South Africa: Where Barbecue Brings People Together The 2010 Lonely Planet: Africa travel guide states, “Perhaps more than anything else, it’s the braai* (barbecue) – an Afrikaner institution that has broken across race lines – that defines South African cuisine.” This is an amazing development, given that South Africa’s barbecue tradition long emphasized racial difference. Laurens van der Post wrote […]
Here’s a Tip: Don’t Sleep on Chicago Rib Tips
Just ask a hardcore barbecue devotee to list the signature foods of different barbecue regions. Almost reflexively, that person will tick off items like whole hog in parts of the Carolinas, coleslaw-topped pork shoulder sandwiches in Memphis, beef brisket in Texas, “burnt ends” of brisket in Kansas City, and so on. One regional favorite that […]
Smoke and Mirrors: Against the Whitewashing of Barbecue
The coming and passing of National Barbecue Month (commonly called “May” by others) tends to leave a bad taste in my mouth. It’s the month when a lot of media outlets (magazines, newspapers, and television) remind us that barbecue season has officially begun. They mark the occasion by profiling notable pitmasters, sharing recipes and tips, […]
Getting “Snooty” about Barbecue
If you make your way to St. Louis, Missouri, any time soon, ask a local to show you one of their barbecue specialties: snoots. In both editions of the classic guidebook Real Barbecue (1988 and 2007), authors Greg Johnson and Vince Staten put it this way: “First we’d better deal with ‘snoots.’ Snoots are part of the […]