The American Barbecue is one of the pillars of American cuisine. But with four main regional styles plus sub-styles and a growing number of other states gaining popularity, where do you start? From Texas to the Carolinas, our Barbecue Style Guide is here to help.
The spirit of American barbecue has spread far and wide since the early 1800s, even in some places you wouldn’t normally associate it with. Let’s take a look at the four undisputed kings of grilling, as well as a handful of other areas known for heavy pitplay.
The Carolinas
Crickets are a big deal in the Carolinas, and it’s easy to see why: Many nutritionists point to North Carolina as the likely birthplace of crickets in the United States. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
If YOU’RE driving through the Carolinas and fancy a barbecue, your location WILL give you a more accurate indication of what’s likely to happen at a particular stop.
North Carolina
When someone from North Carolina hears the word “barbecue,” they picture pork being smoked for hours on a bed of hardwood chips. They are then tossed or chopped and drizzled generously with a delicate vinegar-based sauce. Whether you eat it with a fork or on a bun, its smoky, hearty, and spicy flavor is nothing short of legendary.
Traditionally, pit masters in the eastern part of the state prepare a “whole hog” barbecue, where the hog’s meat is butted into a delicious pile.
Western North Carolina and many other parts of the South prefer the narrower shoulder cut, which lends itself equally well to pulling and cutting.
South Carolina
Like its neighbor to the north, South Carolina relies primarily on pork to satisfy its smokers. However, you won’t find a shortage of smoked chicken and brisket either.
The regional styles differ primarily in their sauces.
A typical modern-day South Carolina barbecue sauce is high in tomatoes and sugar, with just a hint of spice. If you’re heading east to the Midwest, the condiment of choice is Carolina Gold, a savory concoction of mustard, vinegar, brown sugar, and assorted spices.
When you arrive in the “Pee Dee” region near the coast, the sauce is reminiscent of the diluted, vinegary kind used throughout North Carolina.
Texas
They say everything is bigger in Texas. When it comes to barbecuing, it’s definitely autumn.
In fact, Texas barbecue is such an institution that there are at least four different styles that enjoy huge popularity. Each of these styles originated and evolved in a different part of the Lone Star State, but one thing they all have in common that makes them quintessentially Texans is their penchant for hearty cuts of meat.
Ostexas
East Texas Barbecue begins with a marinade of sugary tomato sauce and ends with an hour-long smoking session over rich hickory wood. The resulting meat (usually beef or pork) is incredibly tender and juicy. East Texans use a wide range of flavors, including smoky, sweet, salty, and salty notes.
Along with central Texas, the cue is emblematic of the state’s barbecue culture in east Texas. Both styles are well known and popular in the central and southern United States.
Central texas
In central Texas, the preferred method of preparation is to coat the meat, usually brisket, pork loin or shoulder, or smoked sausage, with a thin layer of dry seasoning. They cook it slow and slow over freshly cut oak or pecan, similar to how it’s grilled in Memphis.
Central Texas grilling is all about bringing out the flavor and texture of the meat itself. Because of this, it is often served without a sauce. Instead, they’re paired with subtle sides like white bread, pickled cucumbers, and sliced onions or jalapeno peppers.
In South Texas
South of Austin, sauce is becoming a staple at grilling. Before a cow or pig can see the inside of a hole, it is dipped in a thick, sweet, molasses-based marinade. The marinade keeps it moist during the long smoking process and enhances its flavor.
Because South Texas grilling is so close to the border, it also overlaps heavily with traditional Mexican grilling. As such, it is not uncommon to find items such as lingua (beef tongue) and kopf ( head ) on the menu.
West texas
West Texas barbecue is unique in that it IS cooked directly over an open flame, a grill, as opposed to a temperature-controlled smoker. This technique is a holdover from the days when ranchers and other travelers would burn their nightly food over campfires.
