WEBVTT - Memphis-Style Barbecue: Save Your Qs for the End 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:12.240 Hello, and welcome to Saber Protection of iHeartRadio. I'm Annie Reese. 0:00:11.920 --> 0:00:14.360 And I'm Lauren Vogelbaum, and today we have an episode 0:00:14.400 --> 0:00:18.480 for you about Memphis style barbecue. 0:00:18.760 --> 0:00:23.360 Who m yeah, that's how I feel. What an endeavor? 0:00:26.239 --> 0:00:27.760 Yep yep. 0:00:27.840 --> 0:00:33.800 First, this one really made me miss travel for this show, 0:00:34.040 --> 0:00:37.760 because I would have loved to have gone to all 0:00:37.800 --> 0:00:43.040 of these places, experienced them for ourselves, and also talked 0:00:43.080 --> 0:00:48.240 to the humans because I strongly believe that them saying 0:00:48.280 --> 0:00:50.280 it would be more entertaining than us saying it. 0:00:51.760 --> 0:00:56.960 Oh yeah, I absolutely think so strong opinions. I mean, oh, 0:00:57.000 --> 0:01:00.000 we knew anytime barbecue. 0:01:00.360 --> 0:01:03.440 Yeah, of course, this is part of why we haven't 0:01:03.600 --> 0:01:06.240 done more episodes on barbecue. 0:01:07.959 --> 0:01:09.520 Also, like, I. 0:01:09.840 --> 0:01:11.640 Don't know about you any but like I am not 0:01:11.959 --> 0:01:20.760 a Memphis style expert. Nope, I have not been to Memphis. Okay, 0:01:20.800 --> 0:01:24.560 all right, so yeah, so please do let us know 0:01:24.959 --> 0:01:28.520 if we're wrong about anything. But also please do hold 0:01:29.880 --> 0:01:33.240 for the end of the episode because we're offering a 0:01:33.360 --> 0:01:35.800 number of caveats as we. 0:01:35.720 --> 0:01:44.920 Go A numbers. Yeah, correct, Well, I believe I know 0:01:45.000 --> 0:01:47.960 the answer, but I shall ask, was there any particular 0:01:48.000 --> 0:01:49.280 reason this was on your mind? Lauren. 0:01:49.880 --> 0:01:53.760 Yeah, yeah, so we just had the Fourth of July 0:01:54.200 --> 0:01:58.320 holiday here in these United States that we are currently 0:01:58.360 --> 0:02:05.080 living in. And you know, there are some real weird 0:02:05.160 --> 0:02:10.480 things going on in the US right now, some perhaps 0:02:10.520 --> 0:02:15.639 reasons to not celebrate, but you know, we are still 0:02:16.040 --> 0:02:23.200 a union of people with incredibly differing opinions about barbecue. 0:02:23.360 --> 0:02:26.200 And you know what is more American than that. 0:02:28.160 --> 0:02:32.800 Truth? And I hope you listeners will write in with 0:02:32.840 --> 0:02:37.680 some of your opinions after this episode. Oh my goodness. 0:02:37.800 --> 0:02:42.760 Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, strong opinions always welcome. And yeah, 0:02:42.840 --> 0:02:45.160 I don't know why I started in Memphis. I guess 0:02:45.840 --> 0:02:48.920 I was like looking at the sauces and felt like 0:02:49.000 --> 0:02:52.359 this was a good place to start from a sauce perspective. 0:02:55.960 --> 0:02:59.359 A lot of consideration went into this. It's very frightening 0:02:59.400 --> 0:03:03.960 to step into this arena. I must, it really is. 0:03:04.680 --> 0:03:10.200 We're gonna face it bravely, this this pit if you will. Yeah, ah, yes, 0:03:10.960 --> 0:03:13.320 So for past episodes, we have touched on this before 0:03:15.120 --> 0:03:18.440 we did an Ashville episode about barbecue. 0:03:18.800 --> 0:03:23.200 Yeah. The two main Ashville barbecue related episodes are one 0:03:23.200 --> 0:03:27.000 about comfort food and nostalgia. It's called Nostalgia comfort Food 0:03:27.040 --> 0:03:30.799 in Carolina barbecue. And then there's a bonus episode that's 0:03:30.840 --> 0:03:34.840 like mostly an interview that's called Taking Cues from a 0:03:34.880 --> 0:03:35.440 pit Master. 0:03:35.880 --> 0:03:46.600 So yeah, yes, so those molasses, cole saw potato, salad, 0:03:46.720 --> 0:03:51.400 mac and cheese, the interview we did with Howard Conyers. 