5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.
For many, barbecue is the ultimate leveler.
When asked about bridging racial and societal gaps in the South, Southern Foodways Alliance director John T. Edge once responded with, "... There's hope in barbecue."
Southern cookbook author Virginia Willis also believes in the power of smoked meat, adding: "BBQ exist[s] without borders. Every nation under the sun throws meat on fire."
As it turns out, chef/pitmaster Drew Robinson of Jim N Nick’s Bar-B-Q takes his cue from the same school of thought.
Five Reasons Why Barbecue is Important: Drew Robinson
1. Community
"At barbecue gatherings in by-gone eras, people probably didn’t need a reason to be reminded to get together and share each other’s time. That’s just not the case anymore. People look for reasons to maintain community and their sense of place in it. Fortunately, we have barbecue as a sort of communal elixir. Barbecue is both primal and elemental which is why it has great power to equalize people. It grounds people and roots them to their place. There’s something magical in that smoky meat that helps us find our common ground, our place at the table and our place in the community."
2. Having a good time
"I don’t think anyone seriously connected to barbecue and barbecue culture would tell you they don’t live a good life. It may be hard work, but there is never any shortage of joy and happiness over what you’re doing. Firing up the pit usually means firing up the music, cooling down the beer, telling stories of varying degrees of truthfulness and being generally satisfied just to see where the time takes you. In the event you have a whole hog and the smoke and embers carry you into the wee hours, you’ll usually find that's where some of the best times are had."
3. Lessons learned
"You learn a lot around the fire. The Pitmaster learns about technique, detail, hospitality and the patience only slow cooking can teach. Depending on the sauce served, you might learn a lot about geography and most certainly how to carry on a right and proper debate. But one thing the pit obviously can not teach is spelling. Barbecue, Barbacoa, Bar-B-Q, Bar-B-Que and for the truly deficient ... BBQ. If, I am missing one, please tweet me."
4. Eating your napkin
"There is more than one food that requires genuine physical engagement with true disregard for how your shirt looks after the meal, but for me barbecue stands at the top of the list. And while there is more than one way to eat barbecue, probably the most common method is on a bun or between two slices of white bread. There is something very magical and proletariat about wrapping a small mountain of well-sauced meat in a bun. It’s a vehicle to transport it from plate to mouth and while you make your way to the end of the bun you can use it to sop up little drops of sauce and grease from the corners of your mouth and finger tips. It’s like being a kid all over again and getting to play with your food while trying to be civil at the same time."
5. Giving thanks
"In the old days when it was hog-killing time, you’d smoke and cure the things that would get you through winter and you could save some of the fresh meat to eat as a celebration. Some folks might only have a few cuts and some folks were lucky enough to barbecue the whole hog. Either way, it was a time to give thanks for nourishment and needs being filled.
When we sit down together now, barbecue can help remind us that we need to be thankful for what we have. Hogs are one part of a food chain that have helped sustain a people and create a meaningful culture. Barbecue manifested itself as a piece of that cultural tapestry so powerfully that it even has its own subcultures. Tracing those lines back from a rack of ribs or a barbecue sandwich enjoyed with friends and family reminds us that we have a lot to be thankful for. In fact, in some households, particularly in the South, grace doesn’t end with 'Amen,' it ends with 'Amen, let’s eat.'”
*Editors' note: We never said BBQ was pretty - but you asked. We answered. Here's some BBQ porn. Happy now?
Is there someone you'd like to see in the hot seat? Let us know in the comments below and if we agree, we'll do our best to chase 'em down.
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I never comment on these boards, but I'm sorry that's not BBQ. That is some over priced crap cooked in a indoor smoker with liquid smoke, some saltines, and some ketchup.
BBQ is not suppose to be complex and it doesn't take a long article to explain it. Low, slow and patience. Your prep and post style depends on what part of the country (Texas, North Carolina or Kansas) fits your taste buds. That's it. If you see white table cloths at a BBQ spot turn around and just walk away.
I love what Drew has said about Bar-B-Q and community. His comments obviously reflect his appreciation for the animal, the techniques and the resulting fellowship that takes place around a table. Thanks sir! Can't wait to get myself to a Jim 'N Nick's to eat some smoky Q. Oh, and while the photo is unfortunate, the combination of the pimento cheese and bbq hot links is really delicious.
