Barbeque Lingo

Welcome back!

Yesterday, I spent the day with some of the Long Island Barbecue Brethren. It was a great day graciously hosted by Smoker at his house in Lindenhurst. We feasted on ribs, chicken, fatties, rockys, chili, beer, vodka and cabo. But better than the food was the chance to meet some more of The Brethren; Militant Squatter, Mel and Sawdustguy and his wife. Of course the Poohbah was there along with Broadway Bruce, RBSNWNGS and his driver. We had a lot of fun shooting the shit, burping, farting and burning the wood. It was like a scene out of Blazing Saddles.

One of the things came up in conversation was this blog. It seems that the boys are reading it! Thank you. I'm always surprised to hear that people actually read this. But, I had a few complaints that I'm not updating this often enough. So, here goes....

Let’s talk about BBQ Lingo. As in any profession or calling, we barbeque-rs have come up with our own language and terminology for what we do. So, if you want to walk the walk, you need to talk the talk. Here are some terms that you should know. I’ll add more later, but these should get you started.


Barbecue Lingo

ABT aka Atomic Buffalo Turds aka Turds:

• Atomic Buffalo Turds are smoked jalapeno peppers that are filled with a mixture of crème cheese, smoked bacon, olives, cocktail smokies and minced onion. Countless varieties exist. Reportedly invented by Phil Rizzardi of the Barbeque Brethren.

Barbecue aka BBQ aka Barbeque aka Q:

• The art of cooking meat over a low temperature wood and/or charcoal based fire. Usually the meat is cooked in-directly over the fire, but that can vary.
• Any food cooked via the barbeque method.
• Man’s greatest culinary achievement. No bias here.

Barbeque Sauce aka Finishing Sauce aka Dipping Sauce:

• This is easily the most controversial item in the world of barbeque. To some people, barbeque is the sauce. To others to add BBQ sauce to meat is a sacrilege.

• Let’s borrow from my friends at the BBQ Porch to help define the sauce… There are different sauces for different uses. Finishing sauce is thin and may be added to pulled or chopped (pork) prior to serving. Dipping or Table sauces should be served on the side or in a separate container so that folks can season to taste. BBQ flavors are subtle, so the sauce should complement rather than dominate. If all you taste is sauce then you might as well cook your BBQ in the oven, but that’s not REAL Q. Like most things when it comes to BBQ, there are different preferences in different regions:

• Alabama: White Sauce or sauces similar to the Georgia sauces.
• Central South Carolina: A thin mustard vinegar sauce.
• Eastern NC: A very thin vinegar & red/black pepper mixture.
• Kansas City: A thick sweet tomato based sauce.
• Kentucky: Black sauce made from Worcestershire sauce and vinegar.
• North Carolina - Tennessee: A tomato based that is on the sweet side.
• Southern South Carolina & N. Georgia: Thinnish vinegar, ketchup, and brown sugar mix.
• Southern Coastlines: Hybrid Ketchup/Mustard sauce similar to Heinz 57.
• Texas: If used, spicy tomato based sauce.
• Upper South Carolina: Very similar to North Carolina sauces.
• Western NC: A thin vinegar & catsup sauce

Bark:

• Bark is the dark outer layer of the meat, usually on a pork butt or brisket where the smoke mixes with the spices and flavorings of the rub and meat juices. To many people, this is the tastiest part of barbeque.

Brownies:

• Dark smoked pieces of beef, chicken or pork that fall off the Q when slicing or pulling. These pieces rarely emerge from the kitchen are closely guarded and usually eaten by the barbecue chef. If any do survive the slicing or pulling process they make a great addition to baked beans or soups.

Burnt Ends:

• The narrow end of a beef brisket that has been slow smoked once. Then chopped into small pieces and smoked again. These are a true culinary delight and originally only available to the “regulars” who knew to ask for them at BBQ restaurants.

Ok, that’s all I have time for today. I’ll be adding to this as I go along. When it’s done I’ll find a way to save the lingo as one reference document. Talk to you soon.