Hosting the Classic American BBQ

BBQs in the USA are often considered the classic BBQ, so why not hone our Great British BBQ with some inspiration from the colonies, and were better than the land of the free! (oh, the irony)

The classic American BBQ is a widely popular BBQ style for a reason. It’s a classic for a reason as well. BBQ began with inspiration from the native Caribbean tribes who cooked whole fish with spices on a raised wooden grate-like grill. Their word for this was Barbacoa. It was a good start, but the Americans took it and made it into a worldwide phenomenon and what we know today. There are many styles of American BBQ for you to choose from, and comparisons can be a source of controversy in the states. 

Americans nationwide dispute which state makes the greatest BBQ food, with North Carolina, South Carolina, Kansas City, Memphis, or Texas being the most popular choices. The greatest American BBQ has been defined by a handful of states, each with its distinctive spin on classic BBQ foods. These states have their own regional American BBQ styles, each consisting of its specialities, tastes, spice levels, and methods, as well as the backing of their numerous devoted fans (short for ‘fanatics’) who believe their native style is the best.

We looked at the most popular four regional styles and how they differ, and hopefully, this blog will help you choose what traditional American style BBQ you would most like to try your hand at!

THE 4 REGIONAL AMERICAN BBQ STYLES

Texas style BBQ

Texans are the kings of the Beef BBQ (or so they tell us) and love beef brisket and juicy ribs. Brisket is Texas’ most popular barbecue food. With Texas-style BBQ, the meat is the main event, so they often simply season it with a basic salt and pepper mix. Despite this, Texas is no stranger to seasoning, with Texas BBQ Sauce among some of the most popular BBQ Sauces in the world! 

Though Texas BBQ Sauce is a favourite across the world, in Texas, the sauce isn’t used as a condiment but instead as a marinade or baste to complement their love of beef. The homemade classic bbq sauce is thinner than others but as hearty as it uses meat drippings, smoky cumin, hot sauces and chilli powder. It often uses a British delicacy, Worcestershire sauce (go us!).  Given this popularity, they’ve got to be doing something very right!

If you’re looking for the American standard, Texas Style BBQ is a great option. You should serve beef brisket and ribs dripping with sauce, sides of homemade white bread, pickles, beans, potato salad, and coleslaw.

You can read more about Texas BBQ here!

Carolina BBQ

Carolina BBQ, another well-known style of barbecue in the United States, emphasises pork as its favourite meat. The great American barbecue rivalry frequently pits North Carolina BBQ against South Carolina BBQ, with both states’ BBQ styles being similar but having some key distinctions.

South Carolina BBQ often involves cooking the whole pig over a wood fire and serving with pork belly, neck, and shoulders. It’s often stated that North Carolinians prefer only the pork shoulders, but we can still split them into whether they like Eastern whole hog BBQ or Lexington-style pork shoulder. While residents of the Western North Carolina region prefer pork shoulder to hog, East Carolinians claim that whole-hog cooking is their state’s official BBQ style. Still, both are amazing classic bbq foods to have!

Another major distinction is in the sauce; North Carolina BBQ bastes their pork with a spice and vinegar mop throughout cooking. In the Western section of the state, their pork is served with a ketchup-based sauce, whilst in the Eastern part, it’s complemented with a clear, vinegar-based one. South Carolina sauces are made with mustard instead of ketchup.

A Carolina-style BBQ meal for friends will include pork shoulder with hush puppies (small, deep-fried dough balls), green beans, and coleslaw as the centrepiece.

You can find a great article all about the differences in North Vs South Carolina BBQ here! 

Memphis BBQ

The home of succulent pork ribs, Memphis, Tennessee! Pork is the primary meat of Memphis BBQ, just as it is in Carolina. People’s preference determines whether pork ribs are cooked wet or dry. Many people believe that a Memphis BBQ is better with dry rubs because pork ribs are so juicy and flavourful and that a wet rub is over the top. The dry rub mix is crucial, and it often includes paprika, garlic, pepper, and cayenne. Some recipes use up to 40 spices! After being seasoned, the ribs are placed in a pit to slow cook.

GB-BBQ fact: There are bbq restaurants in Memphis that offer barbecue spaghetti! Something that sounds like it was designed specifically to annoy the Italians, is spaghetti with a marinara half-barbecue sauce and pulled pork. 

Feeling like Memphis style is for you? Give this a try! Serve your guests a meal of pork ribs with macaroni and cheese, cornbread, baked beans, coleslaw, and greens as sides. Don’t forget a well-crafted dry rub mix for your ribs! If you’re up for a challenge, try barbecue spaghetti!

You can find out more about Memphis-style BBQ here!

Kansas City

Last but not least (depending on who you ask!) is Kansas City BBQ. Pork shoulders are a Carolina speciality, beef brisket is a Texas delicacy, and pork ribs are a Memphis forte. You might be wondering what primary meat is Kansas City’s claim to fame. They don’t have one! 

Kansas City is known for its wide variety of meats, including pork, beef, chicken, turkey, and mutton, but what is unique to them is their love of smoking. Whatever meat it is, they’ll smoke it all! This results in whatever meat they use for their BBQ being of a smoky and unique flavour, more than just the base meat.  The pride of their sauce is the ketchup-based and molasses-rich Kansas City-style barbecue sauce. The main component of Kansas City rub is brown sugar, including molasses which gives it some extra flavour, as well as paprika and other similar spices. 

Kansas BBQ-dipped bites are another famous part of their BBQ cuisine, something KFC has incorporated into their menu for a reason. Juicy chicken bites dripping in bbq sauce, what’s not to love? 

Kansas City has much more to offer than just Kansas BBQ-dipped bites. This part of America is famous for its love of smoking, as well as its love of slow cooking, both of which result in meat seeped with flavour and can give you loads of ideas to incorporate into your next American-style bbq.

Are you looking for a unique and creative way to serve a Kansas City BBQ? Prepare the meat of your choice using a sugar and paprika dry rub. If you can get molasses, then try using that with the sugar for a wet rub. Don’t forget the signature BBQ sauce, burnt ends, beans, macaroni and cheese, collards and coleslaw.

Find out some more about Kansas City BBQ here!

Conclusion 

We aren’t here to judge which is the best American Style BBQ. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. We will say that if you’re looking for a smaller barbecue party, it would be best to emulate the Texan approach with their beef and briskets instead of going all out with the Carolinian hog roast and local pigs will thank you.

You don’t need anything special as a Brit trying to bbq American style, just the determination to gather your friends for a feast and provide great-tasting barbecued food. It can be challenging to gather the perfect ingredients, but getting the right spices for the different styles of American BBQ is a fun challenge that your friends will be happy to lend their hunger to.

If you want to go the extra mile, adding some cheesy western-style decorations to your garden could make for an interesting surprise for your guests. You could place saloon signs, have some tumbleweed decorations, and maybe even make it a costume party if you want to go all the way. The kids will love this but be nice to their parents to buy some cheap costumes or at least provide some online links. You can find some good cheap costumes here.

The Classic American BBQ party is a great theme to show off your love of cooking and your creative side. With loads of options of American foods to offer your guests, including bbq spaghetti if you’re brave enough or if no Italians are coming, you are sure to impress with unique foods. Not only this, but as a great theme, you can run it a few times over without it becoming stale, so you can enjoy the American BBQ dream over and over.

Happy Cooking!