AMERICAN BARBECUE

Columbus, is documented as being the island where that cooking method was first seen and that style of barbecue was eaten — and became an instant favorite of the colonists.

1500s And Earlier

There is also belief that cooking food over a raised platform of open fire may have originated in West Africa and was brought to North America, the Caribbean and Latin America by the many millions of enslaved Africans during the Atlantic slave trade. What we do know is when barbecue was first seen, eaten and documented in North America. As these Spanish explorers turned their ships north, they brought this new cooking technique with them. And it arrived in 1540, close to presentday Tupelo, Mississippi. There, explorer Hernando de Soto encountered the Chickasaw tribe; tribe members cooked a feast of pork barbacoa.

This barbecue technique would continue to travel through North America, eventually making its way through the colonies and traveling as far west as Texas. As this cooking style traveled America, it became very diverse. Each region built upon the original Native American, West African and Caribbean barbacoa cooking methods. This resulted in very distinct regional cooking styles based on the wood type, dry rubs, sauces and proteins used.

1600s To 1700s

When and where barbecue originated is as mysterious as the smoke that swirls around the grill. No one is really sure where the term barbecue originated. A general belief is that Spanish explorers used the word barbacoa to refer to the Caribbean natives’ method of slow cooking meat over a green wooden platform. The island of Hispaniola, named by Christopher

Now that we have a better idea of where and when barbecue made its debut in North America, let’s talk about how barbecue has evolved to that plate of ‘cue we enjoy today. Whole-hog barbecue is thought to have originated in the eastern colonies of Virginia and North Carolina. Here, the technique of basting the cooking meat with a vinegarbased sauce is very similar to the British colonists’ technique of basting roasting meats to keep in the juices. This technique was also in line with the Britons' love of tart sauces, whereas the colonies in South Carolina had a large population of German and French immigrants who preferred to use mustard in their dishes. There, mustard-based barbecue was born. From Carolina barbecue, the trend moved westward, eventually entering Texas. There,

German immigrants had the land to cultivate cattle, and they transferred their mustard-based barbecue sauce from pork to beef. Turning back east to Memphis, Tennessee: A sweet tomato-based barbecue sauce was born. Memphis, still home to a popular regional style of barbecue, is right on the Mississippi River, giving its cooks access to molasses and the ability to create that sweet sauce.

1700s And 1800s

Moving to the Deep South, the colonists, African slaves and the choice of protein — not the sauce — became the driving force in barbecue. You’ll find a culinary tradition of cooking meat low and slow over indirect wood flame with lots of smoke for a very long period of time. The protein in the Deep South is pork. Unlike cattle, which requires larger amounts of feed and care, pigs could be set loose in forests to forage for food on their own. Because they were left in the wild, these pigs were much leaner than if pen-raised, leading to using the “low and slow” method of cooking barbecue to tenderize the meat. The resulting flavor is a combination of smoke, meat juices, fat and whatever spices or rub have been added. Fast forward to the 19th century and the culinary technique of “low and slow” is well established in the American South — as is the use of pork as the favorite meat on the grill.

1900s To Today

The beginning of the 20th century saw a mass migration of African Americans from the rural South to northern cities. As African American communities moved, they took their barbecue recipes and techniques with them. As these migrants settled in different regions of America, today’s four major barbecue regions were solidified. Pulled pork sandwiches, smothered in molasses and tomato-based sauce, are found in Memphis, Tennessee. The state of North Carolina’s claim to fame is smoked whole hogs served with a tart vinegar-based sauce. Kansas City is renowned for dry-rubbed spare ribs, and the great state of Texas has decided that beef —usually brisket — is its specialty. Whatever your choice of barbecue style, there is no denying that the smell of cooking meat —pork or beef — over an open wood fire is one of the best smells in the world.

Barbecued Coca-Cola Chicken Skewers

By ACF Chef Jennifer Hill Booker

Whether you call it soda or pop, carbonated CocaCola drinks are a favorite pairing with barbecue. I thought, “Why not add the cola to the dish as well as enjoy it with the dish?” The carbonation helps tenderize the chicken, while the cola adds a sweetness and a lovely caramel color, once grilled. You can use whatever brand you like, but since I live in Atlanta, Georgia, I would be remiss if I didn't use Classic Coke in my Barbecued Coca-Cola

Chicken Skewers.