Thanks for your great perspective on a beautiful tradition!
burnt sausage and saltine crackers... really???
Les, it is an unfortunate picture, but the actual meal is delicious! This dish has been served in New York City, Charleston, SC, San Fran and Aspen. People LOVE it!!
Interesting article. All I know is that KC is the undisputed BBQ headquarters of the world. No one has tried even tried BBQ until you visit this city and its famous BBQ restaurants. All that southern BBQ is weak in comparison. As far as the whole hot dog thing? Give me a break. That's grilling, not BBQ. Covering a hotdog or burger in BBQ sauce is not BBQ. Real BBQ takes talent, smoking, and slow cooking the meat to perfection. Then add some JackStack, or Gates sauce and enjoy.
Kevin (not from Central NY) –
For Easter, cook up a big ol' ham and put it on your side of the table. Compromise means you give a little, they give a little – sounds like you've given the lion's share so far. I can guarantee my dad would consider at any similar request by me with a second to give me a cock-eyed glare and then a well placed little "F* You, pardon my French." He's the dad, he gets to make the rules. Lucky for him, I'm a carnivore!
How are they going to put that picture on there thats on the bottom...Is that a joke or something?..
Fried baloney sandwich with a fried egg. Mama used to make those fried baloney cups with scrambled eggs in them. So cute. But then she couldn't cook with a hoot. Her idea of a balanced meals was 2 canned tamales and a Little Debbie Snack Cake. The lady who raised us taught me squash casserole, corn puddin', collards and fried okra shook up in a paper sack. God bless that woman. We would have starved. The best cornbread on the planet. And Daddy? He taught me the wonders of steak tartare, liverwurst, Vienna Sausages and Soda Crackers and Sardines. His family raised hogs and would cook a pork chop on a meat fork right over the gas stove, no pan required. And cold country fried steak. Like cold fried chicken, some proteins just taste better cold sometimes. Nothin' better than a stale biscuit with a piece of cold country fried steak. Also a good sausage biscuit with mustard. And cornbread and buttermilk. Full fat version. With salt and a Vidalia onion. Don't get me started on 'mater sandwiches eaten over the sink with lots of Duke's mayo, salt and pepper on good old white bread. None of that other bread. Fresh White Bread. And darlin' don't you want a pimento cheese sandwich and a nice glass of sweet tea? Or maybe some fresh lemonade made from almost rotten lemons?
God gave me incisors to eat meat and corn on the cob. Pass the fritters!
Oh just great – we have 2 Kevin's here – I'm Kevin from Central NY with the last 2 posts by Kevin.
I adjust my previous post – I didn't scroll correctly to note the amount of BBQ folk here. Sorry. To the Vegans and Vegitarians here – my daughter and son are vegitarians – that is there choice. I was forced to comprimise for family dinners – no turkey on Thanksgiving, no Roast Beef at Christmas, no Easter ham, no BBQ's with them in attendance. Why, because of their choice, do I have to comprimise – and it isn't just my own adult children, I've seen this over and over.... Can't go to this resturant or that resturant. The only good that came out of their decision is that, in the art of comprimise, I am an awesome vegitarian cook. Right after the leave for the weekend visits, I haul out a rib eye and a keyser roll and eat the way I want. I don't force them to eat meat, why am I forced to eat veggies?
THAT'S not BBQ... That a 'grilled' dog. I got educated in BBQ when I moved to the south almost 30 yrs ago. I invited folks over for a' BarBQue' and grilled burgers and dogs. Every one enjoyed it but clued me in that BBQ is slow roasted pork, over coals that's then pulled off the bone and served on buns with a variety of BBQ sauces. I love it with a nice spoon of cole slaw on top. Can't imagine why that picture was used. It may taste good and I've never seen served with crackers, but definatly not BBQ.
Oh for cryin' out loud. Apparently the biggest percentage of you have never had a BBQ or been to one. It's a smoked sausage with BBQ sauce. It's awesome. Plus you can get different varieties of sausage, they are fun and easy to cook. Get your minds out of the gutter and perhaps go to a real BBQ and enjoy the food. Sausage, chicken, brisket all over a nice slow fire – I can savor the aroma right now. More corn on the cob and potato salad please.
