temperature of 165–70ºF/75ºC, and a whole
hog will take 18 hours or more. These are
ideal conditions for the tenderizing of tough,
inexpensive cuts.
Food Words: Barbecue
The term barbecue comes via the Spanish
barbacoa from the West Indies, and a
Taino word that meant a framework of
green sticks suspended on corner posts, on
which meat, fish, and other foods were laid
and cooked in the open over fire and coals.
Both the height and the fire were
adjustable, so food could either be quickly
grilled or slowly smoked and dried. In
American colonial times the barbecue was
a popular and festive bout of mass outdoor
meat cooking. By the beginning of the 20th
century it had evolved into the familiar
slow cooking of highly flavored meat.
Many barbecued meats end up with a
“smoke ring,” a permanent pink or red zone