May is National BBQ Month
With May being National BBQ Month, it’s time to drag out the grill, clean out the barbecue pit, and pick up some charcoal, because the smell of smoke drifting from your neighbor’s backyard is going to make you want that unique barbecue taste. And be sure to check out our expert cooking and grilling articles right here on FIX.com.
“Barbecue” originally referred to pork cooked over a high smoke fuel source like wood or charcoal. The term has now come to include other meats and foods, and refers more to the cooking method, rather than a specific dish.
In history, the term “barbecue” was first used as a noun in western literature by William Dampier, a British buccaneer, way back in 1697. The method is commonly believed to have originated from aboriginal peoples in the Caribbean and Florida, where the word “barbecue” first entered the English language as “barbacoa,” which translated as “sacred fire pit.”
By the mid 18th Century, the term had taken on a more modern meaning, with respect to the cooking of pork. Barbecue then meant “a dressed whole hog,” which exists to this day as a quintessential barbecue dish.
Remember, there is also a difference between barbecue and grilling. Grilling refers to cooking with more direct heat, from lower smoke fuels, sometimes having flames licking the meat. Barbecue requires more indirect heat, and higher smoke fuels. Many modern gas barbecues are better described as Grills.
So, with the summer ahead of you, get that BBQ ready to go for some of that delicious smoky flavor.
