Barbecue is Civilization

I think about civilization a lot. I think about what it means, how it is created, and how it is lost.

I think about how there are obviously many civilizations and I think about how they are each unique but similar. I also think about civilizations that have died, and why and how they died.

My doctoral dissertation at Warnborough University in the history of ideas was really just about this exact topic, and it was an extended reflection on how the 20th century in the west was both very civilized and yet also completely barbaric.

I also think about food. A lot. And much of the time I spend thinking about food is devoted to barbecue. And I don’t just think about consuming barbecue – though I do think a lot about that. But I like to learn about and contemplate the tradition, the techniques, the culture; the characters, the ratings, the sourcing and the supply chain. I enjoy the spirited debates around the (unanswerable) questions of “what is best?” and I enjoy the fact that even bad barbecue is pretty good. I enjoy the many amazing barbecue writers and photographers out there. I enjoy all of it.

I don’t know as much about barbecue as I would like, but I know more than I did a year ago.

In any event, I am hoping to devote a little more time and space here into thinking about these two topics, because I believe that they are simply one topic, because I believe that barbecue is civilization. Perhaps you will enjoy thinking with me about civilization through the lens of barbecue, or about barbecue through the lens of civilization.

The photos here are from an event my family hosted in Magnolia, Texas on November 5.

This is the second time we have done this event, and we hope to do it twice a year. But the centerpiece of the event is a whole roasted hog, using the technique set forth in Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ: Every Day Is a Good Day: A Cookbook.

I would recommend this book, but more importantly, I would recommend if you have the space and the inclination, build a pit (instructions in the book), set a date with some friends and roast a whole hog.

Rodney Scott's World of BBQ: Every Day Is a Good Day

If you do, you will be building civilization, because, barbecue is civilization!

More to come!