If someone says "I'm bringing barbecue..."

[marbel]

... what kind of meat are they bringing?

 

I was thoroughly mocked today when I asked "what kind of meat?" when someone said they were bringing barbecue to a potluck.  I wanted to bring meat, but a different kind, so I wanted to know if it was pork, chicken, or beef. 

 

So, what do you think?

 

ETA: I live in Pennsylvania,  I suspect this might have different answers depending on where one lives.

Edited July 6, 2016 by marbel

[Beaniemom]

I'd assume pork because that is what is common where I grew up. I don't think it's strange to ask though.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I think they were rude.  It is not clear unless you know them so well that you know that they only barbecue one type of meat. 

[Angie in VA]

I would think beef or pork. 

 

Edited to add: They were rude to mock you.

Edited July 6, 2016 by Angie in VA

[Miss Peregrine]

I would have asked, too.

[Caroline]

I would think pork, but I would have asked, too.

[hornblower]

I'd have no idea. 

If I'm bringing something for the bbq it's something vegan. 

Actually that whole phrasing is odd. Don't you bring something for a bbq? Or to bbq? 

To me the sentence sounds like "I'm bring stockpot! I'm bringing frypan! I'm bringing wok! I'm bringing cutting board."

[Pawz4me]

Here it would mean pork. It wouldn't ever occur to me to ask.

 

ETA for Hornblower: "Barbecue" here means a pork shoulder that has been smoked for hours using hickory wood  We do not "barbecue" as an activity. We grill. ;)

Edited July 6, 2016 by Pawz4me

[hornblower]

oh & on the west coast, odds are my omni or pescatarian friends would be bringing wild salmon 

[Jean in Newcastle]

oh & on the west coast, odds are my omni or pescatarian friends would be bringing wild salmon 

 

I thought of salmon too! 

 

[RKWAcademy]

In the places I've lived, it's obvious (NC - pork, TX - beef).  But, in most other places, I think it's a perfectly valid question to ask. 

 

So what type did they mean? 

[Butter]

Any of them, but here in TX, most likely beef.

[Rachel]

Where I grew up it would mean sloppy joes (beef) possibly chicken wth BBQ sauce. Where I live now it would mean pulled pork.

 

The BBQ truck where my grandma buys BBQ in TX has pork, beef brisket, and chicken although it does usually mean pork if you just say BBQ.

[Crimson Wife]

I would assume red meat or poultry but not know which. Grew up in New England & have lived in CA for 15 of the last 18 years.

[Greta]

To me barbecue simply means smoked meat, so I would have asked as well.  I'm sorry that you were mocked for asking a perfectly reasonable question.  

[Farrar]

In the absence of information, I'd assume pork. However, I wouldn't be completely sure. Definitely not weird to ask.

[Outdoorsy Type]

Barbecue where I grew up meant any meat that has been slow cooked in a smoker with a barbecue flavored rub.

Edited July 6, 2016 by Outdoorsy Type

[marbel]

My husband (not the mocker) immediately said "assume it's pork unless she (bringer of bbq) is from Texas" when I asked what he thought.  He's from GA.

 

It is pork! 

 

:-)

 

 

[Greta]

My husband (not the mocker) immediately said "assume it's pork unless she (bringer of bbq) is from Texas" when I asked what he thought.  He's from GA.

 

It is pork! 

 

:-)

 

 

I grew up in Oklahoma, and barbecue there *usually* means beef brisket or ribs, but pulled pork, pork ribs, sausage, and chicken are not uncommon.  

 

Now I'm hungry.

[FriedClams]

Deep South. Pork only. Shredded. Sauce on the side. And if they're a good friends they bring come slaw too.

[Entropymama]

I don't think I've ever used the word 'barbecue' as a noun. 

 

ETA: Because I can't grammar today.

Edited July 6, 2016 by Entropymama

[kewb]

I would think pork but it could also be beef. I would have asked because to me it is a weird thing to say. I am in New Jersey for regional reference.

[melbotoast]

Any of them, but here in TX, most likely beef.

 

Also from TX. I would have guessed beef, or maybe pork. I don't think that is an unfair question to ask. 

[kbutton]

I'm sorry you were mocked!

 

In PA (at least the north central part), barbecue means ground beef that's made sort of sloppy joe style. Homemade means they might cook it with diced onions (sometimes green peppers too), and after it's browned, they add ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, and sometimes a tiny bit of apple cider vinegar. It's delicious. 