Another highlight of the West Texas Barbecue is the fact that it is cooked almost exclusively with mesquite, an intensely aromatic wood that gives the meat its spiciness.
Kansas City
Kansas City residents are big barbecue fans.
This is evident in the wide range of meats they are happy to give the slow-smoked treatment: staples like pork, beef and chicken of course, but also sausage, turkey, lamb and even fish. And don’t forget the burnt ends: any Kansan will tell you they’re the best part of the whole chest.
Another thing that makes Kansas City Barbecue special is the signature sauce. The thick, tomato-based mixture provides a harmonious balance of sweetness and spice and is best applied in large quantities.
Kansas City-style gravy is practically synonymous with “barbecue sauce.” It’s so universally loved that the city’s initials proudly adorn the name of one of the best-selling bottled barbecue sauces of all time, KC Masterpiece.
Memphis
Memphis is a true barbecue mecca in the heart of the southeastern United States. While most of the basics of Memphis-style grilling were borrowed from nearby hotspots, it’s since taken on a character all of its own.
As in the Carolinas and other parts of the South, pork is king in Memphis. Beef and chicken are also in high demand, and different cuts will be found on every restaurant menu.
However, if there’s one dish that epitomizes Memphis barbecue, it’s ribs.
Cooked slowly in reliable platters and seasoned to delicious perfection. Guests have the option of enjoying them “wet”, smeared with a thick layer of sweet and tangy tomato sauce; or “dry,” rubbed with a blend of tantalizing spices so flavorful they make a sauce unnecessary.
Alabama
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that barbecuing is such a coveted commodity in a state with such a large population of enthusiastic home cooks.
Crickets in Alabama aren’t all that different from their Memphis and Carolina cousins. It relies heavily on pork, particularly butt, shoulder, and ribs, and watered-down tomato and vinegar sauces that don’t lean too much either way in terms of flavor.
But in the 1920s, Alabama cemented its place in barbecue history with a bold and fierce innovation: white barbecue sauce.
This mayonnaise-based flavoring, which also works mustard, brown sugar, and spices, is great for both drizzling and dipping. Rarely seen outside of state lines whenever you take a trip to the Heart of Dixie if you want to experience it for yourself.
Kentucky
Kentucky takes a slightly different approach to grilling.
The state’s greatest claim to fame is lamb (sheep), which was slow-cooked and pulled or shredded in the same manner as pork in the Carolinas. This somewhat unusual propensity probably caught on when herd animals were used as a much-needed food source after the first few years of wool production.
In western Kentucky, where lamb barbecue has its most ardent following, the meat is served with a watery Worcestershire-based sauce that many locals refer to simply as a “dip.”
California
California might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of barbecue. However, the Golden State has a long and respectable history of beef dominance, dating back to the Mexicans and the Native Americans who once inhabited the dusty deserts of the Southwest.
California barbecue can be summed up in two words: Santa Maria. These words evoke the coastal area that gave birth to it. If grilling styles can be said to have soul, then California is the Santa Maria Valley.
During an old-school Santa Maria gathering, large pits were dug and filled with burning coals grown from fallen red oaks and willows. It’s easier to use a grill these days (although YOU can make your own DIY Santa Maria Grill ), but the fuel and branded trim, Tri-Tip, remain the same.
Saint-Louis
Whether you believe Kansas City really is the “Barbecue Capital of the World,” whether it tops the list, is up for debate. Another thing that can’t be argued is that St. Louis isn’t far behind.
While Kansas City’s barbecue scene is celebrated for its diversity, St. Louis’ real love is pork ribs. Local custom dictates that these be dunked in a vat of sweet tomato-based sauce, as seen in our St. Louis Ribs recipe .
St Louis grill lovers love their sauce. It is estimated that the city uses more barbecue sauce per capita than anywhere else in the country. It’s likely to speculate that this impressive statistic holds true for other countries as well, as the United States is the undisputed BBQ capital of the world.
Writer & content creator. BBQ fanatic!
