Winning BBQ

In America BBQ or Bar-Be-Q is king. One could even be so bold and say that this is a truly American dish. However, I know better as the origins of BBQ go way back and while we have adopted and modified this style of cooking we certainly did not invent it. But there is one thing in America that distinguishes us from other parts of the world, we have a great diversity of styles that represents the area of the country you are located. Hopefully I will give a brief insight on the regions and styles of BBQ so you know what to expect when you are traveling across the country. It would be a shame not to try the local cuisine and see how other parts of the country differ from each other.

Memphis Style BBQ
The first style of BBQ that I am going to mention is the Memphis style of BBQ. The reason I am mentioning this first is that this is my favorite style of BBQ and since this is my website I get to choose what is on top. This style is known for cooking baby back ribs in a sweet and tangy dry rub and a tomato style sauce that is smothered on the ribs to give a glazing that creates an euphoric pleasure in your mouth.

St. Louis Style BBQ
This style is kind of a hodgepodge of both the Memphis style and Kansas City style of BBQ. Now I do not mean to insult anyone with the above statement that is just my observation. The style uses pork spare ribs but you have not had this style until you have tried the barbequed pork steaks which is the signature dish of region. The sauce when used in cooking and dipping is a tomato based sauce.

Kansas City Style BBQ
Kansas City is one part of the country that claims to be the BBQ Capital of the World. Now I am not sure if that is an accurate statement but there is some truth to the fact that this style of BBQ was influenced by many other regions to create something truly unique. This style of cooking is all about the types of techniques that are used instead of the focus on what is cooked. You can cook chicken, beef or pork it makes no difference as long as  you keep true to the techniques of this style of cooking. I will have to go into more detail later on about these techniques as I do not have enough space to cover them all in one blog post.

Texas Style BBQ
Now Texas certainly is  the largest state in the lower 48 of the United States. And the arguments whether this is the best style of BBQ are certainly some of the biggest that you will see on any show, website or anywhere else. This style of BBQ is known for its tomato based sauce and cooking of beef brisket as opposed to pork. The sauce is not put on the meat until after cooking so the emphasis is not so much on the sauce but the meat and the cooking preparations.

Kentucky Style BBQ
This is not a really widely known style of cooking outside of the state. What distinguishes this type of BBQ is the type of meat which is mutton. The mutton is accompanied by a black dipping sauce with a Kentucky Bourbon flair that adds to the flavor.

North Carolina BBQ Styles
Okay now for a tricky issue in the field of BBQ as there are really two styles of BBQ in this state. First off there is the Eastern North Carolina style BBQ which is a vinegar based sauce. The second style of North Carolina BBQ is the Western Style which is the same sauce with a bit of ketchup added for depth of flavor. Now fortunately they do agree on the type of meat to cook which is pork shoulder.

Santa Maria BBQ Style
This style is unlike any of the other styles mentioned above. One could even be so bold as to say that this is really not BBQ but grilling but those are fighting words and lets keep this civil please. The Santa Maria style is a slow cook Tri-Tip beef that is cooked on an open pit that can be controlled by lowering or raising the meat to control the temperature. With this style of BBQ you have spice rub mixture that is salt based and a basting rub that is generously rubbed on the meat during cooking. What makes the basting rub unique is the combination of just garlic infused vegetable oil and red wine vinegar. This is the style of cooking you will see in Napa Valley and there are many world renowned restaurants in the area that specialize in this type of cooking.

Now this covers the major styles of BBQ in the United States. I did not cover every single style but this should give you an overview of the types of differences in BBQ that exist in the U.S.A. so please keep that in mind when you are invited out for a BBQ.