Much like fireworks and hot dog-eating contests are synonymous with the Fourth of July, barbecue is synonymous with summer. With warmer weather, school on hiatus and vacation days being used, uniting friends and family for outdoor feasting is an opportunity not to be missed.
Recently, barbecue has taken creative turns, adopting trends and tastes from many cultures and regional cuisines. Before the summer slips away, treat your company to a barbecue bonanza to fill their bellies and memories.
Invite family and friends over for a Brazilian-style backyard barbecue.
1. Bringing Brazilian barbecue to your backyard
While you may not have the luxury of a full-wait staff trained and adept at slicing sections of juicy meats to each of your guests, you can still mimic the Brazilian (or churrasco) barbecue from home. In terms of meat dishes, you can cook several classic Brazilian options using simple bamboo skewers.
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suggests going with garlic sirloin churrasco — usually prepared with a combination of vegetable oil, water, garlic, lime juice and coarse sea salt — cutting the meat into 1- to 2-inch cubes (marinating for up to 20 minutes before grilling).
In addition to one or more meat dishes, include Brazilian cheese bread, polenta and Brazilian rice among other staples to add authenticity and deliciousness to your Brazilian barbecue experience.
2. Crafting the perfect Korean barbecue
Part of the Korean barbecue experience is sharing in the actual cooking experience at the table. So, while you certainly can grill many Korean barbecue dishes on the outdoor barbecue grill, gathering around a tabletop grill is a more traditional experience.
Among Korean barbecue meats, bulgogi is perhaps one of the most popular and well known. The recipe typically consists of marinated and thinly sliced beef, such as ribeye and sirloin steaks.
A host of other items usually go into a traditional Korean barbecue meal, including kimchi made with napa cabbage, often seasoned with salt, sugar, scallions, ginger, garlic and Korean red pepper powder; steamed egg; corn cheese and fish cakes as examples.
Once you have your lineup of Korean barbecue cooking elements, make sure to acquire the necessary table tools for guests, such as chopsticks and tongs for cooking and retrieving items off the grill.
Jerk chicken breasts with grilled pineapple
3. Catering a Caribbean encounter
Some of barbecue’s earliest origins come from the Caribbean. And while the flavors of the island region vary depending on locales, one recipe commonly shared is jerk seasoning. Many jerk seasonings consist of combinations of onion or onion powder, garlic or garlic powder, allspice, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, thyme and pepper (sometimes adding elements such as scallions, berries and chilies).
The key, most Caribbean barbecue enthusiasts recommend, is that once you’ve finished coating your desired grill item with jerk seasoning, let it marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
A major plus of jerk seasoning is its versatility; it can coat chicken, seafood — shrimp is especially tasty — and even vegetables. To round out the rest of your island-inspired menu, add Caribbean barbecue favorites like grilled corn and pineapple and more.
4. Stateside barbecue staples
From the time barbecue was adopted in the U.S. to now, the best regional barbecue style remains a topic of heated debate, with the most popular being Texas, the Carolinas, Memphis and Kansas City. This summer, consider taking this quad-regional debate to your own backyard for a Battle of the Backyard barbecue. Group guests according to a barbecue region and have them grill to their hearts’ content. After sampling the fruits (meats?) of their labor, everyone can decide which style is best.
Texas claims a stake on sweet and hot brisket; the Carolinas are known for their pulled pork; Memphis for smoked-meat renditions and Kansas City for its burnt ends.
When plotting menu items, be sure to put great thought into differentiating barbecue sauces and sides, with these examples in mind:
Texas:Â Fried okra, collard greens, hush puppies, creamed corn, macaroni and cheese.
Carolinas: Corn pudding, coleslaw, baked beans, cornbread.
Memphis:Â Potato salad, fried pickles, grits and cornbread with cheese and peppers.
Kansas City:Â Baked macaroni and cheese, baked beans, pickles and white bread.
Check out more summer barbecue recipes:
Fans of loaded quesadillas will love these barbecue grilled chicken quesadillas, which come packed with Cajun-spiced chicken, grilled pineapple and red bell pepper, cheddar cheese, and barbecue sauce.
Grilled vegetable skewers are a welcome addition to any cookout or backyard barbecue, but these tortellini skewers take things up a notch by throwing cheesy pasta into the mix.
Fans of barbecue will rejoice over this slow-smoked brisket recipe, which pairs alongside a tangy, rich, subtly spicy cowboy butter.