 

It stays warm okay in a crock pot, but if you make it in the crock pot, it's kind of icky.

[Pippen]

Midwest. Here if someone said they were bringing barbecue, the first thing I would think of were sloppy joes made with ground beef. Second would be pulled pork, likely to be served on a bun.

[goldberry]

I said could mean anything, but if I had to assume, I would assume beef. So there ya go, with so many saying pork!  (I used to live in Texas, now in Colorado.)

[kbutton]

P.S. More typical ideas of what BBQ is would translate to something like pulled pork/beef/chicken with barbecue sauce (on the side, cooked in, or homemade). They might also say it's southern style or something maybe. If that's what someone was bringing, they'd explain rather than call it barbecue (most likely).

 

I am happy to translate PA talk anytime I can help. Some things work everywhere, but other things are very regional. The state is split between pop and soda, for instance.

[zoobie]

In the absence of information, I'd assume pork. However, I wouldn't be completely sure. Definitely not weird to ask.

This. It's a shame BBQ queen isn't bringing her manners to the potluck.

[gardenmom5]

PA? I'd think chicken or pork.

 

texas - the first thing I'd think of is beef, and nothing but beef.

[Baseball mom]

Here it would mean pork. It wouldn't ever occur to me to ask.

 

ETA for Hornblower: "Barbecue" here means a pork shoulder that has been smoked for hours using hickory wood  We do not "barbecue" as an activity. We grill. ;)

 

Same here

 

But they were rude to mock you!

[kbutton]

Midwest. Here if someone said they were bringing barbecue, the first thing I would think of were sloppy joes made with ground beef. Second would be pulled pork, likely to be served on a bun.

 

I've met only one family in OH who meant sloppy joe style ground beef...interesting. I am in the part of OH that was inundated by transplants from the south a few decades ago.

[BigMamaBird]

That would be like saying "I'm bringing baked."  "I'm bringing boiled."  Seriously, barbecue is a verb, not a noun.  How are you supposed to know.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I wouldn't quite know what specifically they meant.

 

 

[gardenmom5]

I grew up in Oklahoma, and barbecue there *usually* means beef brisket or ribs, but pulled pork, pork ribs, sausage, and chicken are not uncommon.  

 

Now I'm hungry.

 

maybe I'll make dh take me for texas bbq this week... or he can pull out his smoker and do something.

[Pippen]

I've met only one family in OH who meant sloppy joe style ground beef...interesting. I am in the part of OH that was inundated by transplants from the south a few decades ago.

 

I grew up in Wisconsin, and barbecue always meant sloppy joes--at least to my family. Before Wisconsin my parents passed through North Dakota, South Dakota, California, and/or Colorado. 

 

This:

http://www.food.com/recipe/my-husband-calls-this-bbq-sloppy-joes-384785

[catz]

I'm in the midwest and I have no clue.  Also agree it could be seafood. 

 

I hope they were joking with the mocking stuff. 

Edited July 6, 2016 by WoolySocks

[Emba]

Here in Texas, I would think "barbecue" meant beef.  If it were pork, I would expect them to say "barbecued pork" or "pulled pork" or something like that, to make the difference clear.  But in any case, I wouldn't find it so strange to have someone ask what kind was meant by plain ol' "barbecue".

 

And now I've typed/read barbecue so many times that it looks funny to me, and I'll just have to trust that spellcheck is correct in not flagging it.

[Pawz4me]

That would be like saying "I'm bringing baked."  "I'm bringing boiled."  Seriously, barbecue is a verb, not a noun.  How are you supposed to know.

 

Nope. Not here in NC.

 

Barbecue is always a noun and never, ever a verb.  Anyone who uses it as a verb . . . well, we know they're from . . .  somewhere else. ;) 

[KarenNC]

P.S. More typical ideas of what BBQ is would translate to something like pulled pork/beef/chicken with barbecue sauce (on the side, cooked in, or homemade). They might also say it's southern style or something maybe. If that's what someone was bringing, they'd explain rather than call it barbecue (most likely).

 

I am happy to translate PA talk anytime I can help. Some things work everywhere, but other things are very regional. The state is split between pop and soda, for instance.

 

We have a ton of transplants here now, so I wouldn't be surprised to be asked. 

