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Barbecue

A cooking technique used to cook foods at a low temperature for a long period of time, to deliver a wonderful smokey flavor and a gorgeous charred color. Barbecue and grilling (mentioned in the next post) are not the same, barbecue requires smoke for proper flavor and coloring. Meat, fish, seafood, poultry and vegetables are common for barbecue. Fish and seafood such as shrimp, does not need a lot of time on the grill to become tender, as they are already pretty tender.
Hard woods such as, hickory, maple, pecan wood has a very specific flavor and are common for smoking. Softwoods such as pine, spruce an evergreen wood should never be used, they produce a very resinous and bitter flavor.
Smoking meats requires indirect heat whereas the fire and meat are in separate chambers, cooked between 225°F and 250°F, to produce a smokey flavor. Barbecued meats are more charred flavor where direct heat is used, placing the meats over an open flame and maintaining a temperature between 300°F and 350°F.
The seasoning of the meat varies depending on the region it is cooked in and the cook that prepares the barbecue. The most common types of seasoning for barbecue are dry rubs (containing no moisture), wet rubs (containing just enough moisture to make a paste) and marinades (containing oil, acid and seasonings). Styles of barbecue in the United States are Carolina style (where a whole hog or pork shoulder is cooked enough to pull the meat apart and served on bread), Memphis style (ribs, that's all I need to say), Texas style (beef is introduced, preferably brisket) and Kansas City style (where a thick, tomatoey style barbecue sauce is used. There are other places where barbecue is prepared differently, such as Hawaii and Jamaica, those are just the most common.
Whether you call it barbecue, barbeque, BBQ or bar be que, it is still one of the most enjoyed methods of cooking around the world. Having a barbecue is best ways to get together family and friends, meet new people, and/or even develop marriages.

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