The World of Barbeque

You know I consider myself an aficionado of BBQ.  I would have a master's degree in BBQ technology if there was such a thing.  I once said BBQ wasn't hamburger and hot dogs cooked on a gas grill, but this is exactly what it is for many people.  Someone actually scolded me for this comment.  This was a wrong assumption that I made early in my Barbeque studies.  

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest of America, a barbeque was sometimes Salmon on the grill.  I've eaten BBQ all over the world.  Barbeque is like the Confederate Flag.  It means many things to many people.

In Slovenia, I've had it served to me on actual swords.  In Greece, with lemons and fresh herbs.  I've tasted the whole pigs roasting in the Mountains of Puerto Rico.  Bo-Bo's in San Juan is Island heaven.  I always grab a plate after leaving the Airport.  There's no way I'm driving by that place.  Texas is always off the charts coming fresh off the pit to the plate; BBQ prime rib is one of my favorites.  In Tennessee, nothing beats Jack's BBQ on Trinity Lane.  The pork ribs are to die for.  The downtown location is good also.  Watching NHL refs gobbling it down before the Predator Games is always fun.  

But today, it was all about Carolina BBQ, one of my favorites and so unique.  Carolina BBQ's main stay is pulled pork and fall-off-the-bone ribs.  Carolina BBQ always includes fried Catfish, fried chicken, and on special occasions, fried oysters.  During dinner, old, style Hash is served over rice.  BBQ Hash is a thick, tangy gravy of pulled pork and other smoked pork bits made special by the BBQ Gods.  This BBQ leans heavily on low-country Gullah Culture.  It varies from place to place and the closer you get to the seashore.  Getting better the deeper you get into the low country.  Hash is more prevalent in South Carolina.

So today, we got our fix on our way home from Norfolk, Virginia.  Driving south into North Carolina, waiting for that smell and smoke rising from a building.  It hit us like an old familiar friend.  I think I need that pork-flavored Narcan and a double dose of Lipitor.  Because I ate too much of this good stuff.