Barbecue is the way it is because the meat is cooked at a lower temperature
and for a longer time than grilling, conventional oven baking or stove-top
cooking. We call this type of cooking 'low 'n slow'.
The low 'n slow method of barbecue developed in the Southern U.S.
and requires wood (or wood charcoal) to cook meat (or
fish and vegetables) at a low temperature (usually between 212º to 250º) for a
long period (a brisket may take 18 hours to cook).
This method of cooking, with indirect heat and wood smoke, produce an appearance, taste and texture
in meat that is
unmatched by any other cooking method.
Photo of pork ribs smoked
in Corky's Restaurant in Memphis, TN for 4-5 hours over hickory coals. You
can't get ribs that taste like these at Tony Romas. But you can make ribs
like these in your own backyard.
Barbecue cannot be cooked in a pot, in the oven, by boiling or
steaming, or with heat from gas or electricity.
Restaurant chains (like Tony Romas) do not cook barbecue, instead, they bake or steam their
meat.
Yes, their ribs are moist and tender, but they do not have the taste of
wood-smoked barbecue. Much of the flavor of the meat has has been blanched out.
To give the meat some flavor, it is covered with a thick, sweet red sauce
(misnamed "barbecue sauce") and then seared on a gas grill to crisp
the outside. It is then served to an unknowing
public. Tony Romas ribs are what most people think is authentic barbecue.
This is really sad.
The mission of the California Barbecue Association is to educate the public
about authentic barbecue. Barbecue is our heritage--America's only
authentic cuisine. Not just the United States' only authentic cuisine, but
all of America's--North, Central and South America. Barbecue was handed
down from Native Americas when Columbus arrived in the New World.
Barbecue 101
Continued
1 |
2 |
3 | 4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 | of 12
