| The charcoal barbecue has been around for quite | | | | there. |
| some time. It is a summertime tradition in the United | | | | Because the staple meat of the south was and still is |
| States to fire up some hot coals and grill up a slab of | | | | pork this charcoal cooking caught on quite easily. Of |
| meat while the smell of numerous other barbecues | | | | course the barbecue process was improved upon |
| floats across the neighborhood. A barbecue with | | | | over time until the first charcoal barbecue was |
| friends, family and all the fixin’s is truly an | | | | marketed nation wide in the 1950’s. |
| American institution. | | | | Since that first charcoal barbecue was introduced |
| But where did all this summertime fun and food come | | | | over 50 years ago it has evolved even further during |
| from? How did it begin? The first charcoal barbecue | | | | that time. What started as a coal filled pit with a spit |
| as we are used to seeing showed up in the United | | | | to turn the meat placed over is now the modern |
| States in the 1950’s. During this time a long | | | | barbecue we see in our local home improvement |
| running television advertising campaign introduced the | | | | stores. Of course there have been several major |
| American public to the charcoal barbecue. This was | | | | advances in the charcoal barbecue over the years. |
| the beginning of barbecuing as we know it. | | | | The first was the introduction of lighter fluid. This |
| But even before the introduction of the modern | | | | made it easier to get the fire started and along with |
| charcoal barbecue people were using charcoal fires to | | | | charcoal briquettes brought barbecuing into |
| roast meat. The first people believed to have | | | | mainstream American culture. Taking this a step |
| barbecued were the native peoples of the Caribbean | | | | farther you can now get a hybrid charcoal and gas |
| islands who cooked large pieces of meat over big | | | | grill all in one. The gas is used to light the coals so |
| pits filled with hot coals. The University of Virginia did | | | | that the more traditional barbecue chefs can continue |
| a research project on the origins of the charcoal | | | | to enjoy the smoky taste afforded by hot coals. |
| barbecue and found that the French and Spanish | | | | The charcoal barbecue continues to be an American |
| explorers and colonists “borrowed” this way | | | | institution and for good reason, there is no better |
| of cooking meat from the native islanders. It was | | | | way to cook burgers, steaks, chicken or just about |
| imported to America, particularly the pre-Civil War | | | | anything else then over an open fire. |
| south and became a part of the cooking culture | | | | |