The Official Food Thread

[Prickly007]

pfft...real smokers use wood or charcoal!

Charcoal, wtf?

 

[Marzipan]

Charcoal, wtf?

kettle grills man...the original smoker!

 

[Prickly007]

kettle grills man...the original smoker!

If it ain't wood, it ain't BBQ. Moreover, I am pretty sure oil drums were actually the original smoker.

 

[Marzipan]

If it ain't wood, it ain't BBQ. Moreover, I am pretty sure oil drums were actually the original smoker.

well...charcoal grills are what made it go mainstream

edit - also, since when is charcoal not wood? LoL!

 

[Prickly007]

Weber kettles made grilling mainstream, BBQ has never been mainstream (for a variety of reasons, including sourcing wood, long cook times, etc).

 

[Marzipan]

Weber kettles made grilling mainstream, BBQ has never been mainstream (for a variety of reasons, including sourcing wood, long cook times, etc).

bah, semantics, LoL!

 

[Prickly007]

Up here sure, other parts of the continent not a %$*%*^ chance.

When I first moved to Texas, at some point, I mentioned our BBQ. Locals were dumbfounded, they could not believe I was running a pit/smoker in Vancouver. Questions were asked about sourcing wood, which left me very, very confused. That semester classmates and I went out for dinner before class, the difference between grilling and BBQ was illustrated by a variety of restaurants over the ensuing weeks.

 

[FreeKnight]

well...charcoal grills are what made it go mainstream

edit - also, since when is charcoal not wood? LoL!

In fairness, charcoal doesn't have to come from wood, that's just the most common source. You can get charcoal from petroleum byproducts, coconut shells, even leftover stalks from wheat or grain.
Probably better to think of it as a finished product like glass or steel. Sure usually it's sand or iron as the base, but not necessarily depending on production and type.

As for the grilling vs bbq vs smoking and fuel source, it's highly regional and variable. It's not like Barbeque of the American south is the original style, just the most well known to us. I don't know enough about Spanish barbacoa or Portuguese to comment on their standards though. Like most cooking things, it's a hot mess of 'ifs, ands or buts'.

 

[Prickly007]

In between barbacoa and modern BBQ is the plantation/Antebellum era, when slaves were the pit masters and the food was cooked in shallow trenches.

 

[Marzipan]

making some side ribs for dinner. salt n peppered em, sprinkled some garlic, onion powder n cayenne, a tap or two of chipolte and then some red pepper flakes.

with rice and mixed forzed veggies.