0:03:51.720 --> 0:03:56.160 Yeah, yeah, any, any and all of those. Sure, probably 0:03:56.200 --> 0:03:59.480 a lot of other things too, but I think those 0:03:59.560 --> 0:04:04.080 are some of the most relevant. Sure, all right, let 0:04:04.160 --> 0:04:05.120 us bite the bullet. 0:04:06.160 --> 0:04:15.800 Okay, I guess this to our question, Memphis style barbecue, 0:04:17.040 --> 0:04:17.600 what is it? 0:04:18.760 --> 0:04:24.080 Well, Memphis style barbecue is a set of ingredients and 0:04:24.200 --> 0:04:30.240 processes and traditions around smoking and serving proteins that developed 0:04:30.480 --> 0:04:35.800 in Memphis, Tennessee. The typical protein is pork, specifically the 0:04:35.839 --> 0:04:39.480 pork shoulder and the pork ribs. Both are often given 0:04:39.560 --> 0:04:43.080 a dry rub before cooking. And this dry rub is 0:04:43.279 --> 0:04:47.360 complex and every cook respectfully referred to here as a pitmaster, 0:04:47.680 --> 0:04:50.000 is going to have their own blend. But you can 0:04:50.080 --> 0:04:54.520 expect a base of salt, paprika, chili powder, maybe brown sugar, 0:04:54.800 --> 0:04:57.680 along with other things like cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic, 0:04:57.680 --> 0:05:00.960 and onion, mustard and celery seed, all in powder form 0:05:01.000 --> 0:05:06.920 because again, dry rub. Yeah, the proteins are again sometimes 0:05:07.120 --> 0:05:10.320 rubbed with this seasoning mix and then usually smoked low 0:05:10.360 --> 0:05:15.560 and slow over charcoal and smoldering hardwood, typically hickory, which 0:05:15.600 --> 0:05:18.360 cooks the meat and also infuses it with like smoky 0:05:18.520 --> 0:05:23.200 woodsy flavors. These proteins are typically cooked until they're tender, 0:05:23.279 --> 0:05:26.480 but not like completely meltingly soft. Both will have a 0:05:26.520 --> 0:05:28.560 little bit of a chew to them, like the ribs 0:05:28.560 --> 0:05:30.520 won't fall off the bone when you pick them up. 0:05:31.360 --> 0:05:35.320 The shoulder will be served pulled, that is, shredded, sometimes chopped, 0:05:35.680 --> 0:05:38.520 sometimes as is on a plate with sides, and sometimes 0:05:38.600 --> 0:05:41.440 on a sandwich with toppings like Memphis style barbecue sauce 0:05:41.480 --> 0:05:45.400 and coal slaw. The ribs will be served either dry 0:05:45.760 --> 0:05:49.880 like as is, or wet, meaning slathered in that barbecue sauce. 0:05:50.560 --> 0:05:54.039 The saucing question is a tomato based sauce made with 0:05:54.080 --> 0:05:57.680 a base of tomato pure and or ketchup molasses and 0:05:57.839 --> 0:06:01.400 or brown sugar plus vinegar, and that's going to be 0:06:01.440 --> 0:06:05.279 seasoned with things like onion, garlic, mustard, cayenne, pepper, worst 0:06:05.400 --> 0:06:08.520 shear and hot sauce, which results in like a reddish 0:06:08.560 --> 0:06:12.480 brown sauce that's mid thin and like tangy, spicy sweet. 0:06:14.400 --> 0:06:17.760 Sometimes the pit master will baste the ribs with the 0:06:17.800 --> 0:06:20.480 sauce during cooking so that it kind of like caramelizes 0:06:20.520 --> 0:06:24.159 into the meat. So okay, So the proteins are like 0:06:24.320 --> 0:06:28.279 just so savory and smoky and a little bit spicy sweet, 0:06:28.440 --> 0:06:32.680 and the sauce will just amp that, although some purists 0:06:32.720 --> 0:06:34.800 will tell you that the dry ribs are best with. 0:06:34.760 --> 0:06:35.880 The sauce on the side. 0:06:38.240 --> 0:06:41.440 Side Dishes to coordinate with all those flavors and to 0:06:41.480 --> 0:06:46.080 make a meal may include that colesla again, stewed greens, 0:06:46.200 --> 0:06:50.320 corn on the cob, mac and cheese, potato salad, French fries, hushpuppies, 0:06:50.720 --> 0:06:56.679 and or corn bread. So it's all kind of messy 0:06:56.760 --> 0:07:02.760 and indulgent and so satisfying, Like barbecue is just beautiful. 0:07:03.000 --> 0:07:05.760 It is Memphis on a plate. 0:07:07.720 --> 0:07:13.080 And Memphis, you are delicious. Oh I need to go 0:07:13.160 --> 0:07:13.680 so badly. 