South vs. North

Hello Friends, happy Monday!

I write today with an interesting debate and question for you.  What is your definition of Bar-b-que (aka- barbecue, BBQ)?

This weekend we celebrated a dear friend's birthday with a cook-out (you guessed it, with the fancy new grill!!)  Mike and I invited people over for a cookout with all of the familiar food stuffs: burgers, dogs, brats, salads, chips and dips, and ice cream cake!  But enough about that- back to the question at hand.

Having grown up and spent 26 years in the South, I'm a believer that you invite people over for a cookout and you serve them up some Bar-b-que while they're there.  I believe that Bar-b-que is both a type of food preparation and it's own food item (usually consisting of pulled pork, vineager, and some secret spices).  I'd also go so far as to say that you could call items cooked on the grill, like chicken, Bar-b-que'd- hence BBQ chicken, due to the method of preparation on the grill.

Now having lived here in CT for 5 years now, I've heard some frightening off shoots of our beloved Bar-b-que.  I've discovered that folks in the Northeast consider both the cook-out itself to be a BBQ, as well as, the grill to be called 'a bar-b-que'.  In other words- they propose that you could host a BBQ and cook BBQ on the BBQ (which could be burgers, dogs, corn, etc...).  Like I said in the beginning, I'm curious to know what you all think- but in my opinion, I've gotta call BS (I mean bar-b-que sauce by that, Mom, don't worry) on that one.  

So.... what's your definition?  Post to the comments (don't forget to be sure your comment posts- you may have to enter a scrambled word for security).  Be sure to tell me how you define a bar-b-que and claim your geographical allegiance.

Speaking of food served at a cook-out, check out my deviled egg concoction below:

I've never made deviled eggs before and I wanted to create a recipe myself without consulting any cookbooks. I had an idea of the basic ingredients and just went with it.

To start, I hard boiled the eggs to perfection (Thanks, Mom, for teaching me how to boil the perfect egg!)

Then run cold water over the eggs to completely cool them down.  This is important, I discovered, in order to get the yolks out cleanly.  Next, peel the eggs and halve them.  Once halved (if they are cool), you should be able to spoon the yolks out neatly.  Place them in a separate bowl and do your best to keep the egg whites in tact.

Once all the yolks are in a small bowl, add your favorite ingredients.  I used creamed horshradish, mayo, a hint of mustard, and a bit of pickle relish, salt, pepper, and a touch of cayenne pepper. Go light on the mayo at first and add a bit at a time so it's not too runny.  With 12 yolks, I used about a 1/4 cup in the end because of the creamy horshradish.
I recommend combining these items in a small bowl with a fork so you don't mash up the yolks too much and lose the thickness.

Then, refill the egg whites, top with a sprinkle of paprika and refridgerate until you're ready to serve.  These babies have a great spicy kick, but maintain the classic flavor of a devlied egg.  They were a huge hit at the party. I'm excited to update this recipe throughout the summer and try new ingredients. What do you use?

The finished product

Well, friends, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the cook-out/bbq debate. Bring it!

Yours in southern pride,

Whitney