Summer Is Time For Barbecue Cooking

If you ask any chef from Memphis, Tennessee to New Orleans, Louisiana, they'll tell you that barbecue cooking is truly an art. Borrowing from influences routing back to Europe, down to Mexico and derived from rugged cowboys, each region of America has its own signature taste.

Some recipes require propane barbecues and quick grilling, while others need slow smoking over stone barbecues and wood. Sauces can be thick or thin, sweet or vinegary, spicy or mild and marinated or braised. Before you get out that apron and those tongs, let's take a look at some popular varieties you may want to cook up this summer.

Memphis, Tennessee is famous for its barbecued cooking and is home to the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, which attracts 90,000 BBQ fans each May. The wet ribs are made with a mild, sweet sauce basted on the ribs before and after they're smoked. Another variety is dry-rubbed with a spice blend as they're cooking or right after they're done.

Another variety is the classic pulled pork sandwich topped with coleslaw, which many say is the best way to experience Memphis barbecue, rather than the brisket BBQ recipes.

Summer is the time for barbecue cooking. The smell of burning meat wafts through the air, inspiring a slew of amateur chefs to break out their charcoal grills and fire up their propane tanks on that warm summer evening. While you may find a number of sites with brisket BBQ recipes, you may feel a more spontaneous urge to eat BBQ, in which case a store bought sauce is good to have handy.

For Kentucky BBQ, try Evan Williams, Jim Beam Kentucky Bourbon Steak Sauce or Ole Ray's. For Kansas City BBQ, you can try KC Masterpiece and for St. Louis style, you'd like Maull's BBQ Sauce. Cattleman's serves up Memphis style sauce, while Iron Works B-B-Q Sauce hails from Texas.

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