Then there’s Bar-b-que south of the border: Barbacoa.
mmmmmmmmmmm
I grew up in what I consider to be the barbecue capital of the universe, Memphis, TN. Things have changed somewhat in the years I’ve been gone, but you can still get Leonard’s, Top’s, and I think there’s still even a Coleman’s. It’s all about hickory smoked, very slowly cooked pork shoulder, chopped or pulled, on a bun with coleslaw and VINEGAR based barbecue sauce. However, I read a recipe from the Memphis Commercial Appeal for “Memphis Barbecue Sauce” by one of their food editors, and it started with Ketchup. Sacrilege!!! No,no,no,no,no,no,NEVER! This woman was obviously a Yankee spy attempting to subvert one of the only decent traditions in Southern history.
In all the years I lived there and all the tonnage of barbecue I ate, NONE of it was desecrated with tomato based sauce.
Anyway, everyone knows that the real path to great barbecue is a very slow fire, lots of hickory smoke, and the secret basting sauce…
That said, I love Lindyhopper’s attitude…I’ll eat anything barbecued. Each region has something good to offer and if you can’t get the real thing, why, enjoy whatever’s tasty where you are.
Hark! A wise man has spoken. Take heed:
Barbecued mutton is the food of the (Western Kentucky redneck) gods. It is rich and greasy and perfect. If you pass through Owensboro, you must try some with dill pickle slices and onions.
That said, I put mutton in its own little corner of the barbecue universe. It is not what comes to mind when I hear the word “barbecue.” What does come to mind is Bill’s, a little cinderblock building in Metropolis, Illinois, with about three-and-half tables, a counter big enough for two people and the heavenly scent of hickory smoke and grease.
Bill’s pork sandwiches _ mmmmmmmmmmmm. You can add a bit of tomato-based sauce if you like, but the meat is delicious without adding a thing.
By the by, I once passed through South Carolina and stopped at a place just off the interstate (I don’t recall what part of SC this was). It was called Heavy’s Barbecue, and served a vinegar-y BBQ that was interesting but not my cup of tea. The restaurant was a maze of added-on rooms with a wonderful decor of Colonial Dead Things on Plaques. Very colorful.
Thanks, everyone for their replies! I had no idea that BBQ was so complex.
When things are right, I’m going to try my hand and properly BBQ some meat (pork and other types) Any recommendations for doing this?
Also, I’d appreciate receipes for the vinegar-based BBQ and even some of the mustard-based stuff. I’ve never had the opportunity to try it.
Anyone else want to relate their home BBQ experiences?
Freyr: The last time I barbecued a beef brisket (which, being in Texas, you must do first), I used the following recipe:
Barbecue Rub:
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ground cumin
1/4 cup chili powder (use whatever kind you like here)
1/4 cup cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
1/2 cup paprika
Take a 10-12 pound beef brisket and rub it thoroughly on all sides with the rub, and let it come to room temperature (assuming you’ve been storing it in the refrigerator).
Now, you want to build a small fire on one side of the grill, and put the brisket on the other side of the grill. Make sure (as Uke said above), that this is indirect heat; i.e., none of the meat is directly over the fire.
You gotta keep the fire going for a long while, but you don’t want it to flare up too much. It’ll cook for approximately 8-10 hours (in Montana, it takes 12 hours, but I’m assuming that’s because of the altitude), and I usually add a double handful of charcoal after finishing every beer (yes, beer is central to the experience. Don’t plan on going anywhere on the day you barbecue).
I also keep a supply of wood chips (well soaked in water beforehand) to scatter over the hot coals. Mesquite is best, but hickory or even oak will do in a pinch. Any hardwood, really. I’ve gotten excellent results from applewood. For a long process like real barbecue, the flavors of the wood actually do permeate the meat; for a short process like basic grilling, it’s not worth the trouble.
Anyway, that’s basically it. Don’t be alarmed if the brisket looks burned; it’s supposed to look like that. Just slice it and serve it with sauce on the side–whatever you like. Don’t drown the poor brisket; just use a touch.
Trust me; it’s delicious.
And since you asked, I do have a recipe for the Eastern North Carolina-style vinegar-based sauce (although, as I’ve said, I personally don’t care for it):
For about 10 pounds of pork:
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon Tabasco
Add salt and pepper to taste.
You cook the pork butts in a similar way to the briskets described above, only it’s less time (6-7 hours). Then pull the pork (shred it with your hands), mix it with the sauce, and put it on buns.
rackensack: Speaking as an Oklahoma boy from way back, them’s fightin’ words. 
