• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Subscribe
  • My Account
  • 0 items
Soul Food Scholar: Dropping Knowledge Like Hot Biscuits™ logo

Adrian E. Miller

Soul Food Scholar

  • Home
  • About
    • Meet Adrian
    • About My Books
    • Speaking Engagements
    • Consulting
    • Testimonials
    • Restaurant Recos
  • Shop
  • Events
  • Press & Media
    • Audio
    • Video
    • Photo
    • Digital
    • Soul Food Scholar Blog
  • Contact
  • Show Search
Hide Search

Does a Clambake Count as Barbecue?

Trying to define barbecue often sets off a fireworks display that rivals anything you saw on the 4th of July. In the spirit of stoking that fire, I ask, should the New England clambake fit under barbecue’s big tent?

Though barbecue is now the consensus meal for Independence Day celebrations in much of the country, it’s not our nation’s only outdoor-cooking tradition. In the nineteenth century, the clambake was just as popular in New England as the pit barbecue was in the South. They share some common elements: digging a pit in the ground, burning hardwood down to coals and embers, using a variety of meats (some clambakes also feature lobster, chicken, and sausage) and wrapping the food—seaweed and canvas for clams; aluminum foil and burlap for pork or beef—to create steam and/or minimize burning. The successful “bakemaster” and “pitmaster” are both revered in their communities.

Traditional clambake fare gets gussied up for a 1968 Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

Of the many differences between clambakes and barbecues, an intriguing one is how each tradition accounts for its heritage. While acknowledging the Native American contributions in southern-style pit barbecue has waned over time, some scholars have argued that such influences are actually exaggerated within the clambake. In any case, if they’re cooking over a wood-fueled fire, I’ll invite New Englanders to bring their clams to the barbecue table.

Share it!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Written by:
Adrian Miller
Published on:
09/30/2012
Thoughts:
No comments yet

Categories: Soul Food ScholarTags: BBQ

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • Awards
  • Barbecue
  • Best Soul Food List
  • Black-eyed Peas
  • Book Review
  • Chitlins
  • Chitterlings
  • Church food
  • Cornbread
  • Dessert
  • Fried Chicken
  • Global Soul
  • Greens
  • Holidays
  • Hot Topics!
  • Presidential Foodways
  • Proclaiming Colorado's Black History
  • Red Drink
  • Restaurant Report
  • Seafood
  • Soul Food Scholar
  • Uncategorized
  • Upcoming Events
  • Wine

Explore more

Ready to experience it for yourself?


Get In Touch

Contact Adrian to request a speaking engagement, consultation or custom experience and start your soul food journey today!

Soul Food Scholar: Dropping Knowledge Like Hot Biscuits™ white knockout logo

Footer

Adrian E. Miller

Soul Food Scholar
Denver, Colorado

Copyright © 2023 Adrian E Miller. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy • Terms & Conditions

Keep In Touch

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • About
  • Shop
  • Events
  • Press & Media
  • Contact