0:07:14.520 --> 0:07:17.040 Also, I think that was the longest what is it 0:07:17.120 --> 0:07:21.880 that I've ever written for the show. It's a lot, 0:07:22.200 --> 0:07:26.360 if not the longest, quite long, like like right up there, 0:07:26.560 --> 0:07:33.360 top top three. And even within all of this fairly 0:07:33.480 --> 0:07:36.760 specific set of guidelines that I've just laid out, there 0:07:36.880 --> 0:07:42.520 is of course room for argument, like the exact cut 0:07:42.560 --> 0:07:45.520 of meats that you use are a matter of preference. 0:07:45.560 --> 0:07:48.680 For the ribs you're talking about baby backs versus spare ribs. 0:07:48.960 --> 0:07:51.400 Babybacks being from like the top of the rib cage, 0:07:51.800 --> 0:07:55.280 they can be more tender and flavorful. Spares are longer 0:07:55.320 --> 0:07:57.640 and less meaty, so you get like a different texture 0:07:57.640 --> 0:08:02.120 from the finished rib. Baby bags can further come with 0:08:02.160 --> 0:08:05.840 the rib tip cut off. That's another argument for pulled pork. 0:08:05.920 --> 0:08:07.640 You can use the Boston butt, which is like the 0:08:07.640 --> 0:08:08.480 top of the shoulder. 0:08:08.760 --> 0:08:09.640 It has less. 0:08:09.440 --> 0:08:11.320 Fat and bone in it, or you can go with 0:08:11.400 --> 0:08:14.120 the picnic shoulder, which is the lower part with more 0:08:14.160 --> 0:08:17.120 fat and bone in and it's usually butchered with a 0:08:17.160 --> 0:08:19.720 skin on, which can help with moisture but also prevent 0:08:19.760 --> 0:08:24.840 smoke penetration. I cannot tell you what to do. No, No, 0:08:26.240 --> 0:08:29.040 whatever cut you're using, what do you smoke it over? 0:08:29.440 --> 0:08:34.079 All wood wood plus charcoal, all charcoal, lump charcoal or briquettes? 0:08:34.840 --> 0:08:37.559 What kind of wood like? Is hickory necessary? Or can 0:08:37.600 --> 0:08:40.000 you toss some apple or peachwood on there? I don't 0:08:40.000 --> 0:08:43.560 know what temperature do you go? For a lot of 0:08:43.559 --> 0:08:46.319 recipes say low and slow, but one of the original 0:08:46.400 --> 0:08:50.360 Memphis rib joints, Rendezvous cooks some hotter and faster using 0:08:50.400 --> 0:08:53.600 this like vinegar based mop sauce during cooking, a type 0:08:53.600 --> 0:08:57.920 of basting sauce to maintain moisture. MOP sauce might be 0:08:57.960 --> 0:08:59.840 seasoned with some or all of the ingredients that you 0:09:00.120 --> 0:09:02.640 in your dry rub. In this cooking style, you don't 0:09:02.720 --> 0:09:05.319 use the dry rub as a rub, but rather dust 0:09:05.320 --> 0:09:06.400 your finished ribs with it. 0:09:08.720 --> 0:09:12.760 I'm overwhelmed already. H But wait, there's more. 0:09:14.600 --> 0:09:21.480 More. Generally speaking, dry versus wet is a really big deal. Also, Okay, So, 0:09:21.600 --> 0:09:26.080 like in the rub, sugar and how much sugar is controversial, 0:09:27.080 --> 0:09:29.840 and then let's talk about the sauce in the sauce. 0:09:29.920 --> 0:09:33.080 Your ratio of tomato to vinegar is a strong preference 0:09:33.080 --> 0:09:36.199 that people have, though the other ingredients tend to remain 0:09:36.240 --> 0:09:39.640 like basically the same. I say basically because I've seen 0:09:39.679 --> 0:09:43.160 all kinds of different ingredients. In addition to the sort 0:09:43.200 --> 0:09:48.080 of basics that I listed above, I've seen like rosemary, thyme, 0:09:48.160 --> 0:09:56.000 a regino, celery, salt, ginger, cuman, coriander, allspice. 0:09:56.240 --> 0:10:00.640 I found a really funny It was a co read 0:10:01.360 --> 0:10:06.600 where someone was claiming no one dry rib dry rub 0:10:06.760 --> 0:10:10.760 ribs are a myth what, and that they don't exist 0:10:10.880 --> 0:10:14.800 in Memphis and that there's like only one place that 0:10:14.920 --> 0:10:18.240 does it. Wow everywhere else, no one else does it. 0:10:18.360 --> 0:10:23.960 And everyone was chiming in like I've gotten them here here, 0:10:25.040 --> 0:10:27.680 but it just cracked me up. Wow. Yeah. 0:10:27.760 --> 0:10:30.920 No, I read a lot of menus in preparing for 0:10:30.960 --> 0:10:33.480 this episode, and I can guarantee, I mean, unless the 0:10:33.520 --> 0:10:34.719 menus are lying. 