Yield: About 12 servings

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil

1/2 cup Coca-Cola

2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce

6 scallions, white and green parts, chopped, for garnish

1. Preheat grill to 400 degrees F.

2. Soak two dozen wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes.

3. Trim chicken of excess fat and cut into 1-inch cubes. Set aside.

4. In a large bowl, combine the salt, pepper, garlic, jalapeno, all of the paprika, oil and cola. Mix with a rubber spatula until the ingredients are blended.

5. Add the cubed chicken and mix until well-coated with the spice mixture.

6. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

7. Thread the chicken onto the soaked skewers.

8. Place the chicken on the hot grill and cook until browned and slightly charred, about 5 minutes for each side.

9. Brush the top of the kebabs with barbecue sauce; turn and cook until sauce has browned, about 1 minute. Turn and brush the second side with sauce, cooking an additional minute or until chicken has browned.

10. Remove the chicken skewers from grill and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

11. Garnish with chopped scallions and serve with remaining barbecue sauce on the side.

If there’s one spirit that’s completely underestimated, it’s bourbon. Just ask Paula Jones, an ACF member and self-confessed whiskey nerd, recipe developer, cookbook author and executive bourbon steward based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Jones says this complex spirit is enjoying a major resurgence in popularity, with widespread curiosity about its nuances and uses.

But first, Jones points out a few facts about bourbon. “There are six demands for bourbon classification, other than being produced in the United States,” she says. It must be made from at least 51% corn; be distilled at 160 proof or below; put into a new, charred oak container; put into said container at no more than 125 proof; be bottled at 80 proof or higher; and be free of any added flavorings, colorings or substances, aside from water.

For those who know their bourbon, it has many uses — sweet and savory — that go far beyond cocktails. The challenge is getting to know it. “If you know its flavor, you’ll know what it pairs well with,” Jones says. To best understand its flavor before using it in cooking or desserts, there’s a fourstep tasting process she recommends. In short it’s the four s’: see, smell, sip and savor.

No. 1, to ensure you’re starting with a clean palate, take a good look at your bourbon, taking in the color and viscosity. Step two is to bring it slowly to your nose. “Either put your

Reach for this wintertime-friendly spirit to boost flavor in both savory and sweet dishes

By Lauren Kramer

nose all the way in or go back and forth between nostrils, keeping your lips parted to help you take in the aroma,” she says. Step three is to take a small sip, letting it coat your palate before you swallow.

The final step is to consider the notes you’re picking up on to understand the finish. “Where did it burn? Did it give you a Kentucky hug, that warmth in your chest as it went down?” Jones says. Some add a drop of water to their bourbon before consumption, a step that lowers the proof slightly and opens up more subtle nuances in the flavor.

“In the beginning, you might smell just the alcohol, but once you train your nose and your senses, its many nuances start to emerge,” Jones insists. “The more you do it, the better you’re going to get at discerning the notes.”

She recommends using bourbon to create a finishing salt, something that can be done well in advance of a meal and that adds an extra bounce of flavor to a dish. “I suggest using bourbon in a glaze for carrots, in condiments like apple butter and even for braising short ribs. For dessert, bourbon makes a great whiskey caramel sauce as a topping for cheesecake or panna cotta, but it also pairs well with chocolate and fits seamlessly with cakes and puddings.”

Bourbon’s key character is its versatility and its striking ability to bring out the flavor of dishes with which it is paired. “One of the things that make me passionate about bourbon is how unique the final product is, despite them all having the same requirements to be considered a bourbon,” Jones says. “Think of it like chefs having the same set of ingredients, yet their final creations will be distinctive. It’s fascinating.”

Bourbon On The Menu

At Pioneer in Cleveland, Chef Matthew Spinner puts his own twist on an elephant ear by embellishing it with powdered sugar and bourbon-salted caramel.

At Helen in Birmingham, Alabama, Chef Rob McDaniel’s Lioni Burrata features bourbonbraised Alabama pears, Benton’s ham, pecans and red vein sorrel.

The Citizen in Alys Beach, Florida, features a smoked beef short rib dish with a sweet and savory apple bourbon demi-glace over brown butter sage grits and a bed of baby greens.

FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar, located in the Radisson Blu Mall of America in Minnesota, where there are more than 230 bourbons and whiskeys on the drink menu, features a maple-infused bread pudding spiked with local cranberries and pecans and topped with a caramelized bourbonbutter sauce.