The world is filled with barbecue traditions that go far beyond burgers, beef and chicken. The spices used, cooking techniques and even the drinks consumed between bites of meat tell a unique story about each region. One thing is for sure, however – eating any of these with the top Alabama white bbq sauce will give you a gastronomic experience you won’t forget!
Stroll through a Chinatown and you’ll see glossy roasted ducks, chickens and pigs hanging in windows. Cantonese siu mei is a visual stunner with crunchy skin and juicy, sweet meat.
Chinese BBQ
Chinese BBQ is a popular style of cuisine that has made the jump to the west. There’s something to be said for rubbing meat with a mixture of salt, spices and sugar before roasting it on a low heat, or coating it in sweet and tangy sauces. This approach isn’t just for American barbeque, with classic British choices like burgers and sausages often adorning themselves in sweet and sour sauces to enhance their inherent flavour.
In Chinatowns, it’s common to see rows upon rows of glistening barbecued meat in restaurant window displays. The most common choice is char siu, which consists of sweet and sticky roasted strips of pork belly, loin or shoulder marinated in a bright red sauce of honey, five-spice powder, soy sauce, vinegar and fermented bean curd.
The flavours are familiar enough to be comforting and the dish is highly versatile. It’s a staple of dim sum restaurants and can be served on top of rice, noodles, in buns or as part of a stir fry. It also works surprisingly well dipped in wonton soup broth, as the soft, chewy pieces are easily submerged and don’t lose their flavour.
Another Chinese BBQ standby is yangrouchuan (), or lamb and mutton skewers, which are heavily spiced with cumin and eaten over coals in roadside grill shops. This type of Chinese BBQ is also known as kao chuan, and can be found all over the country.
There are many other variations on Chinese BBQ, with every chef having their own closely-guarded recipes and ingredients. A typical menu will feature a selection of grilled or steamed vegetables, fish and seafood alongside steamed dumplings and other savoury snacks.
The key to making a great char siu or any other steamed Chinese vegetable is to use high-quality produce that’s been fresh and properly prepared. If possible, get your meat from a specialist butcher or supermarket that sells cut-to-order meat and steamed vegetables. They’ll have been vacuum sealed, refrigerated and cut into gum-stick sized portions that will cook quickly on small Chinese braziers. And make sure to ask for smaller pieces of meat than you would get at a Western kebab shop – this will allow the marinade or spices to penetrate the flesh more thoroughly.
Turkish BBQ
Turkish people love to barbecue. It’s a ritual that brings families together to talk and have fun. It also gives them the opportunity to eat some of the best food in their country. It’s no surprise that the food is so good, since it is cooked on an open flame using charcoal. This style of cooking is called mangal. It is similar to the traditional Japanese teppanyaki, where chefs cook in front of the customers and serve them directly off the grill. The most common meat is lamb or beef, but antelope and ostrich are also used. Other favorites include grilled vegetables, sabab, and fish.
In Turkey, BBQ is a popular tradition on family picnics and at wedding parties. People usually gather around a large charcoal grill called ocakbasi. It translates to “fireside.” The restaurants typically have one large hooded charcoal barbeque in the center with tables surrounding it. People drink raki, a Turkish spirit, and chat while the food is being prepared on the grill.
The ocakbasi is usually located near the street where people can easily come to enjoy it and buy it to take home. The restauranteurs make a lot of money because they are selling their kebabs in this way. It became a commercial enterprise during the 19th century when real estate prices increased. The people who couldn’t afford to build a proper restaurant with a kitchen, oven, and a grill opened ocakbasi restaurants by raising their grills up high.
Most of the ocakbasi have one large grill where they cook many different types of kebabs. Some skewers are meat only, some are vegetable skewers, and others are a combination of both. The kebabs are also served with hummus, rice, salad and pickles. The meats are usually seasoned with garlic, chili pepper, cumin and smoky paprika.
The Outsider BBQ is a pop-up restaurant in Seattle that combines Texas craft barbecue with the flavors of Turkey. Its slow-smoked meats and generous portions have earned it a loyal following. The restaurant’s owner, Onur Gulbay, is originally from Istanbul, Turkey and moved to Austin, Texas about seven years ago for work. While in Texas, he fell in love with the barbeque scene and decided to start his own business.
