AMERICAN ORIGINS

• American barbecuing methods are very highly regarded and what is certain is that it was they who established barbecuing to how we know it today. Native Americans would smoke or dry fish, meat and birds on crude wooden racks and early settlers in the land observed and adopted these techniques.


• North American history tells of cattle ranchers that owned massive tracts of land populated by their stock that numbered in the hundreds. The cattle herds would be spread all over the land and many ranch-hands were employed to round them up. Hired hands were a necessary requirement and rancher would attract a small army of employees with the offer of good money and good food!


• Life on a cattle ranch meant spending a great number of days in the saddle meaning that the large majority of their meals were cooked outdoors. Cooks were employed to feed the workers and, after much trial and error and of turning good beef into something akin to parched leather, the vast plains of America were becoming dotted with what eventually became known as barbecues.


• The idea of what we regard as a modern barbecue probably started in the USA during the early 1700s. Large political rallies would be held and a whole animal (gutted and cleaned, of course!) would be roasted to feed and woo potential voters. Influences from the southern parts of the USA brought pig meat to the fore and whole hogs would be roasted - thus giving us the expression "to go the whole hog".


• Barbecuing is the traditional way to cook food in the Southern United States and there are many different regional variations (sauces and meats) within what is known as the 'barbecue belt'. The Southerners have wholeheartedly embraced barbecues as social gatherings and sneer at the Northerners' notion of a simple 'cook-out' in the back garden!

• It is of little wonder that barbecue enthusiasts believe that the Americans have perfected it to a fine art. Brazilian barbecues, South African braais and, certainly, Australian barbies are held in high regard but most feel that the Southern USA holds top spot when it comes to cooking in the open air. Statistics have shown that 3 out of 4 American households have a barbecue on average 5 times a month. In addition, the worlds largest barbecue event was held in Kansas City in 1975 where 5 bulls were roasted over a huge pit over a period of three days.