The one thing Americans are very enthusiastic about is their barbeque and outdoor cooking. Each and every one of them can tell you at least one favorite barbeque recipe that they love.
Although women feel they are emancipated all the way, the primary barbecues will be men. Only in 32 percent of the households a women is the primary barbecue. In 22 percent the responsibility will be shared among the couple.
When you talk to a barbecue, they will tell you about how their ‘special trick’ helps to make their meals taste better. Each barbecue has it’s own trick to make sure his barbeque recipe will be better than that of his neighbor. The most common tricks are: adding beer to the marinade (California), wood chips on top of the coals for a more rich, smoky flavor (Georgia), making their own barbeque sauce (Southerners) or putting mayonnaise on fish before grilling (Northeasterners).
More than 85 percent of all Americans will use barbeque sauce. Of this 85 percent, almost half will either spice up a bottled brand with special ingredients or make their barbeque sauce recipe from scratch. Especially Southerners are known for making a homemade sauce for their barbeque. Midwesterners will more likely be personalizing a bottled brand by adding extra ingredients. In the East, barbeque recipes need to have a “bite”, so they will use more peppers than other regions in the country. But you can be sure that there are ingredients every one will use. If you would like to make one American Barbeque Sauce, your recipe should include chopped onion, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, honey and spices (pepper, curry, salt).
The most popular foods on the grill are hamburgers, steaks and chicken parts. Those have been on the list for years, and are not likely to go away any time soon.
Conclusion: Every American has it’s own favorite barbeque recipe. There’s no such thing as one American way of having a barbeque, and this variety makes that every barbecue is a chef at his own grill.
