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BBQ STUFF
 A Brief History of Barbecuing
Theory #1
The true beginning to the Art Of Barbecuing is as obscure as attemptingto identify a piece of meat after a thorough grilling by the novice. Rumorhas it that the French may have begun the process of 
Barbe-a-quene
which means cooking from the beard to the tail. The meat wasalways covered with a fancy sauce, thus creating the "French Touch"
.
Theory #2
Others believe the beginnings occurred with the Caribbean ArawakIndians who, in their generosity, taught the Spanish sailors the Art Of Barbecuing. They placed the meat on green wooden sticks over anoutdoor fire. They called it
Barbacoa
, the name of the wooden sticks. Thuspossibly began the outdoor aspects of grilling.
Theory #3
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the term
buccaneer 
correspondsto the word
barbecuer 
. The first recorded use of the French word
boucanier 
wasto refer to a person from the islands of Hispaniola and Tortuga . They huntedwild oxen and boars and then cooked the meat in a barbecue frame known, inFrench, as a
boucan
. This French word came from an Arawakan or Tupinambaword meaning "a rack, sometimes used for roasting or for storing things, or arack-like platform supporting an Indian house". The original barbecuers seem tohave subsequently adapted a more remunerative way of life, piracy, whichaccounts for the new meaning given to the word.
The Real Answer!
After extensively searching for the origin of the word, our own illustriousC. Clark "Smoky" Hale has uncovered the truth behind the word. In allhonesty, the truth came to him! You see, Barbecue'n On The Internet hadbeen "live" for about a year when Smoky was contacted by PeterGuanikeyu Torres, President and Council Chief of the Taino IndigenousNation of the Caribbean and Florida. While most authorities go back tothis tribe without any problem, only Smoky was able to obtain the realtranslation - - - from the great grandson of the Taino Chief himself! Torrestranslated "barbecue" for Smoky as follows: "
Ba
from Baba(father)
Ra
from Yara (place)
Bi
from Bibi (beginning)
Cu
from Guacu (thesacred fire) or
'the beginning of the sacred fire father'
. He furtherexplained that 'Taino barabicoa' means 'the stick stand with four legs andmany sticks of wood on top to place the cooking meat.' He advised that'Taino Barabicu' means
'the sacred fire pit.'
" for more information, seeSmoky's
Glossary
'".Modern barbecuing possibly came to the United States in the early 1700'sduring General George Washington's time. Stories of cooking whole
 
animals at large political gatherings abound. The southern influencescame in and cooking of the pig became an ideal meat. Thus was born thephrase "
going whole hog.
"Who has the best barbecue?
Fortunately
, you get to decide for yourself.Could be Texas, or possibly Memphis. Many would argue that it must beKansas City. We suggest you try them all and then decide! Each area hasa distinctive touch and technique.C. Clark 'Smoky' Hale, and
Barbecue'n On The Internet 
will assist us inclearing up the many misconceptions about the
Fine Art of Barbecue'n!
We will look into the mysteries of barbecuing, providedetailed information on various grilling, smoking and barbecue'n aspectsof outdoor cooking as well as make suggestions as to the features to lookfor in purchasing a new grill or barbecue pit (often referred to as a"smoker").Visit Barbecue'n's "
According to Smoky
" column, and find a completeglossary of all outdoor cooking terms which can be thrown about casuallyto impress neighbors and friends alike! After all, not many folks reallyknow the difference between smoking, barbecuing andgrilling. Now youcan be the expert too!In Barbecue'n On The Internet's "
According toSmoky
", you will also find monthly columns bySmoky on other Barbecue'n topics and techniques.For your convenience, we have identified allinformation within this site supplied by Smoky with the little guy in thehammock!
Methods of Barbecuing
Continued from Page 2
Smokers/Barbecue Pits
There are many types of outdoor cookers available to individuals seeking toperfect their skills in barbecuing fine cuts of beef pork, poultry and fish -
 just tomention the most common ones
. One of the most popular cookers is a
WoodSmoker or Barbecue Pit
. Below, and on the left, you will find a picture of atypical wood smoker/barbecue pit.
At a minimum
, they are usually 18"+ indiameter and 2'+ in length with a "firebox" at one end.
This indirect methodof outdoor cooking is commonly called barbecuing and requires muchmore time on the pit than does grilling.
We have more information abouttypes and makes of wood smokers and barbecue pits.
Grills
On the right, is a picture of a
Wood/Charcoal Burning Grill
. The grill is used
 
for outdoor cooking where the meat is placed directly over the fire (heat) and iscooked quickly with frequent turning. Obviously, this is called grilling! We pointthis out because
many folks incorrectly refer to grilling as barbecuing andthere is a BIG difference
because barbecuing is, as said before, done withindirect heat and takes much longer.
Popular Gas Grills
Gas grills, like wood/charcoal grills cook over direct heat. The differences aretwo. First, the gas grill derives its heat from gas [propane, butane, natural gas,etc] and lights quickly. Second, since gas grills do not use wood or woodsubstances for heat, do not give the food the flavor naturally contained in thewood smoke. We offer more information for barbecuers who prefer to cook ona
Popular Gas Grill
.To find out more about the woods used for creating different smoke flavors, seeour
specialty woods
.
Water Smokers
The stand alone Water Smoker or Water Pan Smoker is relatively new to thebarbecuing scene. It is primarily used by the 'backyard barbecue enthusiast'although many cooking teams will utilize water in their larger competitive andmore expensive wood smokers and barbecue pits. It should also be pointed outthat many of the regular wood smokers on the market now incorporate thissame method in their pits making moist and flavorful tasting meats.Specifically, how water smokers work is the water is heated to boiling. The waterparticles then unite with the smoke created from wood chunks which thencondenses on the meat in a basting fashion while coating the meat with smokeflavor. The vapor also prevents the temperature in the cooking chamber fromrising much over 212 degrees F - - - the boiling point of water.
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