May is BBQ month thanks to Florida

Kabobs are great, but my goal is to grill pound cake this month.

Don't you just love how each month brings about a food to celebrate? I sure do. May is the official month for all things BBQ.  Barbecue, or our cute nickname BBQ, generally refers to the technique of cooking seasoned large cuts of meats over an open flame with hot smoke from various types of wood chips, charcoal, and heck even propane. In the South, BBQ is known for going low and slow breaking down the collagen and tissues in the meat producing meat that will quite literally melt in your mouth. 

But BBQ can mean so much more and often does to most folks. The origin of the word "barbecue" is believed to come from baribicu meaning "sacred fire pit" from the Native American Timucua Tribe of North and Central Florida as well as the Taino Tribe hailing from the Caribbean. The Timucuas are also believed to have had first contact with European explorers with historical accounts of the Timucua being the first Native Americans to see Ponce De Leon's arrival to the St. Augustine area.  This basically tells us BBQ is older than America before America was even America and is more American than apple pie. This also tells us that no matter how good Memphis or Carolina Southern BBQ is today, the home, the origin, the Zion of BBQ is right here in the North/Central Florida region. Ironic how most modern Americans don't associate Florida with the great American past time of eating and BBQ cooking when they break out their grill for a picnic or head to their favorite BBQ joint for a pulled pork sandwich or maybe just some juicy burnt ends. Yet, Florida's permanent footprint is in the history of American BBQ and hopefully modern followers of the pit will begin to see the light and give our state much overdue props for igniting the sweet and hot fires of all things barbecue.

Growing up in Southeastern Pennsylvania, I knew little to nothing about the Timucua Indians and their cooking technique of the sacred fire pit, but I did know that Memorial Day always marked our family's first outdoor picnic which meant three very important things; grape soda, BBQ chicken legs, and softball games. Although taste buds everywhere might disagree, outdoor barbecues do mean more than succulent sweet and savory pork, beef, and chicken offerings. It means our tribe (or your tribe) of a family comes together to enjoy the weather, the food, and the company. Barbecues as events is what endears us all to the term. Barbecue as a get-together or as cooking method quite literally emits the emotion of comfort be it from the warm of family or the warmth of the fire.

"But how can I take part in this official month of BBQ as well as project my pride as a Floridian?" I am certain there are infinite answers to this question, like of course hosting your very own BBQ but Shane's Rib Shack is making it easy for us all offering the first 100 customers a free 1/2 rack of ribs, a large drink, and a Shaniac t-shirt on Saturday May 15th at all of their locations. "What if I'm customer number 101?" Don't fret! Shane's is also giving the next 250 customers a card to treat a friend to a free sandwich with the purchase of a sandwich and two drinks to be used by May 31st, 2010.