Popular Kinds of BBQ

In the good ol’ U.S. of A., there are as many styles barbecue as there are regions. In the Southeastern United States, barbecue sauces are mostly vinegar-based (because, the story goes, those scaredy-cats thought tomatoes were bad for you). Around Texas, cowboys and ranchers largely used beef and borrowed Mexican ingredients — think chiles — for a dry barbecue often flavored with mesquite smoke. In the Northwest, it’s about wild game and salmon. It’s a granola thing.

And in Southern California, our philosophy is to let the meat shine, so to speak. We prepare our meat simply, with our secret rub, to let its natural flavor come through. Our barbecue sauces are based on fat, ripe tomatoes.

What’s the secret to great barbecue?