0:10:36.040 --> 0:10:36.520 A trick. 0:10:37.000 --> 0:10:42.400 I I guess it's a possibility. 0:10:43.800 --> 0:10:49.280 We we haven't been there. Yeah, I don't know. Yeah. Also, 0:10:49.559 --> 0:10:51.959 like we have to talk about the coleslaw. 0:10:52.640 --> 0:10:55.520 We did talk in our Coalsla episode about different recipes 0:10:55.559 --> 0:10:59.280 basically like creamy versus non creamy. Memphis has virgins of both, 0:11:00.280 --> 0:11:04.200 one creamy and sweetened. One tends to be non creamy 0:11:04.240 --> 0:11:08.360 and sharper with like mustard and bandeger. Other sides are 0:11:08.360 --> 0:11:12.800 a side quest. I can't this episode is already long, yep. 0:11:16.440 --> 0:11:22.000 But Fishionados talk about the bark of the ribs. By bark, 0:11:22.120 --> 0:11:25.000 I mean that the outer crust that develops as the 0:11:25.040 --> 0:11:29.760 surface dries out during cooking, which is not unmitigated. Recipes 0:11:29.800 --> 0:11:32.480 that I've seen call for spritzing the ribs with water 0:11:32.520 --> 0:11:35.560 every half hour or so, and or using a mop 0:11:35.600 --> 0:11:38.280 sauce and or doing a sort of baste with butter 0:11:38.400 --> 0:11:43.120 towards the end of cooking. Memphis pit masters do also 0:11:43.160 --> 0:11:46.240 cook other proteins. You can often find chicken on the 0:11:46.280 --> 0:11:48.319 bone and or pulled beef. 0:11:48.360 --> 0:11:48.760 Brisket. 0:11:49.000 --> 0:11:53.520 Sausages, and sandwiches and plates are not all that you 0:11:53.559 --> 0:11:56.920 can do with Memphis style barbecue. One popular way of 0:11:57.000 --> 0:12:00.080 using the pulled pork is in barbecue spaghetti, which is 0:12:00.120 --> 0:12:02.840 a dish made by cooking down like a tomato based 0:12:02.880 --> 0:12:06.080 pasta sauce including I mean, you know, like whatever you 0:12:06.120 --> 0:12:08.720 want to put in a tomato based pasta sauce, like onions, garlic, 0:12:08.720 --> 0:12:13.320 bell pepper, italiany herbs like oregano, and basil. Cook that 0:12:13.360 --> 0:12:16.000 down along with like a lot of Memphis barbecue sauce, 0:12:17.000 --> 0:12:19.360 and then add in pulled pork to kind of like 0:12:19.400 --> 0:12:21.040 stud the sauce with the way that you would like 0:12:21.080 --> 0:12:24.360 ground beef or whatever. Yeah, served on top a spaghetti. 0:12:26.600 --> 0:12:30.160 Pulled pork is also a topping on pizza. I read 0:12:30.160 --> 0:12:31.720 a lot about rib tip fried rice. 0:12:34.440 --> 0:12:36.840 YEP, A lot of it's found its way into a 0:12:36.840 --> 0:12:40.880 lot of things, for sure. M hm, for sure. Well 0:12:41.800 --> 0:12:43.840 what about the nutrition. 0:12:44.520 --> 0:12:47.000 When we're talking about a lot of different things here, 0:12:47.240 --> 0:12:53.120 that's I watch your portion sizes, drink water, eat a 0:12:53.240 --> 0:12:56.200 vegetable that has not been cooked with pork at some point. 0:12:58.880 --> 0:12:59.559 At some point. 0:12:59.760 --> 0:13:01.640 Yeah yeah, maybe not today. 0:13:02.400 --> 0:13:09.240 Yeah, maybe not with your barbecue dish. Yeah, okay, Well 0:13:09.400 --> 0:13:12.679 we do have some numbers for you, okay, yeah we do. 0:13:12.840 --> 0:13:13.360 Uh yeah. 0:13:13.400 --> 0:13:18.719 So there are around one hundred barbecue restaurants in Memphis, 0:13:18.960 --> 0:13:21.760 like in and around Memphis, and I mean by that 0:13:21.840 --> 0:13:26.640 barbecue focused restaurants, not including places that like happen to 0:13:26.679 --> 0:13:31.600 serve one barbecue dish, which seems like a lot for 0:13:31.640 --> 0:13:33.920 a city, does seem like a lot, but like a delicious, 0:13:33.960 --> 0:13:36.000 amazing a lot, happy, happy about it. 0:13:36.240 --> 0:13:38.800 Yeah. 0:13:38.840 --> 0:13:43.199 Every year, during the month long Memphis in May festival, 0:13:43.880 --> 0:13:47.679 there is a four