Seriously, Oklahoma and Arkansas ain’t so different. Yeah, we may prefer beef over pork (although, as I noted above, what we really like is hot links), but we’re brothers under the skin. Peace?
Nightsong: Care to elaborate about Montana? I’ve only lived here for about 7 years, and there’s no barbecue tradition to speak of. I’m speaking out of my wide experience as a seasoned consumer of food. Low Country cuisine is to die for, even the mustard-based barbecue sauce. 
DoctorJ and Clark K: I’d love to try Kentucky’s barbecued mutton. Sounds yummy. Never spent too much time in Kentucky, but that’d be first on my list if I did. Sign me up!
plnnr: Actually, a real barbecue joint has a dirt floor with sawdust strewn liberally around. Linoleum? Feh! Luxury!
And Clark K has it exactly right; if barbecue is done right, it tastes great without any sauce at all. It’s the true carnivore’s experience.
In short (all together now: too late!), all barbecue is deserving of respect, and you should try everything at least once. Can’t we all just get along?
come on now, the best BBQ comes from the carolinas! LOL.
We have “pig pickins” where im from— a whole pig, split in half, cooked slow on a huge grill made from an oil tank or somthing similar. (Damn, this is making me hungry!!) no sauce is added during the cook, but the favorite sauce to add while on the plate is a “secret” mix of vinegar, pepper, and a few other spices. Most the the BBQ resturants here in NC tend to have their own sauces, distinctly different, yet similar to that of other resturants. Most resturants sell their sauce by the gallon (if you ask). somtimes it can be pretty expensive.
Lindyhopper, i read your post above… you gave away the secret sauce! LOL
I have very little true BBQ experience, being from NY and all. I will share an experience I had 2 summers ago. I was driving down to Sunset Beach, NC which is about a 13hr drive from my home. I decided to take the “scenic” route, down through Delaware, over the giant bridge/tunnel thing, and down through the sorta back roads to the very bottom of NC.
I stopped for lunch in Ahoskie, NC at a little hole in the wall diner, which was next to the Tomahawk Motel on US Rt 13. Had a pulled pork BBQ sandwich, with slaw and fries (slaw is on the sandwich, not on the side like in NY). I spent less than an hour in that little town, but if I ever have a reason to be anywhere near that area again, I know exactly where I’m going to eat lunch, and exactly what I’m going to order.
Hallelujiah, you beat me to what I was going to post.
Kreuz’s is indeed the definitive barbeque. You stand in line, pass right by the fire (you’ll be sweating profusely by the time you order, even if it isn’t hot outside) and order your cuts of meat. You have a choice between some slices of white bread and Saltine crackers. You get a plastic knife. The beef is given to you on butcher paper. THERE IS NO SAUCE.
You go into the cafeteria, and at a second counter can order your drinks and a very small selection of sides.
Oh Dear Sweet Jesus is it good! It’s one of the many things I miss from when I lived in Texas.
The Salt Lick is fun too, especially if you’ve got a big group. Gotta BYOB, though, 'cause Dripping Springs is in a dry county.
All these pro-pork people are just wrong. This is one of the few things in life I’m metaphysically sure of.
It could be worse, though. New Yorkers are the most barbeque-ignorant people I’ve ever met. Up here, throwing hamburger patties or chicken breasts on an outdoor grill qualifies as “barbeque.” Stupid Yankees. :rolleyes:
Hey! That’s my dinner you’re talking about. Have some respect 
I got a couple of beef ribs in the oven with a not so dainty coating of barbeque sauce doctored up with liquid smoke, garlic and brown sugar. If it doesn’t crunch under your teeth, it’s not properly sauced, I don’t care what you south types say!
But I do acknowledge my dinner is not barbeque. Barbeque is meat cooked by smoke. Food cooked on a grill is grilling. Grilling is a noble and fine way of readying the beast for the plate-honor it with its proper name.
I can’t barbeque, I live in an apartment. Twelve hours of smoke eminating from the balcony attracts the wrong sort of landlord attention.
Some of us, however, do spell it correctly.
Ah, hell, all those dictionaries are written by damned Yankees…who’re you gonna believe here, respected arbiters of the English language, or me?
I’ve been away from the boards for a while and saw this whilst perusing older theads and felt compelled to reply. By and large you’ve gotten decent basic advice on what barbecue is and isn’t in different parts of the country and some excellent advice on some of the better barbecue establishments. Here is my humble recipe for home-cooked Mississippi Delta style (Bootheel of Missouri and the low-lying parts of Arkansas and Mississippi) pork shoulders.
Hardware: while you don’t need a special grill for this effort, to get the best results you’ll need a smoker that provides indirect heat. The fire goes in the smaller chamber on the left side of the grill in the picture; the meat in the bigger chamber. Vertical barrel-type cookers can provide good results, but there’s a lot to fool with.
