# Barbecue Styles **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [June 24, 2021, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecue-styles/944974 "2021-06-24T23:36:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecue-styles/944974/62 "2021-06-27T02:18:25Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/6ubTQfr_tyY/hqdefault.jpg "The BBQ Song - Rhett & Link") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ubTQfr_tyY) ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecue-styles/944974/63 "2021-06-27T02:38:03Z")
Sigh. Now I’m curious as to what @Stranger_On_A_Train thinks about Cincinnati Chili. I’m probably glad I do not know what that is. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecue-styles/944974/64 "2021-06-27T02:41:03Z")
Don’t be. Cincinnati meat sauce is delicious. I’ll take a 4-way. Just don’t expect their chili to taste like chili. It doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecue-styles/944974/65 "2021-06-27T02:57:10Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > To think I had never even heard of The Sausage Race!! Back in 2003, when the Sausage Race was still fairly new to Brewers Games, a player on the Pirates, Randall Simon, hit one of the Sausages (Brewers employees, often interns, are usually in the outfits) with a bat, and knocked her down. She wasn’t seriously hurt, and Simon apologized (I don’t think he was really trying to hurt anyone, but was just fooling around). > **[After all this time, the fallen sausage speaks](https://www.mlb.com/news/the-racing-sausage-and-randall-simon)** > > A version of this story originally ran in June 2021. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecue-styles/944974/66 "2021-06-27T09:12:18Z")
To add to what **silenus** said, some Eastern-style restaurants go a bit light on the red pepper, and instead have unmarked glass bottles on the table containing either some of their own sauce, or a hotter version of it. (Being vinegar-based, these sauces are very thin.) In addition to the hush puppies and the slaw (which is a sweet mayo-based version that’s popular as a topping in a barbecue sandwich), these places can offer a small selection of vegetables and/or Brunswick stew, which appears to have its own regional variations (some people make theirs with chicken, others use chicken and beef). ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecue-styles/944974/67 "2021-06-27T16:49:50Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Don’t be. Cincinnati meat sauce is delicious. I’ll take a 4-way. Just don’t expect their chili to taste like chili. It doesn’t. Hehehe, yeah. It doesn’t taste like chili because it’s spaghetti. Seriously, it’s a less spicy version of my mom’s meat sauce. I eventually figured out that my mom basically made chili mac and called it spaghetti because she wasn’t using elbow macaroni. When it comes to BBQ, I am firmly in the camp that believes if your apparatus is cooking the meat above about 300 or so: it’s grilling, not BBQ. That’s still a tasty way to cook things, I’ve cooked over a hot wood fire myself several times. It’s just not the same thing as BBQ to me. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecue-styles/944974/68 "2021-06-27T18:47:16Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Does the book define barbecue? I ask because a lot of people make a sharp distinction between bbq (low & slow) and grilling (hot & fast, at least relative to bbq). Barbecue is probably in a closed cooker, grilling tends to be more uncovered. KBBQ, to me, is actually grilling. Yeah, I was thinking the same thing when I read the OP. The word “barbecue” is way too vague- it’s used for anything from grilling chicken or hamburgers, to the low and slow smoking of beef or pork, and anything in between. Generally speaking, “barbecue” when talking about culinary styles usually means low temperature, long duration smoked meats- the big 3 are pork butts (pulled pork), beef brisket, and pork ribs. Other meats of note are beef ribs, whole hogs, sausages of various sorts, and various lamb and goat cuts. Santa Maria tri-tip looks to me to be a hybrid of the Latin American grilling traditions from Argentina and Brazil, and the US barbecue traditions, in that it’s not entirely grilled, yet not entirely slow cooked either. Sounds fantastic if you ask me! [Here’s a pretty friendly article on it from Texas Monthly magazine, of all places.](https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/santa-maria-style-bbq/) ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecue-styles/944974/69 "2021-06-27T18:51:28Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Don’t be. Cincinnati meat sauce is delicious. I’ll take a 4-way. Just don’t expect their chili to taste like chili. It doesn’t. Interestingly enough, the Cincinnati “chili” is derived from the Greek meat stew “kima” which is traditionally served over pasta (“makaronia me kima” is the full name of the dish). But apparently the Cincinnati version is a sort of hybridized version with actual chili that came about at the same time that chili went nationwide (early 20th century), so it’s kind of like a localized Cincinnati version of Kima, not some really weird bastardized version of chili. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecue-styles/944974/70 "2021-06-27T19:28:45Z")
> [@bump](#): > > the big 3 are pork butts (pulled pork), beef brisket, and pork ribs. Other meats of note are beef ribs, whole hogs, sausages of various sorts, and various lamb and goat cuts. I agree that the big three dominate the barbecue world but if we expand it to ‘smoking,’ we can include things like birds, fish, cheeses and my own favorite: bacon wrapped, cheese stuffed jalapenos. > [@scabpicker](#): > > When it comes to BBQ, I am firmly in the camp that believes if your apparatus is cooking the meat above about 300 or so: it’s grilling, not BBQ. I think it’s more to do with direct/indirect, though most grates over 300 will be direct anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecue-styles/944974/71 "2021-06-27T19:41:40Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > I think it’s more to do with direct/indirect, though most grates over 300 will be direct anyway. While the Santa Maria style grill is a direct heat method it is usually under 300 degrees. The grill is adjusted to move the meat closer or further from the heat source to keep the temperature right. The rule I was taught growing up was I should just be able to hold my hand above the grill for 10 seconds. It gets a pretty intense smoke flavor and a nice bark. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2021, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecue-styles/944974/72 "2021-06-28T00:43:15Z")
