The History of the Charcoal Barbecue

Cooking outdoors with a charcoal barbeque has become and American way of life. It is more than just a way to cook food; it has become an institution that continues to grow in popularity.

The phenomenon that is the charcoal barbeque first gained popularity in the 1950’s when a television commercial espousing its features began to run across the country. Since then the popularity of barbequing has grown. But did you really know that the roots of the barbeque are said to have originated in the Caribbean by native islanders who were found roasting meat of charcoal fires.

The University of Virginia did a study on the origins of the charcoal barbeque and they found that the French and Spanish, who colonized the islands, started using the native ways of cooking food. Charcoal barbequing first came to prominence in the United States in the southern states before the Civil War. Because the staple meat of the South was pork the method of roasting it over hot coals quickly caught on. It also helped keep the heat out of the kitchen during the hot summer months. This southern barbeque grew into the backyard barbeques that are predominant all across the U.S. today.

These days the charcoal barbeque is much evolved from its beginnings. From a pit filled with hot coals and a pig turning on a spit to the modern day charcoal barbeque, only the way we barbeque has really changed. The invention of lighter fluid was the first big advance in the evolution of the barbeque, making the starting of the coals much easier and safer, although you can still blow up your backyard if you aren’t careful. The lighting of the coals has advanced to the point of electric burners or gas igniters that are used to start the charcoal, making the lighting process even safer.