day World Championship barbecue cooking contest, 0:13:48.320 --> 0:13:55.480 sometimes called the Super Bowl of Swine all right. In 0:13:55.520 --> 0:13:58.160 twenty twenty five, it was in its forty seventh year 0:13:58.480 --> 0:14:03.040 and over one hundred and teams participated. It had categories 0:14:03.160 --> 0:14:08.640 for ribs, shoulder, whole hog, other meats, junior's contests for 0:14:08.760 --> 0:14:12.080 kids nine to seventeen years of age, and then categories 0:14:12.080 --> 0:14:17.160 for sauces, tomato, mustard, and vinegar based the best booth, 0:14:17.640 --> 0:14:21.840 the best T shirt, and Miss Piggy Idol, which is 0:14:21.880 --> 0:14:26.000 like a team music and or dance competition that seems 0:14:26.080 --> 0:14:28.720 to feature like a lot of men in drag with 0:14:28.880 --> 0:14:35.040 pig costume elements. All right, I think there's also barbecue 0:14:35.040 --> 0:14:35.680 sauce wrestling. 0:14:38.720 --> 0:14:45.720 Okay, seems like a pain to clean, but sure. Yeah. 0:14:46.040 --> 0:14:49.320 Also I feel like there's a number of elements, both 0:14:49.360 --> 0:14:53.040 the sugar and the vinegar. I don't know anyway. Not judging, 0:14:53.160 --> 0:14:57.320 just saying if you are not participating or judging in 0:14:57.400 --> 0:15:00.000 any of this, like like official judging, not like judgment judge. 0:15:00.080 --> 0:15:01.280 I mean, you know you can judge all the time, 0:15:01.360 --> 0:15:03.040 judge all you want, but if you're not officially judging. 0:15:03.040 --> 0:15:06.080 There are many food vendors at this festival and folks 0:15:06.120 --> 0:15:08.640 selling their rubs and their sauces, plus live music and 0:15:08.680 --> 0:15:13.440 cooking demos. This festival does have a serious economic impact 0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:16.600 on the city. As of twenty seventeen, it drew nearly 0:15:16.720 --> 0:15:19.320 sixty four thousand people, about half of whom were from 0:15:19.360 --> 0:15:22.480 out of town, and generated thirty seven point seven million 0:15:22.520 --> 0:15:28.640 dollars workers earned seven million bucks during it, it raised 0:15:28.680 --> 0:15:33.000 like a million bucks in tax revenue. Attendance has dropped 0:15:33.040 --> 0:15:38.160 since twenty seventeen, but it is still really huge. 0:15:38.480 --> 0:15:43.960 Wow. People love barbecue. They do they do. 0:15:44.000 --> 0:15:45.480 They love it so much that there is in fact 0:15:45.520 --> 0:15:49.800 a second barbecue competition basically at the same time in Memphis, 0:15:49.840 --> 0:15:52.920 called the Smoke Slam. It was only in its second 0:15:52.960 --> 0:16:03.520 year as of twenty twenty five. All right, m I 0:16:03.840 --> 0:16:07.240 will say that at both of these events the teams 0:16:07.680 --> 0:16:14.200 have some pretty rad names, like a Porkalypse now the 0:16:14.240 --> 0:16:21.560 parent head Porkers of Hagaritaville, Snoutcast, Game of Bones, brown Chicken, 0:16:21.600 --> 0:16:25.440 brown Cow, and the Procrastinators. 0:16:26.440 --> 0:16:33.120 Excellent. Yeah it's just a sampling. Yeah, Snoutcast got me 0:16:35.840 --> 0:16:40.800 as an at alien. Yes, thank you. Snoutcast spelled the 0:16:40.920 --> 0:16:45.240 quet Yeah all right. 0:16:45.400 --> 0:16:48.400 At Memphis barbecue joints, the rub and the sauce recipes 0:16:48.480 --> 0:16:53.360 are serious secrets. Perhaps obviously at one the barbecue Shop, 0:16:54.000 --> 0:16:57.240 only four people have known the sauce recipe in seventy 0:16:57.320 --> 0:16:58.280 some years of service. 