I personally wouldn’t define barbecue as needing to be indirect heat—I mean look at the open pit styles out there, or even closed styles directly over coals and wood. The meat just has to be far enough away and the heat such that we’re looking at temps of, like said before, under 300-ish. There’s a lot of good flavor to be had in direct barbecue in having the rendering fat hit the flames. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2021, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecue-styles/944974/73 "2021-06-28T00:58:38Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > There’s a lot of good flavor to be had in direct barbecue in having the rendering fat hit the flames. One of the fun Jacko’s secrets is that they use the captured bacon fat from their breakfasts to coat their wood and start their fire for the afternoon. Most of the Santa Maria style people will put the fat trimmings on the grill as the fire is heating up so it will drip on the fire for the home cooks that is typically followed by linguica. So lots of fat drips down on the fire, helps get the wood to catch and it smells great even before the meat goes on the grill. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2021, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecue-styles/944974/74 "2021-06-28T01:05:45Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > One of the fun Jacko’s secrets is that they use the captured bacon fat from their breakfasts to coat their wood and start their fire for the afternoon. Did you mean Jocko’s? Or are you going all the way to Neverland? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2021, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecue-styles/944974/75 "2021-06-28T01:07:40Z")
I did. I’ll just blame it on autocorrect rather than not paying attention. Most of my friends worked there in high school since the tips were so good. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2021, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecue-styles/944974/76 "2021-06-28T01:10:39Z")
I can imagine. I didn’t know that about the bacon fat, btw. I mean, I knew about the general idea of flavoring meat with fat cooking on the coals, but not the bacon particulars about Jocko’s. It really is the flavor they impart to the meat that makes it so special. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2021, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecue-styles/944974/77 "2021-06-28T02:10:27Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I mean look at the open pit styles out there, or even closed styles directly over coals and wood. The meat just has to be far enough away and the heat such that we’re looking at temps of, like said before, under 300-ish. Yea, true, it’s a slippery thing to define with exceptions and whatabouts all over the place. There’s the adjustable grate like described upthread for Santa Maria and some South American techniques. At some point, there’s enough distance between the fire and meat to be _effectively_ indirect but still close enough to catch the rewards from those those tasty flames. I dunno, maybe that 300 degree benchmark is a better cutoff than I first thought. One of the most valuable reasons to read large international message boards is to see what people from different parts of the world are doing with the hobbies we have in common. Examples: [Something a little different that I thought you guys might enjoy. This is lamb asada that my wife and I had on our honeymoon in rural Patagonia, Argentina. Really fun to learn about another way of cooking with fire. : BBQ](https://old.reddit.com/r/BBQ/comments/f9hvve/something_a_little_different_that_i_thought_you/) [Visited my wife’s family in São Paulo, Brazil. Here is her dad’s setup : BBQ](https://old.reddit.com/r/BBQ/comments/c0u19g/visited_my_wifes_family_in_s%C3%A3o_paulo_brazil_here/) [How is this for a BBQ. Colombia has some of the best grilled meat. - Imgur](https://imgur.com/ODsibGO) Argentina open pit: [My last post from Argentina got some love, so I thought I’d share some real gaucho shit : grilling](https://old.reddit.com/r/grilling/comments/lu1kco/my_last_post_from_argentina_got_some_love_so_i/) Jordan [https://old.reddit.com/r/BBQ/comments/hkjboe/what\_do\_you\_think\_of\_my\_grill\_setup/](https://old.reddit.com/r/BBQ/comments/hkjboe/what_do_you_think_of_my_grill_setup/) [Here’s a better Picture of the Parrilla. : grilling](https://old.reddit.com/r/grilling/comments/cwv6yf/heres_a_better_picture_of_the_parrilla/) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2021, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecue-styles/944974/78 "2021-06-28T02:28:28Z")
I guess if I had to think about it, barbecue implies cooking a high collagen:tough cut of meat to levels that would normally be well done, but because of the cooking process, the collagen is broken down and the meat is rendered soft. We’re looking at finishing temps of 185-205 usually. Grilling is more cooking quickly over coals and finishing meat at a range of 115-170 (at the max, if you like well done.) So that’s another aspect of it. And barbecue, by my definition, needs to involve wood in the process. It can be just charcoals (Cozy Corner’s and Payne’s in Memphis are charcoal-only, for example), but usually involves non-charcoaled wood for flavoring and heat. It can get a little fuzzy around the edges, and the distinction isn’t really super important as the terms are often used interchangably by non-BBQ geeks and by other English speakers, and even among BBQ geeks you’ll get a bit of arguing, as that’s just what they/we do. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2021, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecue-styles/944974/79 "2021-06-28T19:37:08Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > I once ran a 5K at the stadium where the hot dog handily passed me and beat my sub-twenty minute finish time by a large margin. In costume? _That’s_ impressive! ---
**Author:** ![Madam\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madam_librarian/32/3123_2.png) [@Madam\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madam_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2021, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecue-styles/944974/80 "2021-06-28T23:41:41Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > The (Casmalia) Hitching Post Glad you mentioned the Casmalia location. The Hitchin’ Post II, made famous in the movie _Sideways_, isn’t as good. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2021, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecue-styles/944974/81 "2021-06-28T23:53:01Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > In costume? _That’s_ impressive! I howled. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecue-styles/944974.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecue-styles/944974.md?page=5)