Barbecue--the smell of burning charcoal and smoked meat lingers long after hot coals fizzle.

The barbecuing ritual usually marks the start of summer in northern climes, but Gainesville's temperate weather allows us the luxury of barbecuing anytime. So the next time you're firing up the grill, here are a few barbecue facts to impress your friends.

The most likely explanation for the origination of the word "barbecue" is that it comes from the West Indian term, "barbacoa," a method of slowly cooking meat over hot coals. Other explanations for the word's origin are from an extinct tribe in Guyana who spit-roasted captured enemies, and from the French phrase "barbe à queue" or "from head to tail."

However the word got cooked up, barbecue's history in the United States is easy to decipher. Barbecuing originated in the South during the colonial period. Pigs were a low maintenance food that could be let loose to root for food in the forest and captured when needed.
 
Slaughtering was a time for celebration, and the whole neighborhood was invited. By about 50 years before the Civil War, plantation owners were holding parties for everyone from owners to slaves. Restaurants eventually grew from the pits that men tended on weekends, and once the automobile rolled around, travelers were stopping regularly at these roadside barbecue shacks.

Many restaurants, owned by blacks, became interracial meeting places where whites sneaked in for take-out orders. In the 1950s and 1960s, many became segregated. One chain became the subject of a lawsuit for unlawfully discrimnating against blacks.
 
Now, everyone can enjoy barbecue as chains sprout up all over.  Mmm, I can hear those ribs searing right now ...

STEVE SPURRIER'S FAVORITE BEEF BBQ SANDWICHES

Marinate a large (6 lbs.) boneless sirloin steak for 24 to 28 hours.
 

Marinade: 3 oz. liquid smoke garlic  cloves pepper onion salt/garlic salt meat tenderizer Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Cook five hours covered. Refrigerate to cool. Slice right before serving to avoid dryness. Serve on good sandwich rolls with horseradish, lettuce, tomato and mayo ... or with barbecue sauce.

Barbecue Sauce:    
14 oz. ketchup            12 oz. chili sauce
1/3 c. mustard             1 1/2 c. brown sugar
2 T. pepper                 1 1/2 c. wine vinegar
1 c. lemon juice           1/2 c. thick steak sauce
Tabasco (to taste)       1/4 T. soy sauce
2 T. salad oil               1 can beer
minced garlic (to taste)

Combine and mix. Pour into pint jars. Store in refrigerator or freeze for later. Makes 6 pints.
We love it!--Steve

FLANK STEAK LOMBARDI
Hi, here’s the Cathryn Lombardi Marinated Flank Steak recipe. My job in this production is to barbecue it, but I can take no credit for the formulation, which works wonderfully, and I highly recommend it—John

1 1/2 to 2 lb. flank steak

Marinade:
2 T. honey
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 T. white vinegar
1/4 c. salad oil
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. ginger

Combine all the ingredients and marinate overnight in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator, turning once or twice. Grill the flank steak for 15 to 20 minutes. Slice across the grain and serve.
Most of the time I double the marinade recipe—Cathryn