The American BBQ

The American BBQ is characterized by several key items: meat smothered in sauce or dry-rubbed to perfection, more sides than you could possibly eat, and sunshine.

Being an outdoor activity, barbecues are primarily participated in during summertime and involve a lot of tending to the grill. There are not many other nations that focus on an entire event, (let’s be real… when the grill comes out, it turns into an event) on tending to meat all day.

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The American BBQ Has Found Its Place Among The Elite Cooking Styles

There are other nations, who cook outdoors or spend long periods of time cultivating a dish don’t get me wrong; Iceland for example bakes rye bread over hot springs buried in the ground for 24 hours, but no one tends to meat like Americans having a BBQ.

In France or Italy, they would laugh at the sheer amount of time spent creating this meal. France is known for its bread and wine, Italy for its pasta and desserts. Bread needs time to rest, that’s certain, and the pasta does need to be rolled out but the stove or oven will do the work for you after you toss it in. Very, out of sight out of mind cooking style, which is just not how we do things here in the States.

We like to be as involved in our cooking as we are in each other’s business. We are the nosey neighbors of the world. While the French has mastered the delicate cooking styles needed to prepare crepes or petite fours, Americans have mastered flavor. Having access to spices from around the world and taking a low and slow approach to cooking, Americans have perfected the art of cooking outside over an open flame.

Is it going to rival the presentation of a Japanese prepared sushi roll with its perfect portions and artistic design? Definitely not but it will taste better. It will more closely resemble a meal from Ethiopia, cooked over an open flame, packed with spices, and thrown on one giant platter to share with the family; although we tend to focus less on soup-like dishes.

Although not the most delicate of cooking styles, the American BBQ has found its place among the elite cooking styles of the world and is definitely here to stay.