Not every piece of meat we eat in the South is covered with barbecue sauce.
Only the good ones.
I don’t know how or why we became such barbecue eaters. All other parts of our wonderful country enjoy this method of preparing food, but in the South it is almost required that every hamlet and town have a service station and a BBQ stand.
The word barbecue comes from the Spanish word barbacoa, meaning a frame of sticks on which meat is laid for roasting. This tells you that we are talking about hot coals here, not a flame.
We don’t all go out, dig a pit, burn wood until we get red, glowing coals (or use charcoal), and then build a frame. We also use outdoor grills, ovens, even microwaves, but the traditional way is to roast the meat slowly over hot coals.
We barbecue everything from chicken wings to lobster and many things in between, including whole hogs.
The word in Southern usage is noun, verb and adjective. We have a BBQ, meaning a party with a lot of people. We BBQ, meaning we are going to cook the meat in this slow-roasted method, and we have BBQ restaurants.
Sometimes the meat is marinated in a barbecue sauce before it is cooked, but this can cause the sauce to brown or burn. Usually a better method is to cook the meat until about half done, then begin brushing it with the sauce as it continues to cook. It should be cooked until it is very tender. Add more sauce at the end of the cooking period.
There is not, despite what the common practice would indicate, a rule that baked beans and cole slaw have to be served with BBQ, although these are good. Almost any veggie can be served. Sweet potatoes are especially good, and you do need something crisp, so green salad would serve well.
I am offering you two barbecue sauces. The first was given to our son Tom and our late son Bart by a Clemson friend. They used it for the barbecues they had when they were in school and for many years after that, and we still use it. This recipe has a mustard base and is especially good with pork. Note: When cooking for a large group, allow ¾ to 1 pound of uncooked pork per person. The second recipe is simpler and slightly sweet.
Barbecued meats freeze well, so when you are barbecuing, cook an extra amount and freeze it so one day when you are in a rush, you can thaw the barbecue and have BBQ sandwiches for … Sunday Dinner.
Tom’s Clemson BBQ Sauce
3 cups prepared mustard
2 cups brown or white sugar
⅓ cup salt
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup soy sauce
3 or 4 tablespoons black pepper
3 or 4 tablespoons onion salt
1 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons hot sauce, such as Texas Pete
Vinegar
Combine all ingredients except vinegar in a large sauce pot and bring to a boil. Stir until mustard and sugar are dissolved and well-blended.
Pour into a gallon container and finish filling the container with vinegar. Makes 1 gallon. This can be stored at room temperature and keeps well.
Easy BBQ Sauce
1 12-ounce jar orange marmalade
1 12-ounce bottle chili sauce
¼ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1½ cups celery seed
Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pot and mix well. May heat or use cold to baste pork ribs, chicken and other meats. Yields 3 cups.