Barbecue cooking varies from state to state, depending on what type of meat is used, how the sauce is made, what flavors are added, what kind of wood is used in smoking, the equipment and how much time is spent cooking, as well as when the sauce is added to the meat.
Some states are known for their brisket BBQ recipes, while others are known for shredded or “pulled” meat sandwiches. The meat can be marinated, rubbed with spices, basted on while cooking or served up as a side. Here you can read about a few of America’s best barbecuing styles, which you may want to cook up yourself at this year’s Fourth of July picnic.
In Western Kentucky, barbecue cooking doesn’t usually refer to chicken BBQ recipes or pork BBQ recipes, but rather, sheep/mutton recipes, since Kentucky is known for its large sheep herds. Today, mutton isn’t so common, so in the extreme West, “barbecue” usually refers to smoked pork shoulder.
Often meat is rubbed with a dry spice blend, smoked with hickory and oak, and then served with Bourbon and a vinegar/tomato sauce on the side. If you want to try some serious Kentucky barbecue, you’d best mosey on down to Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn in Owensboro, the most famous of all grill houses.
Billy’s BBQ in Lexington is a great place to try the “Purchase BBQ” of the extreme west. If you want your own Kentucky beef BBQ recipes, then try www.frommykitchentable.wordpress.com/2009/04/22/kentucky-style-slow-cooker-pork-barbecue or www.hobbyfarms.com/food-and-kitchen/kentucky-barbecue-sauces-marinades.aspx.
Rather than spend time laboring over different sauces that BBQ recipes ribs can be bathed in, you may find that the supermarket has all you need for your basic barbecue cooking. Sylvia’s Mild & Sassy Original Sauce will give you that sweet flavor found in South Carolina, for instance.
By contrast, you can get hot vinegary ribs from Scott’s Sauce, which boasts the North Carolina tradition. The Texan Iron Works B-B-Q sauce gives you the best of all worlds — balanced, smoky, thick and tangy. For a greasier, runnier sauce from Georgia, try Williamson.
If you love cumin, tomato and heat, you’ll love Aunt Jenny’s Kick N’ Butt Barbecue Sauce. KC Masterpiece gives you that thick, molasses texture so characteristic of Kansas City, Missouri cooking, while Richford Original Barbecue Sauce provides a mysterious, thick and vinegary taste.
To read more Getting Ready For Barbecue Cooking
