The Current State of BBQ
June 24, 2020
Our Thoughts & Questions on Barbecue.
Keeping with KCBS's Mission of "Recognizing barbecue as America's Cuisine, the mission of the Kansas City Barbeque Society is to celebrate, teach, preserve, and promote barbecue as a culinary technique, sport and art form."
What's BBQ?
We believe that backyard barbecue is the entry point for all things barbecue. It's a means of preserving the history and art form of barbecue. We agree that barbecue is America's authentic cuisine, a cuisine with humble roots. A cooking method developed for preparing less desirable, tough, cuts of meat using low and slow temperatures and hardwood coals. We believe that authentic barbecue is an art form worth preserving; equally important is the preservation of the barbecue as a social event.
Has Authentic Barbecue Been Lost?
We ask ourselves, has authentic barbecue been lost with today's hot and fast methods, along with the use of boutique meats and chemical enhancements? We recall a time when judging a barbecue contest was described as an opportunity to eat the best barbecue you have ever had. Barbecue said to be far better than any restaurant barbecue; is this still true?
Old School Bbq Is In.
We ask because today's best barbecue restaurants are either old school barbecue joints or upstart restaurants. The old school BBQ joints have held onto the tradition of cooking authentic barbecue long enough that it has become crazy popular. While the new upstart barbecue restaurants are embracing the old, traditional methods of low and slow barbecue.
What Are Competition Pitmasters and Judges Thinking?
It would appear that competition barbecue is going in the opposite direction. Competition pitmasters and judges are describing competition barbecue as one-bite barbecue. Barbecue that the pitmasters don't enjoy eating and would not serve their friends and families, which leads us to the following questions:
1 Why do competition pitmasters feel that to win, they have to turn-in barbecue that they don't enjoy eating and would not serve their friends and families?
2 Is one-bite barbecue defining barbecue in such a way that it is discouraging new members from participating?
3 Is this method teaching, preserving, and promoting barbecue as a culinary technique, sport, and art form?
By Bill and Lana
By Bill and Lana
They're accomplished cooks, recipe developers, barbecue world champions, and business owners. They're interested in helping people to cook their own best barbecue and grilled fare. Putting the diverse skill st to work:
- Recipe creation and development.
- Food product, and barbecue process development
- BBQ Grill and cooker design and troubleshooting. This is where their experience in fabrication, airflow, and controls shine.
They welcome an opportunity to hear from you. Please, let them know how they are doing and what you would like to see from them moving forward.
Work with Bill and Lana.
Have a project that would be a good fit, be sure to reach out.
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