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Barbecue, as defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary, means to roast or broil on a rack over hot coals or on a revolving spit before or over a source of heat.

The keyword I think Merriam-Webster left out of their definition is SLOWLY! 

While every word has a definition, most fail to capture the meaning of said word. This is definitely the case when it comes to the true American food, BBQ.

I think it is pretty safe to say that BBQ has been around since the stone age when man invented fire. He started to cook over an open fire. Visualizing this, I don't see the caveman standing over his open fire pit brushing a sauce on his dinosaur leg, but I do see him slowly cooking his catch and sharing it with other community members!!

"No sauce? That's not BBQ!!"

Oh contraire... sauce is not required to BBQ. When you BBQ, two things are required - slow cooking over low heat.

Grilling on the other hand is fast cooking over high heat. 

Some think that BBQ first showed up in America when the Pilgrims arrived. I strongly believe that Native Americans had been BBQing long before the white man decided to show up! 

The word barbecue is believed to have come from the French word - barbe-a-que which means "from nose to tail". Some also think the word came from signs in Texas that advertised Bar-Beer-Pool (Bar-Be-Cue). There are some other theories that are floating about, but regardless of where the word came from, it's just a word!

Needless to say BBQ has been around a LONG time and will probably be around a lot longer. 

If we look at the history of BBQ in the United States, we can look to the west, and southeast. The pioneers in the "old west" would bbq beef, while pigs running wild in the east would be captured and bbq'ed. Since the slow cooking tenderized most usually tough cuts of meat, the entire animal thus became edible!