Welcome to my barbecue manifesto. I decided to sit down and type this while i’m on fire. Why you ask? I have heard the word barbecue and crockpot used in the same sentence twice in two days. After this travesty to the food world I must sit down (with beer in hand of course) and write my thoughts on this subject.
It all started on Twitter today. Someone posted a link to a “gourmet barbecue” crockpot recipe. Maybe I’ve had a rough week or just not enough caffeine but I sort of…well…got pissed off! That’s o.k. right? I really was surprised at myself as I’m usually a pretty level headed person. Today I realized what I am…
My name is Robert King and I’m a barbecue snob.
Why was I pissed? It is the bastardization of american food. We have had a great history of food in our own right and I think too many people are “settling” for something that is substandard. That substandard ends up becoming the norm and before you know it we all lose a little bit of tasty history. It’s not just BBQ that this is happening but many other food traditions as well.
When you bite into a bratwurst sausage from a German meat market that has been making the same things from scratch for 30 plus years then compare it to a “beer” brat packaged in the store I feel cheated! Does anybody care anymore about quality? What are we going to do when these people pass on?
To do barbecue takes time. It cannot be rushed. It cannot be done in a microwave or a crockpot. It requires passion and true love for what you are doing to make it proper. We as an American people cannot sit idly by and lose our food traditions.
Barbecue is not grilling. Barbecue is not sauce. Barbecue is not crockpot.
January 30th, 2010 at 7:12 am
Amen brother!
January 30th, 2010 at 7:21 am
Thank you!
January 30th, 2010 at 7:35 am
THat is some good BBQ preachin’ right there..
January 30th, 2010 at 10:12 am
You should consider joining us in the Church of Que, where we smite the sinners of faux BBQ and bring the misguided souls of crockpot cooking to the realization that what they do is NOT BBQ, regardless of how much sauce they put in it.
And yes, burnt end offerings are pretty standard in this church…
Carry on, Brother!
January 30th, 2010 at 10:56 am
I totally agree!
Now if you will excuse me, I have to go boil some ribs in beer before bbqing them in the oven (with some Liquid Smoke).
January 30th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
At least you didn’t use foil!
January 30th, 2010 at 1:04 pm
There are many ways to prepare food – but the hair on the back of my neck goes all prickly when I read a recipe called “barbeque” that has nothing to do with low and slow wood fired heat and smoke. Thanks for posting this.
January 30th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
Here here! I am with you on this one, the loss of our heritage and homogenization of our traditions and cuisine is a bad thing.
February 1st, 2010 at 9:23 am
Amen brother…spread the word.
February 5th, 2010 at 9:37 pm
I agree totally! BBQ from a crockpot? Thats a crock!