"Pit Master"
What a crock of BS.
Like barbecue takes a genius. Like he says...everyone does it, (even cavemen).
You are correct that everyone does it, but most people do it poorly! Very few people I know have the skills to slow smoke award winning barbecue! Most back yard barbecue is dry and lame... Simply putting some meat over a flame doesn't create delicious barbecue!
glad I can see the pictures
Anybody wants a burnt weiner with bbq sauce for lunch?
Personally I will just take all of you guys damn bbq sauce and slather it all over Bradley Cooper and call it a night!
Hitler was not a vegetarian. Read your history. He tried to use is as a PR tool. However if I remember correctly vegetarians include Gahndi, The Dali Lama and other peaceful, reasonable men and women. Here is the link for dispelling the Hitler "vegetarian" myth. http://www.naturalnews.com/025163_Hitler_vegetarian_vegetarianism.html
Hitler was a gay fag on drugs
I think, Kevin, that your thought processes could use a bit of soap.
Geez, that's ubnleeivalbe. Kudos and such.
2JuOND lhmmigiifrzu
Oh really? So you've had a conversation with God about why he put animals on the planet or did you just use your self indugence to arrive at that conclusion?
Hopefully, this guy, Drew Robinson, will take a trip to the Amazon, where he can become what is being barbequed. There, while he is on the spit, headhunters can socialize and breakdown barriers between themselves, give thanks for his body being provided for their eating pleasure and gain a sense of community.
I'll bet you don't own actual soap either. Animals were put on this Earth for the sole purpose of becoming nourishment for humans.
this guy has to be trolling
BBQ trantuala, na we have more here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH
Elie,
Please post any evidence (other than your own misguided opinion) that eating meat is morally wrong. Nature provides an abundance of examples of why eating other animals is the natural order of the world. If there is any post on this thread lacking in "argumentation skills", it is your own. Taking the example to the extreme (tasty babies) is the ultimate slippery slope moronic course of reasoning, which not only completely undermines your opinion, it also discourages any real discourse on any given subject. People like you are the reason common sense never fails to be obscured by a million worse case scenarios, and progress stifled by a few outspoken dissenters.
Thank you,
Every Reasonable American
If you think that photo looks bad then I truly pity you b/c you have never had a grilled homemade smoked sausage with barbecue sauce. It's amazing. More for those of us who know what's up.
Yea, and a side of carmelized onions and a few half way cook green peppers and Bradley Cooper and a run on sentence! I need sleep
teen not team
Nice pic of the burnt wiener to put next to GAY TEAM TIMELINE story!!! Real classy fellas!
I did not notice that this article was next to the article on the Gay Teen.... now I just can't stop laughing !!!
Doesn't that look like a dildo to anybody over here?
What is that gross thing on the plate!!! Oh well can't mention what i think it is. Just Gimme barbeque pork or beef ribs any day.
I absolutely do not understand how any human being can be a vegan. To savor the delectable delight of slow-smoked roasted meat on a grill, crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, exuding the most wonderful aromas, is ... well, it's better'n sex. Yes it is, come on now, admit it!
Wow. And I'm always amazed how many people in modern society feel that taste trumps any other reason to eat or not to at something. Do you understand that some things matter more to some people than tantalizing your taste buds? Surely you are capable of higher reasoning... If charred human babies were the best tasting dish on Earth, would you be saying the same thing? "But humans are different." Why? "We're human. They're just animals". A certain fuhrer in the 20th century said the same kind of thing. Cue boorish and immature responses for lack of any real argumentation ability.
Hitler was a vegetarian. One of the foundational principles of the National Socialists was the improvement of the German diet, and there was a whole program of dietary reeducation in Germany from 1933-1939 which instructed the German people on the dangers of eating meat, and how much better it was for the race to wean off of meat.
Don't people like you, vegans and vegetarians, feel bad or strange driving down the road and you pass all the quality restaurants out there just to eat a salad?
@kevin... i'm a vegan chef and there's so much more than we can make than salads. it's just a different style of cooking.
I generally like to eat things that had parents...
well, i just prefer maple glazed roasted brussel sprouts to bbq. and it makes me sad to kill an animal. it's just a personal preference.
