Memphis barbecue inspired Leslie Kelly to learn skills of a pitmaster

There’s a world of difference between grilling and barbecuing. The first is all about the sizzling sear while the latter takes it slow and low. Barbecue is a noun, not a verb.

That’s one of the first things I learned when I moved from Spokane to Memphis, Tenn., nearly seven years ago. In the South, barbecue isn’t just something people eat; it’s a lifestyle, often defined by long discussions about the best wood to fire up, the most delicious rub recipe and whether to inject or to let the flavor of the meat speak for itself.

In the South, you never barbecue burgers. You grill them. You’d never have a barbecue. It’s a cookout. And most people don’t bother with barbecue because in Memphis, there’s something like 70 restaurants where you can buy some amazingly succulent meat drizzled in sauce and topped with slaw or a rack of “dry” ribs.

You can even eat barbecue for breakfast, if you’re so inclined, which was one reason I always rolled down my window while driving into work each morning. To catch a whiff of the fragrant smoke spewing from Tops Barbecue, a place that began serving at 8:30 each morning.

When I moved back to the Northwest a few years ago, I searched high and low, looking for good barbecue. (When I’m in Spokane, it’s easy because there’s always Chkn-n-Mo.) Sadly, it became clear that if I wanted good ’cue, it was going to have to be DIY.

So began my smoky attempt at becoming a pitmaster, a journey marked by many missteps. It’s the most primitive, straightforward method of cooking, but it’s challenging to get it just right.

I studied the barbecue bibles from Steven Raichlen, Elizabeth Karmel and Myron Mixon, tomes with titles like “Holy Smoke” and “Born to Grill.” My favorite reference became “Peace, Love and Barbecue,” because not only do Mike Mills and his daughter Amy know their hot stuff, they tell great stories about the country’s most famous pitmasters. The book’s subtitle is “Recipes, Secrets, Tall Tales and Outright Lies From Barbecue Legends.”

My mission to teach myself to cook ’cue got me back in touch with the fine folks who sleep, eat and breathe barbecue. I quizzed Memphis barbecue cooks about the best way to build a fire and keep it going at a low, steady temperature, aiming for the low 200s.

It’s not like setting the oven and walking away. If you cook over fire, it’s like tending a living thing. It needs care and feeding – and a hose nearby, just in case.

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