bar-be-que (noun): whole hog or pork shoulders cooked over wood burning coals until proper temperature allows the meat to fall off the bone.  Seasoned with the original west indies version of vinegar, peppers, and spices.

I understand that to many people, barbecue encompasses a wide variety of meanings.  Regional definitions of the word.  To this website and this author; barbecue is, and always will be, the above definition.  It is gospel.  It is the way, the light, and the truth.

The carolina origin of our word "barbecue" does talk of other meat.  I prepare other kinds of smoked meat.  I enjoy what others call barbecue.  I have even watched as others perform what they call "barbecue-ing".  I enjoy smoking ribs, brisket, sausage, chicken, fish, turkey, lamb, and other various proteins.  However, when you say the word "barbecue" the meaning stays true.  It is not a chicken breast smothered in sauce, hamburgers, or hot dogs.  To us, and the participants of our tailgate, it is not a verb, but a noun and very specific.  Other kinds of barbecue are recognized, but considered offspring of the original.

Growing up in the Piedmont of North Carolina allows us quick access to authentic barbecue.  A staple to our culture.  In high school, a group of 5 students helped start the Chapel Hill Senior High School Barbecue Club.  This involved a group of us and our teacher advisor, Ms. Alicia Allen, to frequent a local establishment (Allen and Son BBQ in Hillsborough, NC) at lunch on Friday's, during a school day.  This progressed later into eating fresh made barbecue from one of the members home grown hogs and prepped on site (Avery "Coy" Maddry's family farm).  His father was the county Sheriff and a catering legend in our hometown.  As you can tell, from a young age we were unusually passionate about this food and the science behind it.

The quest to learn to make proper barbecue is a long arduous journey.  This quest will cause you to drive hours out of your way to sample, read countless books and recipes, take courses from many "experts" in the field, and enter numerous contests.  All seeking for one thing.  That savory bite into a shredded, smokey, tender juicy pork that leaves a tiny twang finish.   It is a beautiful blend of sweet and salt, acid and base, chewy and moist.  It is heaven to eat. It is hell to prepare.

Bob Garner describes, in his books, quite eloquently the process of pork drippings hitting the wood burning coals underneath, creating a sizzle and steam that creates a chemical interaction with the meat.  It is an interaction that adds flavor and texture to the enlightened patron and becomes highly recognizable. 

My group of barbecue aficionados include my brother Paul, his friend Joel (now Pitmaster at The Pit in Raleigh *yes, the one on food network) and my tailgate co-captain Slayton Evans (also a past member of the CHHS BBQ Club).  My personal influencers and mentors are Bob Garner, Ed Mitchell, Pete Jones' family, Keith Allen, and the guys at Ken's Grill in LaGrange.  Some I know and have access to.  Some I have just watched technique or mimicked style.

My first experimentation with creating barbecue started with a blasphemous gas trailer cooker. I gained interest in this cooker through my brother-in-law, Jimmy Rogers.  We chose to start my process of whole hog preparation with a much easier and constant (gas/propane) cooker.  I was given part ownership of this cooker by repairing it back into working order.  You would not believe what a brass regulator costs and how difficult they are to find for this particular cooker.  With a working cooker my brother-in law Jimmy showed me the way.  We started a tradition of cooking one hog every Halloween to connect the neighbors.  Many years later, I still cook every Halloween.  We have graduated to wood cooked and the party has grown year after year.  Historically a NC family on the farm would kill their hog around first frost and make a celebration of the harvest (October time frame).  

Good barbecue is a magical thing.  Barbecue is like great music or art.  It crosses lines in race, religion, age, politics, and class.  It breaks down barriers.  It creates commonalities and passion. It draws a crowd. It creates a smile and a love for the moment.  It highlights a special occasion.  It creates its own tailgate.  It is our region's most significant contribution to the American culinary arts.  If I am to be a champion for tailgating, in North Carolina, this is the one food with which I must excel.  It is the Alpha and the Omega of our region.

I have been to Kansas to the famed Gates and Bryant's.  I have been to Memphis and tasted Corky's and the Rendezvous.  Have had Texas brisket in parts of Texas and pulled pork southern smoked glory in Georgia.  All of these are great.  There is still only one "barbeque".