10_Things_You_Didn_t_Know_about_Barbecue

							Title:
10 Things You Didn_t Know about Barb
ecue

Word Count:
409

Summary:
From the familiar pastime_s origins
  to surprising tips and tactics, th
is list will provide you with all t
he information you need to wow your
  friends at the next neighbourhood
barbecue!
Keywords:
barbecue,origin,tips,facts,interest
ing,knowledge,history,funny,useful,
smoke,brisket,did,you,know,BBQ,gril
l

Article Body:
Every spring, North Americans gear
up their grill, stock up on the mea
t and prepare for many mouth-wateri
ng barbecues. But how much do we re
ally know about the art of barbecui
ng? From the familiar pastime_s ori
gins to surprising tips and tactics
, this list will provide you with a
ll the information you need to wow
your friends at the next neighbourh
ood barbecue!

1) Barbecues originated in pig-pick
in_s, feasts that were common in th
e Southern United States prior to t
he Civil War. Whole pigs were cooke
d and eaten by the crowd.

2) _Smoking_ was used as far as 600
0 years ago in order to make meats
safe to eat and store. The meat was
 exposed to smoke and low heat in o
rder to prevent bacteria and enzyme
s from growing.

3) In Australia, a barbecue is comm
only referred to as a barbie. The f
amous statement _I_ll slip an extra
 shrimp on the barbie for you,_ whi
ch appeared in Australian tourism a
dvertisements, is often used to ref
er to the country.

4) What most North Americans partak
e in today isn_t actually barbecuin
g. Barbecuing is cooking at tempera
tures around the boiling point of w
ater (180-220*F) for a longer time
period, in order to make the meat t
ender while preserving its natural
juices. Today, the method most comm
only used is in fact broiling: cook
ing at 475-700*F in much less time.

5) According to the Barbecue Indust
ry Association, half of all marshma
llows eaten in the U.S. have been t
oasted over a grill.

6) For an easy way to check how muc
h propane you have left, bring your
 bathroom scale outside and weigh t
he gas tank.

7) The origin of the word barbecue
is unclear. Some believe it came fr
om the American-Indian word barbaco
a for a wood on which foods were co
oked. Others say it came from the f
rench words _de barbe à queue,_ mea
ning _whiskers to tail._

8) To add a smokey flavour to your
gas-grill-cooked foods or foods coo
ked inside the house, use _liquid s
moke._ A condensation of actual smo
ke, this product can be easily adde
d to your barbecue marinade or sauc
e.
9) Brisket, the extremely hard cut
of meat taken from a cow_s chest, t
akes one to two hours per pound to
barbecue. That_s an average 12 hour
s on the grill for a basic 8-pound
piece!

10) Kansas City, Missouri and Lexin
gton, North Carolina both claim to
be the barbecue capitals of the wor
ld. Memphis, meanwhile, stakes a cl
aim to being the pork barbecue capi
tal.

Now you_re set to impress!