Ok, so I'm a day behind here. Yeah, I know, I was supposed to post every day. I had to go to the dentist so I'm going to let that be my excuse. We did have pork for dinner last night so pig was justified.
Good ole BBQ. Growing up in the south, BBQ is a staple of our diet. It's probably even on our food pyramid next to biscuits and gravy. Now growing up where I did in Tennessee, Whitt's BBQ was the major player in the BBQ game. It was at every potluck, family reunion, or the occasional week night meal. It was served up in a family pack with some buns, baked beans, and slaw or potato salad. It reminds me of my hometown and Thursday lunches with my grandparents. I'm not endorsing Whitt's, it's just the BBQ I grew up on. As I got older I realized how many styles of BBQ there actually were. I also realized how intense people got about it. There's the ongoing debate about which style is better. Is Memphis, Texas, Kansas City, or Carolina better? Now that I live in the Carolinas, the debate is Vinegar versus Mustard base sauce. The debate in Memphis is dry rub versus wet sauce. My loyalties lie to no certain BBQ style. To me, it's all great and I'll eat it wherever. I think it goes beyond the food itself though. I think for many people it's tradition. It's family and friends. It's memories of their hometown and memories of time together. It transcends a simple meal and gives us a glimpse of southern culture. It's hanging out by the pit all night in order to serve up a great meal the next evening. It's respect for the animal and the time it takes to make it just right. In short, BBQ is love.
P.S. BBQ is also gluten free. That's good news for all you people with fake gluten allergies.