Regional Styles of BBQ

BBQ in the US is very diverse and each state and region has their own idea of what the best BBQ is.  Recently we posed the question on Twitter - Real BBQ lovers - pork or brisket?  Well that answer is really going to depend on where you live or where you come from.  So what are the differences in BBQ across regions?  Here is a small sampling of how different and similar BBQ can be.

Texas Style - Texas style BBQ is usually considered to be beef brisket.  The sauce is spicy and tangy tomato based sauce.  The meat is generally not cooked in the sauce but served with the sauce on the side or lightly spooned onto the meat after cooking.
Kansas City Style - Kansas City considers themselves the BBQ capital of the US and they have a high number of BBQ establishments per capita to justify this.  There is no specific meat but favorites there are pork spare ribs or beef brisket.  The most distinguishing factor is the sauce which is a tomato based, sweet and spicy sauce.  They generally cook with the sauce which is extremely thick.
Memphis Style - Memphis also considers themselves the BBQ capital of the US.  Predominately the meat of choice is baby back ribs which are cooked with various tangy and sweet dry rubs.  They seldom cook with sauce which is tomato based but much thinner than Kansas City's.  Sauce is usually used for dipping.
St. Louis Style - Pork spare ribs or BBQ pork steaks are the most famous St. Louis type of meat.  The BBQ sauce is a sweet sauce.  They are known for removing the fatty portion of the ribs.
North Carolina Style - There are 2 styles in North Carolina where they are serious about their BBQ.  Both areas agree that pork shoulder is the meat of choice.  However, they differ on the sauce.  The eastern part of North Carolina prefers a vinegar based sauce with red and black pepper and a few spices.  Sometimes they add a little sugar.  The western area takes that sauce and adds ketchup to it which makes it thicker and sweeter.
South Carolina Style - South Carolina also uses pork which is pulled.  The sauce is added after cooking.  It appears South Carolina is also divided when it comes to their sauce.  The northern section uses a mustard BBQ sauce while the southern section uses a vinegar based sauce with ketchup and brown sugar added to it.
Alabama Style - Alabama has a unique sauce, which is mayonnaise based.  This makes the sauce white. It is used on chicken, turkey and pork and always brushed on during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Kentucky Style - Western Kentcuky is known for their signature BBQ Mutton with Kentucky Bourbon BBQ sauce which the locals call "black dip."
So as you can see - people in the US are very particular about their style of BBQ and it is as diverse as the people who make up this country.  What's your favorite?

Come in to Bar-B-Cutie and try our pulled pork or beef brisket and use one of our many sauces - Carolina, hot, mild and Tennessee Fire Sauce!!!! http://www.bar-b-cutie.com/

Happy Halloween

You are sitting at home on October 31st watching a little television, when there is a knock at the door, followed by children saying, “Trick or Treat.”  You open the door to find Lady Gaga, Captain America, Lightening McQueen and a Princess standing there with bags open.  You drop in candy and they run off to the next house decorated with spiders, ghosts and hallowed out pumpkins.  How did this holiday we celebrate, known as Halloween, evolve into what we have today?

The name Halloween, originally spelled Hallowe’en, is a contraction of All Hallows Even, which means the eve of All Saints Day.  All Saints Day is a Catholic holiday commemorating Christian saints and martyrs on November 1^st each year.  The origins of Halloween can be traced to ancient Ireland as the end of summer festival, an important time because of the crop harvests and the change of season and lifestyle.  Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the lining and the dead became blurred.  Early celebrations in America included “play parties” where neighbors would share stories of the dead, tell each other’s fortunes, dance and sing.

Trick or Treating dates back to the early All Souls’ Day parades where citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called “soul cakes” in return for their promises to pray for their dead.  The practice was eventually taken up by children who would visit homes and were given ale, food, and money.  In Ireland Trick or Treat was referred to as “guising” where the children would perform a trick, such as singing, in order to earn their treat.  American tradition is that if you do not give a treat there is a threat of a “trick” upon the owner or his property, such as throwing eggs or toilet paper.

The tradition of dressing in costume for Halloween has European and Celtic roots.  Hundreds of years ago winter could be a frightening time.  Food supplies often ran low and, for the many people afraid of the dark, the short days of autumn and winter were trying.  During Halloween, it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world since the line between the two worlds was blurred.  People thought that they would take them back to the world of the dead so to avoid being recognized by these ghosts, they would wear masks when they left their homes after dark.  They felt the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits.