0:17:00.080 --> 0:17:00.320 Wow. 0:17:03.280 --> 0:17:06.320 But some of these places do ship around the US 0:17:06.440 --> 0:17:11.280 and beyond. The aforementioned Rendezvous has a whole kitchen set 0:17:11.359 --> 0:17:15.120 up for distribution and they're smoking oven for pork shoulders 0:17:15.320 --> 0:17:17.760 can hold two hundred and forty pork shoulders at the 0:17:17.800 --> 0:17:18.240 same time. 0:17:21.000 --> 0:17:29.960 Oh wow, yep, yep, wow. You know this does bring 0:17:30.040 --> 0:17:32.880 back memories because part of the reason this show exists 0:17:34.080 --> 0:17:37.440 it is because when we went to Austin, Lauren and 0:17:37.480 --> 0:17:39.359 I went in on a bunch of food adventures, but 0:17:39.440 --> 0:17:41.879 barbecue was a big part of it. 0:17:42.080 --> 0:17:42.280 Yeah. 0:17:42.720 --> 0:17:46.720 Absolutely, But I remember looking into can I get this 0:17:46.760 --> 0:17:49.280 stuff shipped? And it was so expensive. I don't know 0:17:49.320 --> 0:17:55.000 what the deal is at. Oh that's another don't yell 0:17:55.000 --> 0:17:56.240 at me. I know that's a separate thing. 0:17:56.600 --> 0:18:02.760 Sure, sure, but yes, yeah, but uh so, how did 0:18:02.840 --> 0:18:09.119 we get to hear? An excellent question, and we do 0:18:09.400 --> 0:18:12.000 have a lot of history for you, which we will 0:18:12.000 --> 0:18:13.560 get into as soon as we get back from a 0:18:13.720 --> 0:18:25.280 quick break. For a word from our sponsors, and we're back, 0:18:25.320 --> 0:18:26.760 Thank you sponsor, Yes, thank you. 0:18:28.040 --> 0:18:34.719 Okay. So the history of roasting meat is ancient. It's 0:18:34.800 --> 0:18:38.440 part of the reason these episodes are so daunting. Yeah, 0:18:39.560 --> 0:18:44.520 but yes, it's ancient. When discussing American barbecue history, in particular, 0:18:44.880 --> 0:18:47.879 Indigenous folks for roasting meat low and slow, long before 0:18:47.920 --> 0:18:51.560 European colonization. This way of cooking worked for several reasons. 0:18:51.720 --> 0:18:54.640 It didn't burn the meat or the wood, and provided 0:18:54.680 --> 0:18:56.760 flavor and tenderness to the meat. 0:18:57.960 --> 0:19:02.680 Specifically, when the Spanish arrived in the Caribbean in like 0:19:02.800 --> 0:19:06.639 the late fourteen hundreds, they observed the local Tino people 0:19:07.240 --> 0:19:11.159 roasting meat on these wooden frames over fires like vertical 0:19:11.240 --> 0:19:13.720 posts with a kind of rack or grill dare I 0:19:13.840 --> 0:19:16.960 say on top? And the tiny word for this frame 0:19:17.400 --> 0:19:22.320 was a barrabku or bbque or similar like I've seen 0:19:22.359 --> 0:19:24.000 it written a few different ways. 0:19:26.240 --> 0:19:30.320 The Spanish started calling this style of cooking barbicoa, and 0:19:30.520 --> 0:19:32.760 they took it with them as they traveled farther up 0:19:32.960 --> 0:19:36.600 into the Americas, into what's now the southern United States. 0:19:37.280 --> 0:19:39.920 They modified it as they went, moving away from the 0:19:40.000 --> 0:19:44.480 shallow pit that they witnessed towards deep pit barbecue, higher heat, 0:19:44.600 --> 0:19:50.160 and faster. There are also several early accounts of Europeans 0:19:50.400 --> 0:19:53.560 describing how this meat was seasoned or basted with a 0:19:53.640 --> 0:20:00.280 type of early hot sauce uh okay. The first known 0:20:00.359 --> 0:20:04.199 reference to barbecue sauce was from an eighteen seventy one 0:20:04.440 --> 0:20:07.880 Tennessee publication, but there had been plenty of other references 0:20:07.920 --> 0:20:13.480 and recipes for things like a sauce for barbecues. Most 0:20:13.680 --> 0:20:16.280 of these early sauces were butter and vinegar seasoned with 0:20:16.400 --> 0:20:19.720 salt pepper, which sounds good. I'm into it. Oh yeah. 0:20:21.200 --> 0:20:25.840 A lot of pitmasters r cagey about what spices things. 0:20:26.600 --> 0:20:30.320 But we do know that enslaved Africans also influenced methods 0:20:30.400 --> 0:20:34.480 and taste of American barbecue styles. For centuries in America, 0:20:34.680 --> 0:20:37.680 they were doing the cooking, seasoning, prepping, serving, and after 0:20:37.760 --> 0:20:43.800 emancipation they had these skills that were desired. The various 0:20:43.840 --> 0:20:48.240 styles that developed and seasonings used were impacted by pockets 0:20:48.280 --> 0:20:52.560 of immigrants too, so a large German population, for instance, 0:20:52.800 --> 0:20:57.040 led to some places creating a mustard based sauce. However, 0:20:57.520 --> 0:21:00.920 the story is slightly different when it comes to Memphis. 