Wow, you are a fruitcake aren't you! Maple glazed brussell sprouts? I love brussell sprouts, but I can't image covering them up with some nasty maple glaze. Yeech, What a waste of good food.
EM, yip! As a fellow carnivor as u see 3rd world countries have gross teeth, HENCH no meat. It is not good for your body or teeth not to eat meat. A rare steak with a toss of salt, man, to the max! Nothing beats it. I went to a slaughter house, it was like heaven.
i take issue with describing a place where murder occurs as heaven. you may like the taste of meat, but that doesn't mean you have to take pleasure in how it's obtained. Furthermore, it's not unhealthy to abstain from it.... look up any study of vegetarians and they have a lower risk of heart disease.
I've eaten barbeque all around the country, but I must say that I have found the absolute best..................MINE!!!!!!!! Catch me at the next SE Competition in Tally, I promise you greatness.
Hogs and chickens, I've never been a fan of beef. I put a mustard based sauce on my chicken and a vinegar based sauce on my pork. For some reason vinegar and pork go together.
Mustard sauce is good on chicken, but I prefer white bbq sauce for chicken. Vinegar sauce is best on pork! I agree.
Saltines? and what is that, spam salad? byack!
The only thing I like better than barbecue is chili. Made with only natural ingredients. Yum. Maybe it's the other way round. I just had a colonoscopy done, so I'm good for another 5 years of great barbecue – and chili.
I learned that BBQing food causes the fat to drip down and go onto the coals, forming carcinogenic benzopyrenes that then rise up in the smoke and blacken the meat. I'm pretty sure the more I go to school, the more I am taught that anything that tastes remotely good or is fun in any way someway or another causes cancer.
At this point, Eff it. We're gonna get cancer regardless apparently.
Do you smoke? If not, might as well, given your reasoning.
I use an offset firebox, which eliminates that problem, as the drippings run off away from the coals. Google indirect heat BBQ. BBQ rocks!!!! Make mine hickory smoked spare ribs, dry rubed, with a bourbon based sauce on the side.
Dave Poe's BBQ, Marietta, GA. My first food memory was eating a pulled pork sandwich and an orange drink on the package shelf of a 1957 2 toned baby blue and while Oldsmobile 88. I was 2. It is the earliest memory I have. Two months later I fell on the floor furnace and burned myself badly (more charred meat). No DFACS then. Can you imagine what my parent's thought? I wanted to be a stewardess but the airlines wouldn't take me because I had a visible scar more than 2 inches long. How times have changed but the BBQ remains the same. Now...Eastern Carolina or Western Carolina? Voters, discuss.
No discussion needed. Eastern. Although I enjoy an occasional diversion to South Carolinian.
Love BBQ – especially Jamaican style!! Wooo-Hoooo!
Right on, Mikie! And some Jamacian waves after din din
explains why vegans are not a happy bunch
I'm happy. I'm vegan =)
Ditto. And feeling great! People like joey make things up to make themselves feel better :).
Not as happy as you could be Kels . . . with some mouth watering BBQ running down your throat.
i grew up a meat eater, and now i'm happier meat-free! i'm touched by your concern, but i've found what makes me feel best!
Yes- happy Vegans. That's why they're reading stories about BBQ.
Jim N' Nick's brings back memories of many happy years in Birmingham. Their original Birmingham location was just down the street from where I lived while at Grad School. I go to the 5 pts location when I'm in Birmingham and need to host a meal that will be acceptable to most (assuming they aren't vegetarian or keep kosher), but the food and the atmosphere are very "corporate franchise" now, so it doesn't surprise me that they have locations throughout the south. Dreamland is way better if you really want to eat barbequeue, but you have to like ribs, white bread and beer or tea, because I'm pretty sure that's all they serve.
I don't understand why people think Dreamland is so great... I find their ribs rather chewy and disappointing! Their sauce is boring and whats with the tasteless white loaf bread? It adds nothing at all to the meal. You should SLOW COOK ribs until they fall off the bone and serve them with some good biscuits, home made bread or hush puppies!
Rather odd picture for a bbq thread, but why not, its as much about the party as the food in most cases anyhow, although I don't fit into that group as much.
But bbq, mmmm, thinking about the "hey lets have a bbq from last memorial day morning, te calls went out about 9:00 am, by noon, 10 folks sitting out on the deck here with whatever they decided to bring to burn.
