BBQ Styles

What's Your Style?

When people ask me about my BBQ style, I always smile and say, "I'm a bit of a hybrid."

In the world of BBQ (at least in the States), there are four distinct regional areas that claim BBQ holy ground. I’m talking about Texas, North Carolina, Memphis, and Kansas City. In these areas, BBQ has been a way of life for generations. A lot of folks in these areas are entrenched in their way of BBQ and will cut dismiss you immediately if you start to ramble some blasphemous thoughts on any other way to prepare BBQ.

I have mad respect for those that pledge their allegiance to a particular regional style. However, my philosophy? I’ll listen to your stories in these regions, pick and chose what I like in each and perhaps incorporate that into how I create BBQ.

Let’s hear what each of these regions have to say at a high level.

Texas BBQ

Meat Focus: Beef is king, particularly brisket, which is considered the signature meat of Texas BBQ. I would argue that the beef plate ribs or beef cheeks are the true celebrities in the beef category. Texas also produces some excellent sausages such as Jalapeño Cheddar and Texas Hot Gut.

Cooking Style: Slow-smoked over indirect heat, typically using post oak wood. Some areas will feature mesquite wood.

Rub: Simple dry rubs often just containing salt and black pepper, especially in Central Texas. I prefer to put a little granulated garlic in the mix as well for another layer of flavor.

Sauce: Generally you will get a side eye if you ask for sauce in Texas. Kind of like if you ask for ketchup on a hotdog in Chicago. However, the Texans do understand there are folks (out of towners) that like a little sauce and they will begrudgingly serve you some on the side.

Regional Variations:

• East Texas: Uses more marinades and sauces with a sweeter profile

• Central Texas: Minimalist approach focusing on the meat quality

• West Texas: Uses direct heat over mesquite wood

• South Texas: Incorporates Mexican barbacoa influences

North Carolina BBQ

Meat Focus: Pork-centric, particularly whole hog in Eastern NC and pork shoulder in Western NC.

Cooking Style: Slow-smoked over hickory or oak woods.

Regional Variations:

• Eastern Style: "Whole hog" approach where the entire pig is barbecued and all parts are chopped and mixed together

• Western/Lexington Style: Focuses on pork shoulder (dark meat)

Sauce Profiles:

• Eastern NC: Thin vinegar-based sauce with red pepper flakes

• Western NC: Similar vinegar base but with the addition of tomato or ketchup. My vinegar sauce is a variation of the Western Carolina style.

Serving Style: Typically chopped or pulled pork, often served on a sandwich with coleslaw. I personally don’t get the whole let’s chop the meat into mush thing. I am firmly team pulled pork. For me, I want to see and experience the texture of the different muscle types.

Memphis BBQ

Meat Focus: Pork-centric, especially ribs and pulled pork.

Cooking Style: Slow-cooked in a pit over hickory wood.

Rib Preparations:

• "Dry" Ribs: Covered with a complex dry rub (often containing up to 40 spices with heavy paprika) before smoking and served without sauce

• "Wet" Ribs: Brushed with sauce before, during, and after smoking

Sauce: Thinner than Kansas City style, with a tangy tomato base that includes vinegar, mustard, and brown sugar. My sweet and tangy sauce is a variation of this Memphis style sauce.

Kansas City BBQ

Meat Focus: The most diverse of all BBQ regions - beef, pork, chicken, turkey, and more are all featured.

Cooking Style: Slow-smoked over hickory wood.

Signature Cut: Burnt ends - the flavorful, caramelized points of beef brisket, cubed and often returned to the smoker with additional sauce and seasonings. Some claim the burnt ends were invented in KC.

Sauce: Thick, sweet tomato-based sauce with molasses, brown sugar, and spices. This style has become the most commercially successful BBQ sauce nationally. Us Americans tend to like the sweet stuff.

Rub: Sweet rubs are common, creating a distinctive bark on the meat.

As a side note, sweet rubs by default have more sugar in them. Care needs to be taken to smoke/cook the rubbed meats at the correct temperature or you risk the sugars burning instead of caramelizing.

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When just starting out in competitions and learning about Southern style BBQ, I researched each of these regions. I absorbed every article and video I could find on each regions specialties.

Here is what I picked up and adapted from each region:

Texas: When I do brisket or beef ribs/cheeks, I prefer the Central Texas style simplicity. Basic rub and focus on the meat.

Carolina: This is where I prefer the Western side of North Carolina for my pulled pork and vinegar sauce. Bone-in pork shoulders and then hand pulled. I can’t even use those bear claw things,I have to physically pull the meat and break up the bark to be in just the right bite size pieces.

Memphis/Kansas City: My ribs, rub, and sweet and tangy sauce all have influences from the Memphis/KC regions.

Now, just because these four regions tend to make the most noise about their BBQ, does not mean that is all there is to explore. There is plenty of other regional pockets such as:

• Western Kentucky mutton BBQ

• South Carolina Mustard sauce and whole hog

• Alabama chicken with white sauce

• Chicago’s South Side for charcoal smoked rib tips

I think a road trip might be in order.

Speaking of which, my application Pitmaster’s Passport is live on the web and will be in the Apple/Google App stores shortly. It was specifically built to help find local BBQ joints anywhere in the world. I would really appreciate it if you would try it out and let me know if you find any new hidden BBQ gems by using it.

So, do you have a favorite BBQ style? I’d love to know what it is.

-Ed