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Wednesday, July 8, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Journey
through
Thyme
Jodi Schneider
Columnist
The season of
the barbecue
There9s nothing more
American than a backyard
barbecue.
Memorial Day weekend
typically marks the start of
summer when grilling in the
backyard is a great way to
cook during the warm sea-
son. It9s a time to break out
the apron and tongs, fire up
the gas or charcoal and listen
to the sweet sizzle of a steak
and corn on the cob.
Barbecue, according
to research done by The
Smithsonian, began during
the Colonial Era in Virginia.
Colonists observed Native
Americans smoking and
drying meats over an open
flame. Then, the British set-
tlers put their own spin on it
with basting, using mostly
butter or vinegar, to keep the
meat moist while grilling
over an open flame. Years
later, as slaves from the
Caribbean were brought to
the U.S., they also brought
their own flavors, spices,
and techniques.
Thus, barbecue was born.
A barbecue can refer to
the cooking method itself,
Although barbecuing and
grilling both refer to cook-
ing food outdoors over a
heat source, they aren9t
interchangeable terms for
the same cooking technique.
Yet, the terms barbecuing
and grilling are often treated
as synonymous; it is more
precise to say that barbecu-
ing is a type of grilling. The
most important aspects that
differentiate the two are the
type of heat used and the
total cook time.
The term barbecuing
refers to cooking meat low
and slow, either on a grill or
in a smoker. Traditionally,
with barbecue, you often
have large, bone-in cuts such
as ribs, pork shoulder, pork
butt or brisket. The cooking
is done over indirect heat
(away from the flame) for at
least a few hours and often
the entire day, until the meat
is very tender and falling off
the bone.
Trails End BBQ
Company proprietor Carl
Perry of Sisters knows how
to cook meat low and slow
and used his expert barbe-
cue skills a few years ago
in the San Juan Bautista Rib
Cook-off and won first place
in both ribs and sauce.
Perry cooks the ribs in his
smokers for four hours and
before he serves the tender-
ized meat, the racks are put
on a grill for about five min-
utes to caramelize the sauce.
Perry9s barbecue career
kicked off accidently when
a friend needed him to step
up and barbecue ribs at the
Deschutes County Fair in
2001. He bought one of
his friend9s smokers and
had been serving up ribs
at Sisters Rodeo and the
Deschutes County Fair
for years.
PHOTO BY JODI SCHNEIDER
What we call barbecue is really “grilling.” Outdoor cooking has a rich and multicultural history in the Americas.
Grilling is what you9re
likely doing more often:
cooking food quickly over
direct heat at high tempera-
tures. Grilling is hot and
fast and gives food a quick
sear. If you9re cooking sea-
food, steak, hamburgers, hot
dogs, sausages, pork chops,
or boneless chicken breasts,
chances are you9re grilling.
Vegetables and fruits are
also popular foods to grill.
At-home grilling is most
often done over a gas or
charcoal grill.
The bottom line: barbe-
cue is not grilling. It9s not
flipping burgers, searing a
steak, chicken or ribs with
barbecue sauce. It9s cook-
ing over low heat for hours.
Barbecue is more than a
technique, it9s an experience.
A favorite American pas-
time and a summer tradition
for many, barbecues have a
long and surprisingly patri-
otic history.
The word barbecue
comes from the language
of a Caribbean Indian tribe
called the Taino. Their
word for grilling on a raised
wooden grate is barbacoa.
The word first appeared in
print in a Spanish explorer9s
account of the West Indies in
1526.
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Since then, the popular-
ity of barbecues has spread
like wildfire. The history of
barbecuing in America dates
to colonial times, and it has
been a part of American cul-
ture ever since.
Our presidents were
known to be big fans of
the laid-back pastime as
well. George Washington9s
diaries abound with refer-
ences to barbecues, includ-
ing one that lasted for three
days.
When Abraham Lincoln9s
parents were married, their
wedding feast was a barbe-
cue. Along the way, famous
inventors left their mark on
the American barbecue: the
first commercial charcoal
briquet factory was designed
by Thomas Edison and built
by Henry Ford in 1921.
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