Who doesn’t love to chow down on meats and other foods that have been grilled on a barbecue? The people who live in the northeastern part of the United States cook outside on their grills the most. According to the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association, there are over 2.5 billion barbecues held every year in the United States. That takes a lot of sauce! A little known fact about barbecue grilling is that ninety percent of grillers use barbecue sauce to add zest to their meat and poultry. Can you guess which flavor of sauce is the most popular? If you guessed hickory flavor, you’re right, according to the Barbecue Industry Association. Mesquite flavor came in second. Read this fun article and learn some more little known facts about barbecue grilling that you’re sure to enjoy!
Famous Barbecues
The third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, began the tradition of holding barbecues at the White House when he served from 1801-1809. When Lyndon B. Johnson took office as the thirty-sixth president in 1963, he introduced Texas-style Barbecue Ribs.
Reasons We Cook Outside On the Grill Americans love barbecued food so much they don’t really need an occasion to grill outside. However, we do use summer holidays as valid reasons. The most popular holiday for barbecue grilling is the Fourth of July, followed by Labor Day, then Memorial Day. We also cook on our grills anytime a special occasion arises. Grilling is mainly a summer activity, but more and more people are even doing it in the wintertime!
Types of Grills We Prefer to Use
Wood and charcoal briquettes have long been our favorite types of fuels for our grills. More and more people are choosing natural gas or propane grills over the old reliables, though. Gas and propane grills are faster to light, and they produce a more consistent amount of heat. They also burn cleaner than the traditional wood and charcoal. Another little known fact about barbecue grilling is that Henry Ford invented the briquette in 1920. E.G. Kingsford bought the rights, and, well, you know the rest of the story from there!
If you still prefer to cook your foods over charcoal briquettes, look for ones that aren’t saturated in chemical-ridden lighter fluid. Also, look for natural charcoal that doesn’t contain other chemicals that can harm humans as well.
What Americans Love to Grill
It probably won’t surprise you, with the ongoing success of hamburger joints like McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King, that our love affair with hamburgers is still going strong. We still put hamburgers on our barbecue grills the most. Hot dogs have taken a backseat to steak and chicken.
Dangers of Grilling
According to the July 2006 issue of AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) magazine,
you’ll be safer if you brush your teeth or read than if you grill on your barbecue. A little known fact about barbecue grilling is that, grilling is far less dangerous than bowling, bicycling or driving a car. Unfortunately, it still results in a few thousand fires and burns each year.
