The National Barbeque & Grilling Association says "barbecue made human civilization possible," and that is very true. From the first moment cooked meat passed through the teeth and over the gums, it's look out stomach! In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue and chowed down with the Arawak Indians cooking on a barbacoa. Even the father of our country George Washington wrote in his 1769 diary "Went in to Alexandria to a Barbecue and stayed all Night." Party on, George! So everyone's barbeque story starts somewhere. A family recipe, a pig-pickin at the neighbor's, the restaurant down the street. Mine starts in 1969 at Hendrix Barbeque in Salisbury NC -- pulled-pork in a vinegar-based sauce with slaw and hush puppies, please. What's your BBQ story?

04.22.17