June 25, 2007
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Interesting Tidbits
Definition of a Favourite Food
Barbecue has numerous regional variations in many parts of the world. Notably, in the South and Midwest of the United States, practitioners consider barbecue to include only relatively indirect methods of cooking, with the more direct high-heat methods to be called grilling. (See Grilling
for differences in British and US English usage of the word) In other
countries, notably Australia and many parts of Europe, barbecue is
either fried or grilled, and generally barbecue appliances do not have
a lid.In British English usage, barbecueing refers to a fast cooking process directly over high heat, whilst grilling refers to cooking under a source of direct, high heat -known in the US and Canada as broiling. In US English usage, however, grilling refers to a fast process over high heat whilst barbecueing
refers to a slow process using indirect heat and/or hot smoke. For
example, in a typical US home ‘grill’, food is cooked on a grate
directly over hot charcoal; while in a US ‘barbecue’, the coals are
dispersed to the sides or at significant distance from the grate. (See Grilling for differences in British and US English usage of the word)Choices, Choices
South Carolina is the only state to have four types of barbecue sauces:
mustard, vinegar, heavy tomato, and light tomato. The meat used in
South Carolina is consistent throughout the state, slow-cooked pulled
pork. In the Pee Dee and Lowcountry coastal region, a vinegar and pepper sauce is prevalent, though the region is home to Sticky Fingers, a rib house who uses all four sauces. In the Midlands area around Columbia, a mustard-based sauce sometimes referred to as “Carolina Gold” is the predominant style. Such establishments as Melvin’s (2 locations in Charleston, SC), Maurice Bessinger’s “Piggy Park”, Shealy’s
and Jackie Hites* (both located in Batesburg-Leesville) and Dukes BBQ
(3 locations in Orangeburg, SC) use gold sauce made from mustard, apple
juice, pear juice, and other ingredients. In upcountry around Rock Hill, one finds the light tomato and the rest of the upcountry stretching down past Aiken is home to the heavy tomato sauce. In addition to pork, other popular BBQ dishes include hash and ribs.