0:21:03.200 --> 0:21:05.439 There are a couple of reasons that barbecue took off 0:21:05.480 --> 0:21:08.840 in Memphis the way that it did. One is location 0:21:09.600 --> 0:21:13.000 and the fact that it's a port city located on 0:21:13.040 --> 0:21:17.320 the Mississippi River that meant access to, amongst other things, 0:21:17.440 --> 0:21:22.440 a variety of spices, hardwood, barrels of molasses, tomatoes, all 0:21:22.560 --> 0:21:25.200 of which ended up in this style of barbecue. In 0:21:25.280 --> 0:21:29.280 one way or another. Molasses was cheaper than refined sugar 0:21:29.440 --> 0:21:31.359 at the time, so it became the sweetener of choice 0:21:31.400 --> 0:21:34.160 for a while. It ended up in all kinds of things, 0:21:34.320 --> 0:21:38.639 including in a variety of marinades and sauces for meat. 0:21:39.520 --> 0:21:42.560 Vinegar was readily available in the South at this time too. 0:21:44.920 --> 0:21:47.440 When it comes to the strong emphasis on pork in 0:21:47.560 --> 0:21:51.359 Memphis style barbecue, ever since the Spanish brought pork to 0:21:51.440 --> 0:21:54.600 the Southern US and the fifteen hundreds, pork was a 0:21:54.720 --> 0:21:59.040 staple of the Southern barbecue seam. They were plentiful. For one, 0:22:00.080 --> 0:22:03.320 pigs were generally cheaper than cows in terms of maintenance 0:22:03.400 --> 0:22:07.200 in farming Texas barbecue separate conversation. But in terms of 0:22:07.280 --> 0:22:11.040 Memphis yep, yep, uh huh, they didn't really need land 0:22:11.080 --> 0:22:16.040 to graze like cows did. For instance, farmers sometimes released 0:22:16.119 --> 0:22:18.840 the pigs into the wild so that they could feed themselves, 0:22:19.359 --> 0:22:22.240 only to catch them later. If there wasn't enough food 0:22:22.280 --> 0:22:24.520 to feed the pigs and the meat was tough after 0:22:24.600 --> 0:22:27.399 they were slaughtered because they were thin, farmers would often 0:22:27.480 --> 0:22:32.320 turn to low and slow styles of cooking. Some sources 0:22:32.359 --> 0:22:35.280 suggest that over time, pigs became a source of Southern 0:22:35.359 --> 0:22:40.800 pride and neighborhoods, and even politicians would host barbecues after 0:22:40.880 --> 0:22:46.320 slaughtering pigs. It was a really communal affair. Over time, 0:22:47.040 --> 0:22:50.600 as the South urbanized and shifted away from agriculture to 0:22:51.040 --> 0:22:54.800 some extent, people relied less on raising and slaughtering their 0:22:54.840 --> 0:22:58.000 own pigs, but could instead buy pork at grocery stores. 0:22:58.800 --> 0:23:02.119 This led to a prolific of restaurants taking over the 0:23:02.200 --> 0:23:08.080 task of barbecue because it was an intensive task. Often 0:23:08.119 --> 0:23:11.800 these restaurants were small, sometimes even just shacks open only 0:23:11.880 --> 0:23:14.320 on weekends because they were run by farmers who had 0:23:14.400 --> 0:23:17.360 all this other stuff to do and the process took 0:23:17.400 --> 0:23:21.520 so long. The nineteen tens is when we first start 0:23:21.560 --> 0:23:26.920 seeing commercial barbecue sauces in the US. By the nineteen twenties, 0:23:27.359 --> 0:23:30.879 numerous barbecue restaurants started opening in Memphis, a lot of 0:23:30.960 --> 0:23:35.800 them still quite small. Pitmasters experimented with spice rubs, typically 0:23:35.880 --> 0:23:39.440 on various cuts of pork, and spices to add into 0:23:39.560 --> 0:23:43.720 the sauces offered for the meat as well. Molasses was 0:23:43.800 --> 0:23:48.640 often added as a sweetener or sometimes brown sugar. People 0:23:48.800 --> 0:23:51.280 enjoyed the style of barbecue for lunch and on late 0:23:51.400 --> 0:23:54.080 nights out listening to music or what have you. It 0:23:54.160 --> 0:23:57.120 was a very popular We're going out, let's get barbecue. 