A Guide to Southern Barbecue

The South is famous for its southern bbq…or barbecue…or barbeque…or bar b q. Why are there so many different spellings for such a simple term? Whatever you want to call it, barbecue in the South is almost a religion. Even a small southern town like mine has numerous bbq restaurants, and if they’re good, they stay packed with happy customers. Allow me to clarify: I’m talking about barbecue in the Deep South, not the South, as a whole. In Texas, barbeque often means beef brisket, and in Tennessee, bar b q might mean pork ribs. Travel east from Texas, and south from Tennessee, and you’ll find that barbecue almost always means pork shoulder. And when you think of pulled pork and pulled pork sandwiches, barbecue usually means smoked pork shoulder, or smoked pork butt.

The term pork butt is somewhat of a misnomer. It sounds like a pork butt would come from a pig’s hindquarters, right? Nope! The butt, often called Boston butt, comes from the shoulder of a pig. A Boston butt is the end, or butt, of the shoulder roast. Which brings up another point. Why is it called a Boston butt? Is Boston famous for smoked pork butt? I don’t think so, at least not in the southern tradition of barbecue.

When an experienced barbecue cook or grillmaster decides to make smoked pork butt, they take a lot of time with their creation. If the pork butt has a really large fat cap, it’s usually trimmed down some, but it isn’t completely removed. Some outside fat covering ensures a juicy, tender, flavorful pork shoulder. Once the pork shoulder has been trimmed, if needed, a bbq rub is usually added. The rub can be a wet rub or a dry rub, and it contains salt, spices, and herbs. A wet BBQ rub might also use vinegar, hot sauce, lemon juice, and/or Worcestershire sauce. If the pork is very lean, a little cooking oil might be used in the butt rub, too. From my experience, added oil is rarely necessary.

A BBQ rub isn’t just sprinkled on the pork butt – it’s called “rub” for a reason. It needs to be rubbed – actually massaged – into the flesh, on the entire outside surface area. Also, I like to be really generous when applying my butt rub. In fact, I think it would hard to use too much BBQ rub on a pork butt. I like to pack on and in as much BBQ rub as the pork shoulder will hold.

After the meat has been thoroughly seasoned and massaged, it needs to be wrapped to hold in all the flavors. Some folks use foil for this, but I prefer using plastic cling wrap. The plastic wrap adheres better to the Boston butt, and it’s more air-tight. Once the meat has been seasoned, massaged, and wrapped, I like to leave the Boston butt in the refrigerator to cure. How long should the pork butt cure in the fridge? We usually leave ours in the fridge for at least twelve hours, but we’ve left them for longer on several occasions, with good results.

Once the smoked pork shoulder is done, there are several ways to handle the meat. Some people like their barbecue sliced, some like chopped barbecue, and others prefer pulled pork. If you’re feeding a crowd and you’re smoking more than one pork butt, you can offer guests all three types of barbecue.

In almost all cases, pulled pork is made from smoked pork shoulder. Sure, you can use other cuts of pork for pulled pork, but a Boston butt makes the best pulled pork. Ever wonder why that is? It’s because a pork butt is loaded with collagen and marbled with fat. When the pork shoulder is cooked for hours over a low, smoky heat source, these elements break down and turn into juicy, flavorful meat that can be shredded or pulled easily.

Some people like to take the easy way out with a crock pot pulled pork recipe. I’ll admit that I’ve done this myself on occasion, but in all honesty, a crock pot pulled pork recipe can’t hold a candle to pork that’s been smoked low and slow over hickory, oak, or my personal favorite, pecan wood.

For many southern fans of barbecue, the best way to enjoy smoked pork butt is in pulled pork sandwiches. Of course, when it comes to pulled pork sandwiches, practically every southerner has his or her own ideas as to what constitutes the best pulled pork sandwiches. Some people like to eat their pulled pork on plain white bread, while others might prefer hamburger buns. Actually, my preference for pulled pork sandwiches is onion rolls. I like to take a big onion roll. Split it and butter it, and toast it before piling on the pulled pork. I like my pulled pork sandwiches with nothing but pulled pork that’s been mixed with barbecue sauce. That brings up yet another point about pulled pork: to add or not to add barbecue sauce to the shredded meat. That’s entirely up to you. Some cooks like to add barbecue sauce directly to their pulled pork, while others prefer to serve the sauce on the side.

And what about other condiments and additions to pulled pork sandwiches? My husband, like many southerners, doesn’t think pulled pork sandwiches are complete without a spoonful of slaw added atop the pulled pork. Others might like to add sliced tomatoes, mayonnaise, dill pickles, onions, or sweet pickles to their pulled pork sandwiches.

I’m hoping all this talk about barbecue has you craving some smoked pork shoulder! I know I am. I’ve been following a pescatarian diet, so I haven’t eaten any barbeque in weeks. I did, however, just speak with a worker in a local slaughterhouse, and I found out that they follow the Humane Kill guidelines set forth by the USDA. I got a good report from this worker about the handling and slaughter processes used in the plant, so I feel somewhat better about eating pork and beef. Still, I’m not entirely ready to give u p my pescatarian diet, depending on what my lab work reveals next week.

For more information about barbecue, in general, click the link in the first paragraph of this article, which takes you to my cooking site. For a great pulled pork recipe, click this link. I also have some pulled pork recipes on Hubpages, including a crock pot pulled pork recipe.

If you’re looking for great bbq restaurants in the Deep South, don’t judge the barbecue by the building’s exterior. What you want to look for is a big pile of wood somewhere, along with billowing smoke from the smoker. The aroma should fill your nostrils before you ever arrive at the barbecue restaurant’s parking lot. And when you get to the parking lot, read the car tags. If you see lots of local cars, you’re in the right spot. There a few good barbecue restaurants in the South that are chains, including Sonny’s, Hog-n-Bones, Smokey Bones, and Woody’s Bar-B-Q. Don’t just stick to these, however. Find some mom-and-pop bbq restaurants for a real adventure. Practically every southern town has at least one. Heck, sometimes you can find some awesome barbecue at roadside stands and gas stations! Remember – when you’re looking for great barbecue restaurants, follow your nose!