if i came to your town and ordered "BARBECUE" at a restaurant, exactly WHAT would they serve me?

Question

the word has many different meanings all across america alone. exactly WHAT would i get? ingredients, sauces, preparation style, accompaniments, tell me all the tasty tidbits, including WHERE you reside for comparison.

i can scarcely imagine what icelandic barbecue might taste like...

in north carolina, "barbecue" refers to shredded pork, a tangy hot and sweet sauce added to it, served with slaw mixed in, either on a bun or not. anything "else" isn't barbecue.

Answer 1

Well I could write a novel on BBQ in home towns, as I have lived all over the south eastern united states, and experienced all sorts of diffrent varieties off what people consider "BBQ". Being a purist BBQ is to me cooked low and slow using wood in indirect heat. That being said, here is what I hve come across.
In Florida it has been sliced pork (usually pork shoulder) smoked and often served with just dry rub with a tomato/vinegar based bbq sauce kinda in the nuetral taste zone. Came with Texas Toast, and BBQ beans.
In Georgia it usally pulled pork/or pulled and chopped (usually pork butts) mixed with a sweet tomato/vinegar based sauce (think they use maple syrup as a thickener in the sauce). Usually offer the bbq beans, brunswick stew, collard greens and texas toast.
Alabama and Tennesse I have come across basically the same..pulled pork (athough some have used ham's instead of shoulder or butts.) With a tangier tomato/vinegar based sauce. Traditional BBQ Beans and cole slaw as sides. I haven't made it to Memphis though or kansas city, but would love to be able to travel a try all sorts or BBQ, love anything smoked over wood. Hope this helps answer you question:) Good idea for a question...

Answer 2

Where I currently live, Oklahoma, Barbecue is beef brisket! They smoke it for hours and serve it with a spicy tomato based sauce.

When I lived in southeastern North Carolina, Barbecue is PORK, and only pork. They serve it sliced or pulled and in that particular part of the state, the sauce is basically cider vinegar, red pepper flakes, a little sugar, and maybe various seasonings. When you get into middle and western part of the state, the sauce starts to contain more tomato sauce. Its all good!!! They like to eat it with hushpuppies, coleslaw, potato salad, and brunswick stew (in some places).

I lived in northern Pennsylvania for a year and once we made the mistake of ordering barbecue. We were served sliced meat which seemed to have no seasoning at all, on a plain bun. We asked for some barbecue sauce and they gave us a strange look and appeared with something in a little cup which in no way resembled any barbecue sauce I've ever seen or eaten.

Answer 3

In Uptown Chicago 50 years ago it was Ribs by Robert's, a tomato and mustard based sauce. In Mt. Vernon Ill. it used to be open pit, with a spicy tomato sauce that an old black man on Main St. did all summer with any meat he was brought. Everyone stopped there, it was delicious, but that was nearly 40 years ago. I'm near Oneonta, New York now and here it's Brooks' Barbecue Chicken, a vinegar based sauce and pit barbecue that's very tasty and tender.

Answer 4

In Texas barbecue typically means sliced brisket with "barbecue sauce" if you order it. You can also order potato salad (usually a tangy mustard variation) coleslaw, corn on the cob and pinto beans...then you get the fixins: sliced onion, and pickle relish. For dessert they normally serve a fruit cobbler. When I barbecue (grill) at home it can mean any meat: chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, steak, pork chops etc....

Answer 5

Here in central Texas we have been featured on the Food Network and on the Travel Channels best barbecue around...
Central Texas has won many food editors ribbons for the best barbecue in the USA...

If I took you in to one of our many fine establishments, you would be served some lean, sliced, fresh, cooked beef that has either been turning on a rotisserie for hours and cooked over hickory chips, or you would have lean, sliced, fresh, cooked beef that has been cooked over mesquite for hours...

This will be served with: potato salad, red or brown beans, cole slaw, bread, onions, pickles, mild or spicy BBQ sauce, and banana pudding for dessert...
You can also get beef or pork sausage links to go along with it and get a big glass of iced tea or plenty of beer to drink...
We are talking YUM, YUM, YUM...

Answer 6

Never ordered "hairy taco" at a restaurant before. But I've ate many "fish tacos" at Rubio's back in Cali.

Answer 7

You're right -- It is different everywhere! Where I live, anything doused with a sweet, spicy tomato-y sauce is barbecue. I live in central Mexico.

Answer 8

Saved by grace--you forgot one thing when it comes to TX BBQ!!

It's smoked!! Usually spends several hours in a big BBQ that looks like it used to be an oil can, on really low heat, over soaked mesquite or other flavorful wood. Yum!

Answer 9

You'd have a lot of different choices of food, including rice and beans (one of the most traditional Brazilian foods), salads and other vegetables. But what we call barbecue, in Brazil, at restaurants or at home, is meat, all kinds of meat, grilled.


Thank you, Patz, for the opportunitty to write about my country! :)

Answer 10

in northern new york you would get a rack of baby back ribs, slow roasted with a tangy red bbq sauce, a side of creamy cole slaw, french fries or baked potato with sour cream, baked beans, a roll and butter for about eighteen dollars.........