A (Sampling of the) History of BBQ and Grilling in 10 Links

 

Southern BBQ Trail Oral History Project. The Southern Food Alliance documents life stories from the American South. Collecting these stories, we honor the people whose labor defines the region. This is a treasure trove of the most amazing stories from all over the south. Make sure and check out the collections from the different states highlighting regional differences in BBQ.

 

 Black Smoke: The History of African American Barbecue, from the Museum of Food and Drink. "Join rocket scientist and BBQ historian Howard Conyers, PhD and pitmasters Ed and Ryan Mitchell, for a virtual celebration in homage to the Black culinary heritage of American BBQ and a conversation led by culinary historian Adrian Miller, author of the upcoming book, Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue."

 

A Brief History of Cooking with Fire, from the folks at National Geographic explores the cooking with fire from the stone age to the development of the BBQ briquette. (a free account is required).  

 

Barbecue expert Steven Raichlen gives a lecture on Man, Food and Fire, The Evolution of BBQ.  The event was presented by the Science, Technology & Business Division at the Library of Congress.  It's an hour long, so put some ribs on the smoker and settle in! Also check out his lecture: "Barbecue: A History of the World's Oldest Culinary Art."

 

Asian Inspirations, an Australian organization whose mission is to celebrate all the amazing flavors of Asian cultures, shares this article about Korean Barbecue

Postwar potluck: Grilling out, convenience cooking, and other 1950s food trends. From the Smithsonian Institute. Much more than BBQ - what was happening in the world of food in the 1950's.

We are in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, so Carne Asada de Sonora is a local favorite. La Herencia de las Viudas descend from women who had the courage to raise the town, San Pedro de la Cueva, Sonora, after Pancho Villa's massacre in 1915. They present original recipes that are still treasured in daily cooking. (don't forget to enable auto-translate subtitles for this Spanish language video.)

 BONUS LINK!

Grilling Up History: Primary Sources and Hot Dogs, from the Library of Congress shares some of the Library's holdings about this most delicious piece of American culinary history!

 

The featured photo is from the General Archive of the Nation (Argentina) and is a traditional Argentinian Asado in 1942.