Boshizzle
somebody shut me the fark up.
OK, so I'm still needling through the whole definition of barbecue. Yeah, I know, it's futile. But, please bear with me.
Where I come from, pork isn't considered barbecue unless it is pull tender. Around here, pork barbecue is pulled or chopped (we call it minced) and is tender and moist and tasty.
Now, pork barbecue can be cooked either directly over coals at a relatively low temperature or it can be cooked using indirect heat from coals at a relatively low temperature. Relatively low being between 250F to 300F. Of course, smoke from a hardwood or fruit wood is essential.
To me, the distinction between grilled pork and barbecued pork when cooked over direct heat is pretty clear cut. If you cook a pork tenderloin over direct heat from coals until it is a nice medium rare to medium, it's grilled pork. If you cook a pork butt over direct heat from coals until it is pull tender, it's barbecue.
But, when it comes to indirect barbecuing, I think that muddies up the subject. For example, I can cook a pork butt at 275F with indirect heat from coals until it is pull tender and have pork barbecue. But, I can also cook a pork tenderloin using indirect heat from coals and it is done at a medium temperature of doneness and ready to slice.
So, with all that in mind, I am beginning to settle on a distinction between barbecued pork and pork barbecue.
Barbecued pork is cooked using the barbecue method of a relatively low temperature using indirect heat and smoke from hot coals until it is done to at least minimum safe eating temperature which means medium rare to medium to well done and is sliced and it not pull tender.
Pork barbecue, on the other hand, is pork cooked using the barbecue cooking method of relatively low temperature using indirect heat and smoke from coals until it is done to a minimum temperature that allows it to be pulled and tender. Of course, this would also fall into the category of barbecued pork but more specifically pork barbecue because barbecue is always pull tender. Think Venn diagram here.
So, what think, ye, brethren?
Where I come from, pork isn't considered barbecue unless it is pull tender. Around here, pork barbecue is pulled or chopped (we call it minced) and is tender and moist and tasty.
Now, pork barbecue can be cooked either directly over coals at a relatively low temperature or it can be cooked using indirect heat from coals at a relatively low temperature. Relatively low being between 250F to 300F. Of course, smoke from a hardwood or fruit wood is essential.
To me, the distinction between grilled pork and barbecued pork when cooked over direct heat is pretty clear cut. If you cook a pork tenderloin over direct heat from coals until it is a nice medium rare to medium, it's grilled pork. If you cook a pork butt over direct heat from coals until it is pull tender, it's barbecue.
But, when it comes to indirect barbecuing, I think that muddies up the subject. For example, I can cook a pork butt at 275F with indirect heat from coals until it is pull tender and have pork barbecue. But, I can also cook a pork tenderloin using indirect heat from coals and it is done at a medium temperature of doneness and ready to slice.
So, with all that in mind, I am beginning to settle on a distinction between barbecued pork and pork barbecue.
Barbecued pork is cooked using the barbecue method of a relatively low temperature using indirect heat and smoke from hot coals until it is done to at least minimum safe eating temperature which means medium rare to medium to well done and is sliced and it not pull tender.
Pork barbecue, on the other hand, is pork cooked using the barbecue cooking method of relatively low temperature using indirect heat and smoke from coals until it is done to a minimum temperature that allows it to be pulled and tender. Of course, this would also fall into the category of barbecued pork but more specifically pork barbecue because barbecue is always pull tender. Think Venn diagram here.
So, what think, ye, brethren?