 

Prior to that ton of transplants that really started in the late 70s, bbq was specifically chopped pork with a vinegar-based sauce (served with hushpuppies and marinated red bbq slaw, not mayo-based), hot dogs and hamburgers came "all the way" (yellow mustard, onions, chili, and mayo-based coleslaw), tea was always iced and very sweet, and "coke" was the generic term for any soft drink. Now I know to double check the menu. ;)

 

One of my favorite dishes is still bbq salad---a dinner salad of lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers, topped with warm chopped pork vinegar-based bbq and "house dressing" (essentially Duke's mayo and ketchup--important because Duke's has no sweetener) and hushpuppies on the side from the bbq joint behind my great-grandmother's house.

[FriedClams]

Let me just say... Bless your hearts. (The sincere way, not the swearing way. ;-) ) I just want to cry for y'all eating sloppy Joes and chicken and beef as "barbeque". Come visit me in the Deep (DEEP) South. I'll make tea (unsweetened, but I always have a simple on hand if you prefer sweet), pick up "barbeque" from the guys in the sketchy truck near town, and we'll feast. I'll even spring for fried pickles because y'all need some! :-)

[redsquirrel]

I live in the NE and for a long time BBQ was a verb, as in "we are going to barbecue tonight"  or 'we are going to have a barbecue this weekend" Then you might ask what they will be barbecuing.  That has changed in the last 10 or so years mostly because I happen to live in a very 'foodie' area. So people do say 'we're serving barbecue for dinner" but it would be a perfectly reasonable question to ask what sort of food is being served and even how they are serving it.  I have seen the classic 'low and slow' (I have a BIL who built himself a contraption)  then there is mustard based, vinegar based and or a tomato based. I have seen brisket, pork in parts or whole, chicken, turkey, and probably venison. There is a specific recipe for grilling chicken that is considered a local tradition, so it could be that.

 

And in general, mocking someone for asking for clarification of pretty much anything is bad manners.  If you knew what they meant you wouldn't have asked. If you don't know then you don't know, and there is no reason to mock. 

Edited July 6, 2016 by redsquirrel

[alisoncooks]

I would assume pork (and around here, it's Eastern NC style with a vinegar-based sauce).

 

If it were another type of meat, I'd expect them to say, "I'm bringing barbecued chicken" or something of that sort.

[purplejackmama]

Pulled pork or smoked beef brisket is what I would assume. But we all know what happens when we assume things. So instead I would just be happy you wanted to show up. With our without yummy BBQ. :)

[wintermom]

I'm like Hornblower and would have thought, "You are bringing a barbeque? On a truck? Why would you do that?" Barbeque is an event, an action, or the thing you grill with in the Great White North. ;)

 

FYI: It's spelled barbeque = bbq. No 'c' in the word.  :laugh:

[Greta]

Sloppy Joes???  Okay, now I would never mock someone for saying Sloppy Joes are barbecue, but I would politely offer you some real barbecue.  :lol:

[Happy]

Texas gal here. I'd assume shredded beef brisket first thing. Maybe pulled pork or ribs. I smoked a lot of chicken and turkey, too, so those go on the list.

 

Barbeque is most definitely a noun--the tasty result of low and slow smoking. Grilling is what is done quickly over the fire or coals.

 

I did a ton of grilled chicken legs with a citrus marinade over the weekend....I have some leftover, if you want to come for a visit. :)

[OneStepAtATime]

If I told my family we were serving barbeque it would be a perfectly acceptable phrase and they would assume beef, like big hunks of sliced smoked beef, not sloppy joes. (Texas)

 

However, I don't think anyone would bat an eye if someone asked what kind of meat because sometimes people do serve pork or even chicken.

 

OP, they were rude and obviously either don't travel much or don't pay attention to the fact that the term can mean different things to different people.

Edited July 6, 2016 by OneStepAtATime

[vonfirmath]

In our house, we would bring chicken. (also Texas).  In fact, we barbequed chicken (dark meat) on Monday.

 

My mom offered to get steak. But we both prefer chicken.

 

[Janeway]

I voted that it could be anything, but I would have assumed beef. Even my relatives who love pork only call the beef BBQ.

[katilac]

My husband (not the mocker) immediately said "assume it's pork unless she (bringer of bbq) is from Texas" when I asked what he thought.  He's from GA.

 

It is pork! 

 

:-)

 

"Pork" still wouldn't clear it up for me! Pulled pork? Baby back ribs? Country style ribs? 

 

I'm in the deep south, bayou country, and we grill/bbq all kinds of things. Hamburgers, ribs, steaks, chicken, whatever. "Bringing barbecue" would not be a meaningful phrase to me.