Barbecue: A Celebration of Smoked Meats

Barbecue is more than a meal- It’s an event. People gather for good barbecue, whether invited or not. Barbecue is an event that gathers people around a fire. Like the fires of prehistory, this is the setting to eat, drink and tell stories.

Smoking has been used as a way of preserving and flavoring food for thousands of years. Soon after the discovery of fire, man found that meats and fish exposed to smoke lasted much longer before spoiling. In many cuisines around the world, smoking meats and fish became a yearly ritual, especially in autumn, to provide protein over the winter when hunting became less fruitful. The annual celebrations that surrounded these events morphed over time to become an excuse for family and friends to gather. The introduction of refrigeration and spices over the last 500 years has helped make smoking meats a ritualistic culinary art form that celebrates community rather than just a method of preservation and survival.

Three different countries have taken BBQ to whole other level that has become, in many ways, part of their national identities. Experience the amazing recipes and stories that have made each of these countries approach to BBQ do special.

AMERICAN BARBECUE

Almost every state and region in the United States has its own style of barbecue, each with its own cuts of meat based on what were readily available. Using a backyard grill at home is a wonderful American tradition utilized as a way for family and friends to gather for an afternoon to eat hot dogs and hamburgers. A true American barbecue is usually a day-long event that celebrates the smoked foods and cooking rituals.

Get American BBQ Recipes HERE

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SOUTH AFRICAN BRAAI

The word braaivleis is Afrikaans for “smoked meat”. The word braai is Afrikaans for “barbecue” or “grill”, and is a social custom in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Get South African BBQ Recipes HERE

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ARGENTINIAN ASADO

In South America, asado is a technique for cooking cuts of meat, usually consisting of beef alongside various other meats, which are cooked on a grill (parrilla) or open fire. It is considered the traditional meal of Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile and southern Brazil. The asado is a very traditional way of cooking that typically requires the great skills of an asador. The gathering of family and friends is critical to a successful asado.