wet-Naps you use, you’ll also enjoy the focus on side dishes in Kansas City BBQ; baked beans, fries and ‘slaw are staples. But don’t think that bottle of KC Masterpiece on your fridge door is the real deal (the packaged stuff’s way sweeter than the authentic version).
Memphis
In Memphis, the focus is back on pork ribs and shoulders, rubbed with paprika and garlic, and slow-cooked in a big pit. Order your rack either ‘wet’ or ‘dry’; ‘wet’ ribs are marinated in a tangy, thin tomato-based sauce, and brushed with more throughout the cooking process, whereas ‘dry’ ribs are salted and spiced and served naked.
Texas
In a state the size of two-dozen European countries, you can expect some subsets of the regional take on BBQ, but wherever you hang your cowboy hat you can expect your meat to come chopped rather than sliced.
East Texas BBQ is cooked slowly over hickory wood until it falls off the bone, and is served with a sweeter sauce than it’s neighbors’. Out west, they use mesquite wood, which gives the meat a completely different flavor. Smack dab in the middle, they use pecan or oak wood; again, the wood used has a profound influence over the taste of the meat (due to how the myoglobin reacts with the smoke’s carbon dioxide, because science). Down south, there’s less pretext around the wood – the focus instead is on the thick, molasses-based sauce. Statewide hot sauce has become the go-to condiment to ensure your brisket brings tears to your eyes.
So there you have it. Who’s hungry?