From these vast traditions our modern day Halloween has emerged.  Now it is not a serious holiday as it was hundreds of years ago, but a playful one.  Many feel that it has become like Mardi Gras or other countries Carnivals – a time to be something else and have a little fun before returning back to the realities of life.

http://www.bar-b-cutie.com/

Holiday Magic

The holidays are fast approaching - let Bar-B-Cutie cater your Holiday office parties or family get-togethers.  We also have turkeys and hams available for pre-order for Thanksgiving and Christmas! 
Whole Smoked Turkey Breast - $19.95 (10-15 Servings)
Whole Smoked Turkey - $39.95 (10 - 14 lbs)
Whole Fried Turkey - $44.95 (10-14 lbs)
Quarter Spiral Sliced Ham - $24.95 (10-15 Servings)

Call a location near you (prices may vary). http://www.bar-b-cutie.com/

Ghouls At Grassmere

Beginning this Friday the Nashville Zoo's Annual Fundraiser - the Ghouls at Grassmere will start.  This fun family event  is Oct 14-16th, Oct. 21-23rd, and Oct. 28-30th from 5-9 p.m. nightly.  There are family fun activities designed for children ages 12 and under.  Admission is $15 per person for non-members and $12 for members.  Children under 2 get in free.  Bar-B-Cutie will be there with the Farmer and the Pig handing out goodies for our Lil' Cuties.  Come by and see us!!!  Fun for the whole family.  For more information visit www.nashvillezoo.com

October

October is National Breast Canacer Awareness Month, which is an annual international health compaign organized by major breast cancer charities to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure.  The campaign also offers information and support to all those affected by breast cancer. 

It was founded in 1985 to pomote mammography as the most effective weapon in the fight against breast cancer, as early detection is important.  Pink ribbons were first used in the fall of 1991 when the Susan G. Komen Foundation handed them out to participants in its New York race for breast cancer survivors.

Bar-B-Cutie supports this cause and will have a team in the October 29th Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure in Brentwood, TN.  Please feel free to help in this cause by joining our team to walk or by donating at the website below.  Thank you for your support!!!

http://nashville.info-komen.org/site/TR/RacefortheCure/NAS_GreaterNashvilleAffiliate?team_id=182809&pg=team&fr_id=2295

Officially FALL!!!!

Now that Autumn has officially arrived the holiday season is fast approaching.  This is the final week of September.  Already football season is entering its fourth week.  By the end of this week we will be faced with Halloween.  Everyone knows that once Halloween hits, in a blink of an eye - Thanksgiving is upon us and then before you can turn around -  Christmas.  It’s easy for these holidays to sneak up on us before we know it.  Why does it always seem like once school begins those three months pass by so fast?  Don’t let the holiday season sneak up on you without being prepared.  Begin shopping for early gifts for your family through the internet or at sales.  If you are the creative type start making gifts.  Start planning your holiday get-togethers and dinners now.  Bar-B-Cutie can help you with whole Turkeys, sliced turkeys and hams.  We also have entire buffet meals.  Call today and check out what we have to help you make your holidays stress free!!! It’s never too early to start preparing.

www.bar-b-cutie.com 

Breakfast With the Cutie!

You may not be aware that Bar-B-Cutie serves breakfast at some of our locations.  We offer breakfast sandwiches from basic egg & cheese to country fried steak with gravy, and Cutie breakfast home fries.  We also have eggs and omelets made your way.  There are those traditional favorites – the old fashioned pancake breakfast which includes three buttermilk pancakes with syrup, two eggs with your choice of ham, bacon or sausage, and the Two egg and meat breakfast which includes two eggs served with Texas toast, country gravy, with a choice of ham, bacon or sausage, plus a choice of cinnamon apples or Cutie home fries.  There are also items for those of you with a sweet tooth.  We have warm cinnamon toast and buttermilk pancakes.  Coffee and orange juice are also available.  So stop by one morning and have breakfast with the Cutie – we open at 7 a.m.  It’s a great way to start your day!!

www.bar-b-cutie.com 

Participating locations:

5221 Nolensville Rd.

Nashville, TN

8283 Tridon Dr.

Smyrna, TN

326 Harding Place

Nashville, TN

805 Old Fort Parkway

Murfreesboro, TN