| With Memorial Day around the corner, most | | | | go with it. Side dishes are commonly coleslaw and |
| Americans are thinking camping, barbequing, long | | | | hushpuppies, a cornmeal ball. The vinegar sauces also |
| weekends, and time to spend with the family. | | | | have many variations, with some being tomato based |
| Barbequing seems to hold its fair share of space in | | | | and some being mustard based. |
| American minds as is evidenced by all of the many | | | | Whatever your barbeque style preference, you can |
| cooking shows on cable TV that feature the culinary | | | | be sure to get great results by following these tips: |
| mastery of cooking meat to tender perfection over | | | | First tip: keep your grill clean. Use a wire brush |
| hot coals or a propane flame. | | | | designed for cleaning grills and don't forget to clean the |
| The history of American barbecue runs deep through | | | | inside of the lid and all surrounding parts. This prevents |
| cultural diversity and social norms of the Civil War era, | | | | your meat from tasting like old grease. |
| and even prior to that. In fact, barbeque in American | | | | Boil ribs prior to grilling. If you do not boil ribs before |
| history is almost as old as American history itself. | | | | grilling, you will end up overcooking them, leaving them |
| Barbeque today remains as unique as the region in | | | | dried out or burned. You can boil your ribs up to two |
| where it is prepared. | | | | days in advance. |
| In the South, meat usually consists of mutton and/or | | | | If you find smoke flavor too intense for your lighter |
| beef cooked in the slow cooking method. They have a | | | | meats, baste them regularly. Smoke cannot penetrate |
| range of Barbeque sauces that go from fire hot to | | | | water, and the frequent basting will reduce the amount |
| smoky sweet. | | | | of smoke flavor. |
| Central South barbeque meat remains to be pork and | | | | Start the fire early! Get the coals going at least 45 |
| pork ribs, but the meat is pulled rather than cut up. | | | | minutes prior to cooking. |
| Slow cooked and hand shredded, they are typically | | | | Practice good meat handling habits. Don't use the |
| covered with copious amounts of sauce. Ribs are | | | | same cutting board for veggies and meat. |
| either slathered up with sauce or rubbed with a mix of | | | | Now when you barbeque this coming Memorial Day, |
| spices before pit cooking, and the sauce is usually | | | | you will be armed with a little more information than |
| sweet with a hint of pepper and molasses. | | | | you had before, and hopefully some of these tips will |
| The East Coast has its own origins with barbeque, | | | | provide you with a delicious and memorable |
| with pork being the meat used and vinegar sauces to | | | | experience. |