Time: You’ll need 18 - 24 hours before your party starts to get all this accomplished. In a pinch (and in hot weather) you can drop this down to 16 hours, but you need to know what you’re doing.
Barbecue Fixings:
Meat: I prefer pork shoulders. These are often sold in grocery stores as “picnics.” Sometimes you can only get the upper part (blade end) without the hock - - this is confusingly called a “Boston butt.” Get 1/2 to 1/3 pound per person; this ratio guarantees leftovers.
Dry Rub: I prefer Chef Hans Cajun Meat Seasoning, but Tony Chachere’s works well also. 1 container is good for about 2 modest-sized shoulders. You’ll also need 1 jar of rubbed sage and some brown sugar.
Baste: Apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and 5 or 6 large lemons. The oil will hold the lemon juice and cider to the meat; the acidity in the vinegar/lemon juice will soften the meat. In my experience you cannot put too much baste on the meat. A large, empty milk jub with small holes punched in the screw-on lid makes a great shake-baster.
Tools
Heavy-duty aluminum foil to line the bottom of the grill (easier clean-up) and to wrap the meat (instructions will come later).
Charcoal and wood chips: Charcoal varies with personal preference. I have a friend who will only use genuine hardwood charcoal since he doesn’t like his meat blackened by the coal ash found in briquettes like Kingsford or Old Hickory. I don’t like paying extra for the genuine charcoal and don’t mind blackened meat.
Hickory chunks and mesquite chunks are available at most food stores; either is fine. Pick one! Mixed smoke is evil! Soak the chunks in water for at least ½ hour before putting them in the fire. Don’t use too many (say two or so per hour) or the meat will suffer. I have gravitated to apple wood as it provides a less sharp flavor than hickory and mesquite. I hear pecan is good, too. If you can’t find chunks, chips work well - - soak them like the chunks and throw in a handful every hour or so.
For instructions, see the next post: Take Two
Getting Going
Step 1: Get a beer.
Step 2: Line the area of the grill that will be under the meat with foil. Be sure to punch a hole through the foil over the grill’s drain hole and put a large (1/2 gallon or so) container under the hole to catch the drippings. Put 3 or 4 pounds of charcoal in the fire-box (if you have one) or at one end of your grill (use indirect heat) and light the fire.
While the coals are getting hot…
Mix the dry rub in a large bowl as follows: (a) add the container of rubbed sage, (b) add brown sugar to the sage until neither the sugar nor the sage is the dominant flavor, and © mix in the seasoning.
With a large, sharp knife, trim the fat layer off the shoulder(s). You don’t have to get all the fat off the meat, just that really think layer.
Apply the dry rub generously to the shoulder, coating the entire surface.
If the coals are ready, place the meat on the grill away from the coals. I place a small, water-filled metal bowl or aluminum container on the grill next to the meat to keep the meat from getting too dry. If the coals aren’t ready, repeat step 1.
When the meat’s on the grill, add wood chunks to the fire, close the grill, and keep the curious away (randomly opening the lid adds to the cooking time).
**Step 3:**Get another beer.
**Step 4:**Mix the baste. + 2 parts lemon juice, + 2 parts cider vinegar, + 1 part olive oil.
Add coals as necessary usually every one to two hours to keep the cooking chamber temperature between 200 and 250 degrees. Add wood chunks as indicated earlier. Use a fireplace poker to stir the coals or they won’t burn evenly and the ash will choke the fire.
After 3 hours or so, start basting the meat every 1 hour or so. Be generous.
Step 5: 4 or 5 hours before you are ready to eat, wrap each shoulder in aluminum foil. You may need to make one large sheet by folding two lengths of foil together. Baste the meat generously before wrapping. Increase the heat to 275 or so.
**Last Step:**10 minutes before taking the meat off the grill, puncture the foil underneath the shoulder to let the juice run out.
Take the meat off the grill and let it cool for 15 minutes to ½ hour. Shred and serve.
To totally roil the waters already covered in this thread, I provide mustard based table sauce, tomato based table sauce, and vinegar based table sauce so that folks can eat their 'cue the way they prefer and argue with one another about who’s right and who’s headed for eternal damnation for touching sacred meat with unclean sauce.
And, if not stating the obvious, baked beans, cole slaw, potato salad, chips, and adult beverages complete the meal.
Telemark is referring to the holy temple known as Curtis’ Barbeque. Even though I love you all greatly, I would cheerfully exsanguinate every last one of you in a heartbeat for a slab of ribs and some sides from Curtis’ place right now.