Smoked Out: The True and Surprising History of BBQ

Now that I’m a Texan, I’ve learned to appreciate Texas BBQ. Its history is a lesson in honest American history.

A few days ago, I saw a video of a lady on social media trying to defend “white pride.” Now, look. I try not to give myself headaches on purpose, but she caught my attention when she claimed that America is a white, European, Christian nation and then, as proof, listed football, God, and BBQ.

Now listen. I wasn’t mad. I mean, I was. But also... I wasn’t. Because this woman wasn’t just racist. She was also wrong. About all three things. And I don’t mean the kind of wrong where you accidentally reply-all to an email. I mean wrong like putting Craisins in potato salad and mixing it up in a sink. I’ll address all three of her examples over the coming days.

But today, let’s talk about barbecue.

See, BBQ is American. But it is not white.

BBQ is Indigenous. It’s African. It’s Mexican. It’s German and Czech. It’s the result of centuries of immigrants, enslaved people, and Indigenous communities throwing things on a fire and realizing, “Damn. This slaps.”

But that’s the danger of ignorance, isn’t it? If you don’t know the truth, you’ll eat up a lie. And in a country where history gets rewritten faster than a bad Yelp review, it’s important to set the record straight.

So let’s talk about what BBQ actually is. And where it actually comes from.