Webster’s dictionary defines barbecue as to roast or broil on a rack or revolving spit over or before a source of heat. As with most definitions of words they never tell the whole story. Barbecue has been a form of cooking since cave man times and has evolved over hundreds of years. No matter what style you talk about patience is paramount in the development of recipes. Curiosity of different cultural interpretations brought me to this week’s documentary.
Netflix’s documentary Barbecue takes you on a trip around the world and tells the stories of 12 different cultural interpretations of barbecue. The journey starts in South Africa, ends in New Zealand, and covers all points in between. Director Mathew Salleh takes you on 10-15 minute tours of these cultures. He doesn’t name the character, but let’s their techniques and cultural cooking traditions define the people. Some of the rituals are passed down from generation to generation, some are engulfed in the ritualistic preparation, and others revolve around the coming together of people. At the core every story is friendship, family, and food.
Some of the stories start from the beginning, like in Japan, where they lay out the preparation of the wood which they heat up, carbonize, and turn into binchotan (white charcoal). At the end of the process the chef is meticulously rotating the Yakitori (Chicken on skewers) to get the perfect a crispy outside while maintaining juiciness inside.
The trip to Australia gives the audience a much different perspective. The scene was set in a junk yard where you found the owner talking about how he did his time with city and he proclaimed, “The city is dead and gone to me, the country is for me”. A local pub was the setting for the residents barbecue. The food is a added bonus to the feeling of belonging and friendship these regulars get from this country pub. They keep it simple, gather on patio, pull out a flattop grill, prepare eggs, sausage, onions , and some bread and butter. “People talking to people, women talking to women, blokes talking to blokes, women talking to blokes. You know how many marriages are made at a barbecue”, The junk yard owner exclaimed. Interacting, laughing, and have a good time over good food and cold beer are whats important to the people of this region.
Armenia’s segment concentrated on tradition of making Khorovats, a kabob of various meats reserved for special occasions. The men stand around the grill tending the flames with fans and blow dryers as they rotate the meat. The cooking of the meat as one man said should be reserved for one person because everybody seems to have an opinion on the technique. Children in this culture learn these techniques by watching their father work and perfect this craft. In New Zealand they take both a physical and spiritual aspect to the barbecuing process. New Zealanders call it Hangi, which is the layering of wood, irons and stones over a hole in the ground. Entire families get involved in this tradition. The children help dig the hole, the men gathers the wood and irons, and the women prepare the baskets to be buried. As the men fill the hole they talk about how hot it is but not in a complaining manner but a prideful one. After the burial the men stand around their work and have a few rules: No bad language, positive thoughts, laughter, and a cold beer. These men got emotional speaking of this tradition and hoping their children will keep them going for generations to come.
If you have a weak stomach I would suggest skipping over Mongolia and the Philippines. Although graphic and primal in nature, the cooking methods are fascinating. Set in small village in Mongolia made up of a couple of large tents, the featured family herds goats and hunts marmots. They utilize heating up stones and filling different carcasses with them, then burning and scrubbing off the fur. The animal is placed on the table split open and the entire family eats. Needless to say this was a tough watch however, I am sure if they saw me in the Wendy’s drive through they would be just as disgusted. The Philippines was a one man show. The chef was passionate about cooking lechon (the roasting of a baby pig). They take you through the preparation from slaughter to spit. This particular gentleman did all the work himself. Rotating both pigs by hand and feet at one point. His concentration and attention to detail was impressive as he multitasks caring for both the meat and the fire. His only concern was getting the meat finished on time to be sold.
South Africa’s version of barbecue is called braai. Meat is cooked on a grate using hot coals. A high emphasis however was place on how braai has become profitable in South Africa which has closed the gap of race relations in this region. Braai is something both black and white people can find common ground in a culture that hasn’t always been the case.
Sweden’s their version of barbecue takes advantage of the few warm months they have there. Engangsgrill are like currency in Sweden. The winters are cold and dark and these disposable grills are vital for social gatherings. Swedish crowd the parks with during the summer months there food and their grills which are convenient and innovative.
After watching this documentary I began to think about my experiences with barbecue. As I have started to develop my own techniques and traditions on my grill. Grilling pizza and make sauces has become a passion of mine. Like any type of barbecue you learn to develop a couple of traits. Patience, attention to detail, and passion are three factors that you need to have a successful product. At times I have become impatient and get to caught up in the hectic nature of life. Barbecuing has allowed me to slow down and enjoy the work. In a a lot of ways the quarantine has been a blessing in disguise. It has allowed me to sit on my patio lower the heat and cook at a low and slow pace. There is a peacefulness to it that I have grown to love.
Pride in the work, traditions, and food fill up the scenes of this documentary. The respect for the food is what caught my attention from the very beginning. All these cultures didn’t just season and throw food on the grill. They honored it. A barbecue man from Texas talked with a tear in his eye talked about the animals and showing it as much respect as possible in the preparation. So when we all fire up our grills this weekend, for what will be thousands of barbecues, take the time and honor your food. Treat it will respect as it nutritious you, friends, and family.
Traveling Bro: Tootsie Tomanetz of Snows BBQ
In this version of Traveling Bro it is more like Traveling Grandma. Tootsie is an 85 year old pit master at Snows BBQ. She has broken down barrier of gender and age in a grueling business with both challenging hours and work. She has never been sick and still loves the job after all these years. She is an inspiring tough woman to say the least. Check out this article and read about her amazing story.
https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/meet-legendary-snows-bbq-pitmaster-tootsie-tomanetz
Best quotes:
“Cooking the meat you caught, on an open fire, all eating together. Perhaps it’s something primal, I wonder if it’s in our DNA”. –Japanese Chef
“The Armenian soul is fire and flames” – Armenian man
“I really don’t feel like my age, I don’t worry about hard work I enjoy hard work, I am a workaholic. It’s hot in the summer time and cold in the winter time but I enjoy it so I keep cooking”. -Tootsie Tomanetz
