As American as…

Like Pro & Collage Football in America, there are no shortages of opinions, certainties and vague legends tied to the wonderful world of American barbecue – in the backyard, at the restaurant, picnic, campground, and much more. It is so loved and impassioned to the point that Americans have planted their flag at the center of what is becoming a worldwide phenomenon. There is something intrinsically friendly and good-spirited about a people whose greatest claim to fame and gift to the world maybe Barbecue and Backyard Grilling.

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Low & Slow

Of course, in discussing Barbecue, one must understand that technically, it refers only to “Low & Slow” pit cooking. A typical and traditional barbecue is done over an open pit, built lovingly from bricks or stones (even between just a few assembled concrete blocks) in a permanent place usually in the backyard, and cooked over a wood fire, fueled by hot coals and with the help of many family & guests enjoying the wait for what will be the best…
The magic begins with recipes for rubs and marinades, applied before the meats are cooked, and finished with exotic, regional, and often enough homemade sauces, and condiments. It cooks larger sections of pork (shoulder, or whole hog), beef (spareribs) and is served ideally with at least, but not exclusively coleslaw and corn-on-the-cob – hell, everybody is invited. It’s truly an all-day affair.

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Hot & Fast
‍Grilling on the other hand is an easy summertime alternative to stove or restaurant, and is performed quickly over semi-permanent gas stoves, or wholly portable charcoal (weber) grills. There are smaller portions of meat being cooked (pork chops, hamburgers, hot dogs, even chicken & turkey). And by-the-way, the only taboo associated with grilling? Ketchup goes on hamburgers, mustard on hot dogs.

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Confuse and Conflate.

‍Although often conflated in our somewhat over-broad ways of communicating, barbecue and grilling have actually different histories. Open pit, low & slow cooking is an age-old practice, but when Christopher Columbus arrived in the Caribbean at the end of the 15th Century, he and his crew encountered, what to them at the time was a novel way of cooking by laying whole carcasses on wood sticks placed over a long, relatively narrow, and shallow trench filled with coals and smoking wood (see photo). The Spanish interpreted the Taino Indians’ word for smoking meat this way as ‘barbacoa.” It was later Anglicized into Barbecue.

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The Community Barbecue
In Antebellum America (before 1860), Barbecues grew into status-oriented, full community affairs. First in Virginia and then spreading mostly to the south. They were prominent and important events, hosted by among others, George Washington, and James Madison back in their day. The most famous hosted barbecue had been held in celebration of the completion of the US Capital construction. Later, Andrew Jackson made them the centerpiece of his political aspirations.

Easily the most neglected historical fact however is that it was African American slaves who were the pitmasters. They were the folks that new HOW to cook barbeque. Throughout the African American diaspora and the Great Migration following emancipation into the 20th century, the culinary art of Barbecue was an inherited cornerstone of Black culture that followed them to all parts America.

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The Arrival of the Post-War Middle-Class

Backyard grilling, which cooks in the opposite manner, Hot (sear) & Fast, became a staple of Euro-American Middle-Class life with the explosion of the red-lined suburban homes constructed with backyards instead of front porches. Combined with the sudden popularity of the convenient and affordable, Kettle Weber Grill, and later the gas grill, backyard grilling became more of an intimate family, local neighborhood affair without losing the party atmosphere.

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All our clients and their customers are heavily invested in what is coming next in outdoor cooking. Return to traditional Barbeque? Hybrid under a BBQ banner? Grilling Cuisine? The A+APrice lines of 100% Natural Biomass, and Odorless Hydrocarbon Firestarters are ideal accessories for successful barbecue, and grilling. They are sold under several Private Label brands in almost every corner of North America. We invite you to investigate creating your own Private Label brand of Firestarters, or sign-on to distribute the Samba Line of Firestarters, which have been wildly successful in Europe and Asia.

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Be Encouraged

We encourage you to call Andrew today at 519-620-9873 or e-mail at aapricesalesandmarketing@gmail.com about the exciting possibilities of carrying the A+APrice lines of 100% Natural Biomass, and Odorless Hydrocarbon Firestarters

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