Take a road trip across the U.S. and you’ll find countless variations on the same tasty theme: meat, slow-cooked with fire and smoke. A truly regional practice, barbecue has evolved over time to reflect the people who cook it and the places they hail from. In the Carolinas, for example, they love mustard sauce and pulled pork. In Memphis, they can’t get enough dry rub. And who could forget about Kansas City? Barbecue is beloved wherever it’s practiced, perhaps nowhere more than Texas. Texans enjoy a sweet, tomato-based sauce, with more than a hint of tangy spice, and they’ll slather in on pork, beef, sausage, chicken, even mutton. More important than what it is, barbecue brings people together. It’s meant to take a long time, so friends can smell it and talk about it, anticipate that first savory bite and celebrate when it’s all over. Fire up those coals!
"Barbecue is eternal, like the Mississippi River.
It's big and it's simple and it takes its own sweet time."
