Food Product Design: Foodservice Focus - June 2000 - New Cuts on Meat - A generation ago, dining out...

March 2000

By Susheela Uhl
Contributing Editor

The term barbecue comes from the Spanish word barbacoa, which was derived from the American Indian term for their method of slow-cooking food in stone-lined pits in the ground. Barbecuing has been with us since ancient times. During China’s Ming dynasty, nomadic Mongolians introduced lamb, mutton and beef barbecuing to Peking cuisine, which eventually also included pork, chicken and duck.

Barbecuing developed as a way to smoke, dry and preserve meat. Today, the concept of barbecue includes any whole, cut or ground meats, poultry, seafood and vegetables cooked in an open fire; in a pit or on skewers; on a spit using hot coals, woodchips or hardwood; or even on an electric grill. In North America, barbecuing also has come to refer to any outdoor grilling, particularly with charcoal.

Every culture appears to have some type of popular barbecue product. For example, there’s Mexican lamb barbacoa; North American spicy barbecue ribs; Malaysian satés; Japanese yakitoris; Arabian aromatic shish kebabs; Caribbean jerk pork; Indian tikka chicken; and Chinese Mongolian beef. In Mexico, whole lamb, rabbit, chicken, pork and goat are seasoned and baked in a pit on a bed of maguey or banana leaves. In north India, chicken is frequently seasoned and cooked on skewers.

Generally, barbecues are prepared with marinades, dry rubs or sauces, which are basted onto foods or served alongside the finished dish. The many types of barbecue sauces are characterized by sweet, pungent, spicy or vinegary notes. Many countries have their own unique barbecue-sauce flavor, such as sambal from India, jerk from the Caribbean, hoisin from China, chilmole from Mexico and spicy peanut from Indonesia. In certain regions of the world, banana, hoba and pandan leaves or other wrappers are used to give added flavor, moisture or color to the finished product.

In North America, a true Southern barbecue refers to slow, pit-cooked pork. But now, in addition to the classic version, barbecue often means chicken and other poultry, beef, pork and seafood basted with sauce and slowly smoked or grilled over charcoal, hickory wood or aromatic woodchips until the finished product develops a charred or dark-brown color and an aromatic flavor. Basic barbecue sauce is dark and reddish-brown, with spicy, smoky, sweet and/or mildly tart flavors. It’s made from tomatoes, mustard, onions, vinegar, garlic and brown sugar, with added smoke or grill notes. Beer, wine, molasses and other spices are often also included. Generally, Texas sauces are thick, spicy and hot, and consist of paprika, chili powder, black pepper, dark brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, dry mustard and jalapeños. Carolina sauce is tart and thin, with cider vinegar, ketchup, crushed red pepper and brown sugar. Memphis sauce is spicy and sweet, with paprika, garlic, brown sugar, onion and black pepper.

Whatever the flavor emphasis or final product, barbecuing and the accompanying marinades and sauces provide enough variety to meet just about any taste preference.

Susheela Uhl is president of Horizons, a Mamaroneck, NY-based food-consulting firm. She develops products (ethnic and fusion), provides information on spices and other flavorings, and gives presentations exploring culinary trends and the factors contributing to their emergence.

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