History of BBQ
The life of the BBQ is a long and varied one, so here's a little history lesson for you.
The origin of barbecue cooking is somewhat obscure. Most etymologists believe that barbecue derives ultimately from the word barabicu, found in the language of the Taíno people of the Caribbean. The word translates as sacred fire pit and is also spelled barbicoa or barabicoa.
It is believed that this migrated out of the Caribbean into other cultures and languages, with the word moving from Caribbean dialects into Spanish, French and English in the Americas. The word evolved into its modern English spelling of barbecue and may also be found spelled as bar-b-que or BBQ.
Traditional barbicoa involves digging a hole in the ground and placing some meat (usually a whole goat) with a pot underneath it, making a hearty broth with the juices. It is then covered with maguey leaves and coal and set alight. The cooking process takes a few hours.
How do you BBQ?
There are lots of different ways to barbecue, depending on where you are in the world. In the South and Midwest of the United States they cook their food at a lower temperature over a longer period using a smoker. This has a separate fire box where hot smoke is drawn past the meat by convection for very slow cooking. This gives you a better flavour and very tender meat.
In England, Australia and most of Europe, barbecuing refers to a fast cooking process, directly over high heat and using a grill. This can leave the novice barbecuer with dry and tough meat.