As the coals heat, the beer flows, then the first thing on, clams that the grocery store manager grabbed on his way out the door, great starter. next up, I tossed on a pack of 5 elk kelbasas with cheddar I had made last fall. sliced up and the tooth picks start stabbing. Next up was a pork tenderloin, just a dry rub, rake the coals to the side of the weber, and on it goes with some apple wood for a slow cook. more beer, and a few more. next up was bacon wrapped bison tenderloin, 4 small medallions, the fight was on to make it divide by 10. More beer, some horse shoes, then some foil packs of onions and spuds drenched in butter. those were sat aside, and 5 bone on ribeyes hit the fire, rare to well done, everyone had a say. ahhh, the memories of "hey lets have a bbq"
Oh, for God's sake, shut UP! That is too perfect. Invite me next year, please???
Bring something for the fire and your in!
I hope that 'Mt" in your screen name means Montana, because I live here and I'm going to hunt you down next Memorial Day and invite myself to your party....MEAT in hand of course!
To think, I was cnofesud a minute ago.
Love BBQ. Chase down that angry host of Epic Mealtime @yahoo.com
Ever tried cob smoked meats? They are so very sweet. And try some of my awesome BACON JAM! 1.5 lbs of bacon, rendered. Save the grease. Add maple syrup, brown sugar, coffee, black pepper, cayenne, smoked ancho chilies, some dehydrated onion, a little garlic powder, horseradish and a good spoonful of Coleman's dry mustard. Cook in slow cooker on high for about 1 hour or so while you go get more bacon at Wally World. Let it cool and then whiz it up in the food processor, spoon it into pint jars and put it on most anything. Bagel with cream cheese, scrambled eggs, waffles, car bumpers, etc.
bacon jam...hilarious. i've been looking for a good bumper cleaner.
It is not important.
Except to the people selling it.
This aint BBQ!!!
too pretty to be BBQ. lame
Extremely lame. Someone's not clear on the concept.
Mmmm! John Holmes BBQ! It is missing a couple things, though.
heh heh in honor of the beloved Beavis and Butthead
Not sure I get that reference, but... sure!!!
BBQ=Glycation=Elevated Cancer Risk
Indeed, frequent consumption of barbecued food has been associated with increased cancer risk due to that particular cooking process.
I would hate to be some of the "enlightened" people on this board who waste their lives away avoiding BBQ because of some study about elevated (.000000001%) cancer risk. Live in moderation, not abstinence, and enjoy your life!
Dante,
For such a comment you shall burn in the Inferno.
As long as it is Beef or Fish or Lamb or Poultry or Vegetables – I will eat it.
You can throw that nasty Pork in the GARBAGE right where it belongs.
The other white meat. hehe They have tried and tried to sell this in the US. hehe. Even used marketing methods.
Don't waste that pork, give it to me! Pork makes the best barbecue on earth! You are missing out on the best of the best...
Ribs (baby back and spare), pork butt, pulled pork, chicken split breasts, brisket, tenderloin – all traditional BBQ fare and look great in pics. Why then, the ridiculous picture of the HOT DOG at the end of this great fluff piece about BBQ? Besides, hot dogs are GRILLED – which as all BBQ aficionados know, is different from BBQ (which is low and slow).
Besides, it just looks like a burnt penis. Just sayin.
The arranged peppers and the little dab of sauce tell me it is some kind of rustic themed fusion or designer dish with quaint sides. Which is all fine but not really what most people yearn for when they think of BBQ.
And all sausages look like penises.
U said low n slow heh heh
"Whole steer" might be more accurate than "whole hog", and while I love a well-made brisket sandwich or a chopped beef sandwich made from the delicious ends with maybe a little bit of sausage thrown in for seasoning, the white bread is more often used for mopping up after eating the meat all by its delicious self. Sauce is a subjective choice, and depends entirely on the sauce, of course, some being better than others. But even in our disagreements over the "best" BBQ, I have to agree with the article, BBQ does, indeed, bring us together over what really, really matters – good food, good sustenance.
