Moon Staff Blog
About this blog
The Moon Water Cooler is a place for Moon staffers to share what's new in their world. Check back often to hear about author events, book releases, travel trends, and maybe even some staff recommendations for what part of the world to explore next.
Recent Posts
- Two Reasons This Week is Awesome: Earth Day and National Park Week
- The Glory, the Groundwork, and the Grind of Travel Writing
- Finding Pizza Nirvana in Nashville
- Guest Interview: Exploring Offbeat Mexico with Churpa Rogers
- Guest Interview: The People's Guide to Mexico Authors Carl Franz and Lorena Havens
- Guest Post: Top 10 Gifts for Road Trippers
- Hawaii Giveaway Winner Announced
- Win a Round-Trip Ticket to Hawaii from Moon and Hawaiian Airlines!
- Why Moving to Belize Isn’t as Hard as You’d Think
- From Dosas to Dumplings: My Eight Favorite Toronto Restaurants
- Guest Post: At Least We Have Pizza – The Cost of Living in Mexico vs. New York City
- Hawai'i: A Foodie Paradise — Part Two
- Hawai'i: A Foodie Paradise — Part One
- Exploring California via Road Trip with Moon California Road Trip
- Enjoying the Outdoors in the Black Hills of South Dakota
On Barbecue
Print
Email
Save to Favorites
There was a real dilemma on my computer screen.
Maybe it was pre-lunch, hunger-induced confusion, but there I was, poring over barbecue photos online. My assignment: find a tasty photo to accompany an article about South Carolina-style barbecue on Moon.com. The problem? I’m a West Coast born-and-raised type who wouldn’t know a plate of hash if it walked across my desk waving a palmetto flag. And I knew it.
If that seems a bit dramatic, consider this: I know enough about barbecue to identify a few famous regions and to be aware that there are specific, identifiable, controversial differences between them. Which is where I got fuzzy. Memphis has the sauce on the side. Wait, is it the Carolinas that have the sauce on the side? And where exactly should I put that coleslaw?
In short, I was in over my head.
In my central-coast Californian childhood, “good barbecue” meant Santa Maria-style tri-tip, cooked for hours over oak, garnished with fresh salsa and preferably consumed directly next to the grill it’d been cooked on. After good barbecue came anything with the squeeze-bottled brown liquid labeled “barbecue sauce”. That’s the extent of my expertise—but as far as Santa Maria barbecue is concerned, I’d know it anywhere, and more importantly, I’d know what it isn’t. And my dilemma counted on you to do the same.
After some mouthwatering research (Memphis, molasses sauce; Carolina style has a vinegar base, never a coleslaw topping; and yes, I now know Texas loves its smoked meats purely sauceless), I’d learned a little about barbecue styles and a lot about food culture. Because while it may be hard to agree on which rub, sauce, chop, or smoke is best, here’s something meat-loving foodies everywhere will confirm: it is good to think about barbecue. To quote our author Jim Morekis, barbecue is “one of life’s greatest luxuries, but one without which a person cannot be said to be truly living.”
So if you’ve got a recipe to share for South Carolina mustard sauce, I’m all ears. And for the record, I ran my final photo pick (above) by a Southern barbecue connoisseur, who confirmed its appropriateness. Phew.
Sarah Juckniess
Marketing Services Manager
Buy Moon Travel Guides
Search
Moon Travel Guides make independent travel and outdoor exploration fun and accessible. With expert and adventurous travel writers delivering a mix of honest insight, first-rate strategic travel advice, insider travel tips and an essential dose of humor, Moon Travel Guides ensure that travelers have an uncommon and entirely satisfying experience. Each travel book is filled with unique trip ideas, easy-to-use maps, and detailed information on sights, restaurants, and accommodations. Moon Travel Guides not only point you in the right direction, they inspire new ideas and adventure. Whether you are seeking a relaxing beach trip to Hawaii, or an adventure travel trip to the rainforests of Costa Rica, Moon guidebooks—and Moon.com—are with you every step of the way. Founded in 1973, the Moon Travel Guides series includes Moon Handbooks, Moon Outdoors, Moon Metro, Moon Living Abroad and Moon Spotlight travel books. Moon is based in Berkeley, California and is a proud member of the Perseus Books Group.
BBQ
Posted by talena on January 14, 2011 at 6:01 pm
Hi there,
I came by looking for blogs about Guatemala and came across this interesting post--
I hate to burst your BBQ excitement bubble, but you selected the wrong photo to represent South Carolina mustard-style BBQ. The photo above is of Eastern North Carolina style BBQ - the one with the vinegar base and the red pepper. SC mustard BBQ is yellow - as mustard is the base.
Also - South Carolina style BBQ might never have cole slaw on top, but North Carolina style almost always has coleslaw included on top in sandwich form. There are two styles of North Carolina BBQ - Eastern style, which is the vinegar base, and Lexington style, which is a sweet style of BBQ. And, depending on the restaurant, you can get either white or red cole slaw. In my experience, usually it's white (mayo base). Which of the two styles you prefer can be a very divisive thing here in NC, I have learned as a transplant from Kentucky. I have found myself to be head over heels for all 3 styles of the 2 Carolinas BBQ. I have recently declared that as long as there is BBQ in this world, I will never be vegetarian again. all best!
thanks for the detail!
Posted by SarahJ on January 18, 2011 at 5:01 pm
Hi Talena, thank you so much for the detailed and informative response! Just to clarify, I do realize the photo above isn't SC mustard sauce. I did end up with more of a Pee Dee / NC-influenced sauce than the more tomatoey upstate style, so I'll see if I can find another pic that's representative of that instead. If I can, I'll update this post to reflect that.
My bubble isn't burst at all - it's hard to be sad talking about delicious BBQ. Thanks for the corrections and the tip on white vs. red cole slaw, too. Now red slaw is on my must-try list.