The Great American BBQ

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KC boasts an eclectic barbecue, obviously influenced by the South and West; it serves primarily pork ribs and beef brisket. Like most other enthusiasts, KC cooks take their time-a minimum of eight hours over hickory coals for a beef brisket, with many a superior one smoldering for 10 to 20 hours. KC barbecuers believe in dry rubs, made up according to the whims of the individual cook but usually consisting of salt, paprika and brown sugar; other popular ingredients include garlic powder, pepper, cayenne and dry mustard. The sauces vary widely, but are typically tomato-based, sweet and spicy with such Middle American seasonings as paprika, sage and thyme. Popular accompaniments include fries, beans and slaw.

The East

Some Texans say you can't barbecue a chicken, but then some Texans eat armadillo, which makes it hard to take their opinions seriously.

—Delaware chicken cook

Perhaps because the long, cold winters make outdoor cooking a short-term pleasure, barbecuing is less of an obsession in the Northeast than in other parts of the country. When Northeasterners do grill, they're partial to maple and corncobs for fuel, a combination that imparts a fine flavor to some Vermont hams and Canadian bacon. In some parts of New England, a whole turkey slowcooked over applewood is an autumn tradition, and one of the finest foods to come off a kettle grill. Inevitably, there are marinades and bastes that include maple syrup.

Farther down the Atlantic seaboard, barbecuing has taken firmer root. The Delmarva Peninsula, which includes most of Delaware and parts of Maryland and Virginia (hence the name), has two good reasons to barbecue: It's the fourth largest chickenproducing area in the U.S., and it has splendid beaches.

Every summer, vacationers stream out of Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and head down the peninsula to the ocean. And every summer, Delmarva Lions and Kiwanians and Civitans throw together plywood stands beside the highways, light their fires and finance their next year's activities by selling chickens, barbecued over charcoal for a mere hour and a half and basted with a sauce containing oil and vinegar, an egg for body, and poultry seasoning.

Back-yard Barbecue

"Patience. You've got to have it. If you don't have it, you better get it."

—Texas barbecue man

Traditional barbecues have never been int imate events. Each year, at dozens of festivals and cook-offs across the country, tens of thousands of people eat tons of meat that has cooked a day and a half. But even if you don't have 20 hours to spend on dinner or a six-foot pit in your side yard or enough guests for a whole hog, you can adapt those large-scale techniques to the back-yard grill.

Of course, grilling and barbecuing aren't the same thing. Grilled meats—hot dogs, hamburgers, steaks—are seared fast over high heat to seal in the juices and then cooked relatively quickly over direct heat. Barbecued meats are slow-cooked over low and indirect heat, cooked more by the smoke than the coals. Good barbecue requires just a few tips and techniques, plus several hours to hang around the house.

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