Jamaican BBQ
Jamaican BBQ is not as famous as its counterparts in Asia, but it has its own unique flavor. Jerk is a traditional Jamaican cuisine, and many people are surprised to learn that this delicious dish has more than just great taste; it also offers some powerful health benefits.
Jerk is a Caribbean method of cooking meat that has its roots in the indigenous Native Taino peoples. It involves slowly grilling the meat over a series of sticks. The result is tender meat with a spicy, pungent coating. It is popular throughout the Caribbean, and is very similar to Lechon, a favorite dish of Cubans and Puerto Ricans.
The term “jerk” refers to the spicy marinade used on the meat before it is cooked. There are as many different jerk recipes as there are cooks in Jamaica, but most feature a mix of fiery chiles and aromatic spices. The most common are thyme, allspice (berries of the pimento tree), cinnamon, and nutmeg. Some recipes also contain salt, pepper and ginger.
While jerk is most commonly served with chicken, it can also be used on pork and fish. The marinade is rubbed onto the meat, and then smoked over wood embers in a makeshift grill called a jerk pit. Some Jamaicans use half-cut steel drums, while others cook in open-air huts called jerk shacks.
In recent years, jerk has become more popular outside of Jamaica, and is now served at restaurants around the world. The unique flavor of this Caribbean cuisine is a result of the spices and smoky, hot smoke. The flavors of the meat are mellowed by sweeter side dishes, like festival, a sweet corn dumpling similar to a hush puppy, and breadfruit, a tropical fruit with bumpy green skin that tastes a little bit like a baked potato.
While many Americans think that barbecue is all about the meat, the sauce is actually a very important part of the dish. A good sauce should balance the acidity of the vinegar with a sweetener like honey, molasses or brown sugar. In addition, the ingredients should have some texture to help thicken the sauce. For example, a ketchup-based sauce will not have as much body as a sauce that contains apple cider vinegar.
Cuban BBQ
Cuba’s rich diversity of European, African and Asian influence is evident in its cuisine. The country’s many regional variations are marked by a light hand with spices, which accentuate rather than overwhelm dishes. Onions and garlic are key ingredients. Paprika and habaneros spice up Spanish-influenced recipes, while oregano and cumin season chicken, meat and fish dishes. Rosemary and thyme are also frequently used in Cuban dishes. The country’s abundant citrus fruits are essential to the cuisine as well; they provide the basis for a number of drinks and desserts and are often used as a marinade.
Pork is a mainstay of Cuban cuisine. It’s typically roasted, barbecued or deep-fried. Filetes de cerdo (pork chops) and masitas de puerco (pork chunks in mojo sauce) are popular dishes. Lechon asado, tender roasted pork, is another popular dish. Media noche, a hearty Cuban grilled sandwich with ham and pork, Swiss cheese and pickles on sweet egg-based bread, is a lunchtime favorite.
The bright, citrusy flavor of mojo is a staple of Cuban cooking. While this bright, flavorful condiment can be enjoyed by itself on chicken and beef, it’s usually used to slather roasted or grilled pork. If you can’t find fresh bitter oranges, our mojo barbecue sauce recipe works just as well with regular lime and orange juices.
Located in the heart of Little Havana, Benni Jama is an iconic Cuban restaurant with a Sistine Chapel-esque mural and Celia Cruz’s music blasting from the speakers. This family-owned restaurant is one of the best places in the city to get authentic Cuban barbecue. They serve all varieties of roast and fried pork seasoned with their house mojo, but be sure to start with the thick chicharrones—roasted and fried pork belly.
Another Cuban BBQ staple is the escabé, a delicious mixture of tender smoked brisket and succulent shredded pork topped with melted muenster cheese, sliced pickles, fried onions, and Southbound sauce on freshly-baked bread. In this dish, the tangy pickles balance out the sweetness of the smoky brisket and savory mojo sauce, creating an unforgettable taste experience.
