One might logically think that the extensive network of University Agricultural Extension Services across the US can do the best job of educating the public about all things food. However, even free-thinking college professors can be hampered from being unbiased due to large financial contributions that are sometimes made to their employing Universities. Further, if college professors gave away all their good information their student might not be as likely to be paying for it.
Because of my interests and background I was delighted to find the Barbecue Pit Masters show on my free on-demand cable TV. My first thought about the BBQ culture was that these people were saving money on food and supporting sustainable agriculture by adding value to tough underutilized red meat cuts. Back at its origin, low-slow-moist heat, smoky cookery was discovered by trial and error to greatly increase the palatability characteristics of tough grass-finished or otherwise gammy meat (smoke and/or heavy seasonings help mask strong meat flavors). With my curiosity peaked from watching The Barbecue Pit Masters on TV, my wife and I traveled 90 miles to check-out a BBQ competition. The impression I got of the competitors was that many of them were retirees that liked to travel and compete in BBQ cooking contest. There were some somewhat younger contestants that seemed to be there to promote BBQ restaurant or catering businesses. I believed we paid $10 each to get in the gate, but were only permitted to buy food from one official food vendor. The pulled-pork we received from that vendor was so dry that I immediately thought: Why would the event organizers allow such a poor representation of barbecue cooking? Just about anyone could end up with a better end-product, but then again maybe the intent was to get more people thinking that they could easily become top competitors in the BBQ game. After seeing many high-dollar smoke-cooking units it seemed that there was a lot of “keeping up with the Jones” going on.
BBQ’s utilitarian purpose has been pretty much reduced to being an outlet for certain underutilized (tough) red meat cuts: pork shoulders, beef briskets and ribs. In the case of briskets marketing efforts over the past 10 to 15 years have been so successful that based on supply and demand pricing, briskets are no longer a true underutilized cut of meat. However, ultra lean (read dry) modern pork loins have now slipped to underutilized cut status and beef bottom and eye of round are still there as always. So it is in our modern topsy-turvy world that a frugal, sustainable cookery practice that was so useful in harder times has now become a “sport” full of high priced pits, meat additives, cooking supplies, designer cooking fuels, various accessories and extensive travel.
You are correct George – some of the worse BBQ I’ve had has been from vendors at competitions. That said, some of the best I’ve had was from competitors who I managed to score some samples from.
But yes, it can certainly be an outdoor cooking (if some of those contraptions can even be called “outdoor”) social club.
Enjoying your blog!