0:23:57.320 --> 0:24:00.800 Yeah yeah, and this was a t I'm of a 0:24:00.880 --> 0:24:03.840 lot of change for Memphis. The population of black people 0:24:03.880 --> 0:24:06.320 in the city increased from three thy eight hundred during 0:24:06.400 --> 0:24:09.359 Civil War times to over fifty thousand at the dawn 0:24:09.440 --> 0:24:12.520 of the twentieth century. It also became a place people 0:24:12.720 --> 0:24:16.560 visited on weekends and a hub for musicians. This meant 0:24:16.600 --> 0:24:20.440 people wanted food and they wanted entertainment. A lot of 0:24:20.480 --> 0:24:24.159 these places had jukeboxes or dance floors, live music, they 0:24:24.240 --> 0:24:27.960 sold alcohol, or they had quick pickups so people could 0:24:28.040 --> 0:24:32.720 find their own entertainment and eat their food there. Many 0:24:32.840 --> 0:24:36.480 of these restaurants, even if employing black folks, though, were 0:24:36.560 --> 0:24:40.639 segregated in one way or another. The food, however, was 0:24:41.040 --> 0:24:44.400 beloved and often viewed as something people of all classes 0:24:44.680 --> 0:24:48.879 had opinions on. And people had their favorite haunts and 0:24:49.119 --> 0:24:52.159 just so specific on when to go and how it 0:24:52.400 --> 0:24:57.159 was working there. So let's get into some of the 0:24:57.240 --> 0:25:02.440 big names. Yeah yeah, oh my, I will start with 0:25:02.560 --> 0:25:05.880 John H. Mills. John H. Mills opened a barbecue joint 0:25:05.920 --> 0:25:08.240 in the late nineteen twenties that went on to specialize 0:25:08.320 --> 0:25:11.320 in pork ribs and shoulder. He took them over a 0:25:11.440 --> 0:25:15.640 brick pit located outside, basing them periodically with a peppery 0:25:15.680 --> 0:25:19.520 hot sauce. According to an AP report from nineteen thirty eight, 0:25:20.280 --> 0:25:23.399 his restaurant was beloved and it was a pit stop 0:25:23.480 --> 0:25:30.080 for celebrities in the area. He pioneered shipping barbecue by mail. However, 0:25:30.520 --> 0:25:33.760 the restaurant closed in the nineteen fifties. From what I read, 0:25:33.840 --> 0:25:35.679 most of his family was like, this is too much 0:25:35.760 --> 0:25:37.520 work to run it. I don't want to do it. 0:25:37.760 --> 0:25:43.480 Oh well, fair enough, fair enough. Also in nineteen thirty eight, 0:25:43.960 --> 0:25:47.280 a man named James Willis started working as pitmaster at 0:25:47.359 --> 0:25:51.000 Memphis's Leonard's Barbecue, which is founded in nineteen twenty two. 0:25:51.720 --> 0:25:56.120 He allegedly invented the Memphis style sandwhich, though some sources 0:25:56.200 --> 0:25:59.200 indicate that term or something very similar to this sandwich 0:25:59.560 --> 0:26:02.080 was being sold long before he started working there. 0:26:02.560 --> 0:26:05.320 Yeah, and that's the one with the sauce and also 0:26:05.400 --> 0:26:08.320 the coals law on it. And supposedly the way that 0:26:08.400 --> 0:26:11.160 this came about is that the kitchen was like running 0:26:11.240 --> 0:26:13.320 low on pork one day, but they still had a 0:26:13.400 --> 0:26:15.920 lot of orders coming in and so they just like 0:26:16.440 --> 0:26:19.200 added slaw to the sandwiches to fill them out and 0:26:19.760 --> 0:26:20.200 it stuck. 0:26:21.800 --> 0:26:25.760 Yes, As is often, story makes sense, it makes sense. 0:26:26.840 --> 0:26:31.040 Leonards was also offering barbecue spaghetti by the nineteen fifties, 0:26:31.240 --> 0:26:34.600 which yes, is essentially spaghetti topped with barbecued pulled pork 0:26:34.720 --> 0:26:38.639 half moonera and half barbecue saus I'd never heard of this, 0:26:38.840 --> 0:26:42.480 but I'm into it. From what I understand, this is 0:26:42.520 --> 0:26:45.320 a Memphis specialty, and a lot of other places started 0:26:45.359 --> 0:26:48.920 offering it. From what I also understand, they were not 0:26:49.080 --> 0:26:51.720 the originator of it, but they popularized it. I couldn't 0:26:51.720 --> 0:26:55.320 find the originator, but I think it had been around previously. 0:26:55.720 --> 0:26:58.639