Whole steer makes lousy barbecue. Only the complete packer-cut brisket makes acceptable barbecue. Whole hog isn't really barbecue, either. That's a pig-pickin'. REAL barbecue only uses the cuts that are rich in connective tissue which breaks down into gelatin during that long, long 160F stall.
Which is exactly why pork makes the best barbecue of all !
Depending on what kind of meat and how its prepared BBQ can be healthy and still have lots of flavor. Also, veggies off the grill taste great too!
From #4... "There is something very magical and proletariat about wrapping a small mountain of well-sauced meat in a bun."
Wrong... sauce covers imperfections in the finished meat.
Or the meat could be fine and you enjoy it wet. That it taste good is all that matters in the end.
Thank you for saying that. My barbecue doesn't need sauce. It's all in the rub. Sauces are for covering mistakes.
That would actually depend upon the type of barbecue and the type of sauce in question, wouldn't it?
Good article... I agree BBQ is always a good time. I found this short video that really makes my mouth water
I don't think I've ever used a bun at a barbecue. I've had barbecue meat in a bun, but in a kitchen/restaurant setting. I don't know why, but starches (and everything but the meat) just seems wrong to me when you're outside and have the fire going. Just give me a big plate and pile the meat on. Napkins and utensils aren't necessary.
Right on Brother. No utensils thats what hands are for and why I wear blue jeans 'cuz the grease stains don't show up.
Right. Read "The China Study" and see where eating meat will lead you.
They have lead in their meat too? Guess after the toys they just can't stop.
If you're naive enough to believe it, best to keep quite instead of announcing your ignorance to the world.
You can say anything in a book or movie, because those mediums are all about profit. If you have the urge to say, "Go read..." follow it up by naming a recent article from a peer reviewed journal.
STFU, vegan loser.
What are you, 12?
I did not scratch my way to the top of the food chain to eat stupid vegetables. You vegan people should get a life, or at least stay away from modern communication technologies. The only vegan I know is also a meth addict.
That's extremely rude. I know a plethora of lovely people who are vegan, and their choices should be respected. I think you should apologize for your hateful post.
"The only vegan I know is also a meth addict."
lol, and the relevance is? Most meth addicts, alcoholics, etc are meat eaters. Your point?
Sam you are an absolute idiot. Honestly, grow the hell up. You also scratched your way to the top of the food chain with an advanced brain. Use it.
#6. Don't forget your guava and kiawe wood!
LOL I was thinking the same thing. Sorry Im not eating that sh*t
That is a dildo covered in bbq sauce
And I bet it tastes f^cking DIVINE.
Hugh Hefners
So your giving Hef props? Butterfly out to the middle of the bay! I will smoke you then smoke those dogs with a beer!
My Super Bowl ribs take 3 days to make. 1 hour to eat 50 lbs. them
Then you gotta share!!
sorry, that is just too schlongy looking. why not pick some ribs or brisket?
@mdas: That's exactly what I thought hahahahhaa
WAY too many jokes spring to mind when seeing the bottom picture...
true lol
Yum!
Now I'm hungry!
YUMMERS, I want to go to the store and get those half sausage cheesy long greasy dogs and burn them up on the grill till the cheese comes popping out, hot mustard only-no ketchup. On a normal hotdog roll, oh man oh man
BBQ sauce on a dog? WTF dude does not know how to cook. That just hides the goodness n grease I rarely eat being 5"8 and weighing in at a smooth buck twenty. YUM that looks so good. Honestly everything is better when someone else makes it anyway. But yum I can burn that up just like the best. It's a french thing, like take open face bread, cheese on top, broil til brown, YUM, til like there's a huge backed brown bubble on top, remove and WAIT the roof of your mouth-then consume! Wowzwer
yep, me too!
Interesting!
That pic looks like a fresh steamer log from my bum. Likely tastes about the same.
I was thinking the same thing! Whoever chose that picture needs to get their eyes checked!
CANNOT UNSEE
.....and they chose to put the burnt dildo/weiner with bbq sauce next to the article on gay teens by pure coincidence. Way to go!!!
McGee, he zank you for zee much needed laugh on zees dreary morneeng!
What the hell is that?
It's Burned hot dog with B Q Sauce.WHO EATS THAT SHIT?
It's a sausage and cheese plate. Yankees, man. Whatever.
Yes.
You lead a very boring life, don't you?