History

2021

July 2021

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Visit https://www.census.gov/history every month for the latest Census History Home Page!

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U.S. Census Bureau History: Summer Barbecues

Americans love barbecues and grilling outdoors during the summer. Politicians like
President Lyndon B. Johnson (above, at the 1967 Latin American Ambassadors’
Weekend) knew that a barbecue at his Gillespie County, TX, ranch was certain to
attract a hungry crowd, provide an opportunity for photos, and perhaps even raise
funds for the Democratic Party.

Photo courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.

Americans love barbecuing and grilling outdoors during the summer. For many, the aromas of burning wood or charcoal and roasting meats evoke fond memories of summer cookouts with family, camping trips, Fourth of July parades, and church, service club, and fundraising events. As the popularity of this cooking style grew, professional pitmasters and backyard aficionados developed distinctive spice blends and sauces that have made barbecue restaurants and festivals, as well as entire barbecue-loving cities popular tourist destinations.

Barbecue is a centuries-old method of cooking meat over a fire that allows wood smoke, herbs and spices, and sauces, to flavor the meat. The origin of the "first" or "best" barbecue recipe is an ongoing and endless debate, barbecue connoisseurs generally identify four regional barbecue styles within the United States: the Carolinas; Kansas City, MO; Memphis, TN; and Texas. Each of these regions feature distinct variations that makes each recipe a mouth-watering experience.

The origin of traditional Carolinas-style barbecue is often attributed to Pitt County, NC, and pitmaster Skilton Dennis. In the 1830s, Dennis began barbecuing hogs over a fire pit of oak or hickory wood on Sunday mornings enticing hungry churchgoers to purchase the steaming hot meals from the back of his wagon. Dennis' recipe evolved over the years to define the Carolina style of barbecue, which slathers a vinegar-based sauce flavored with herbs and spices over slow-roasted and smoked pork.

Family barbecue recipes moved west with migrating Americans and immigrants. In Memphis, TN, pitmasters developed distinct recipes for wet (sauce-covered) and dry (spice-rubbed) pork ribs and pulled pork sandwiches. Kansas City, MO, immigrants used a dry rub of herbs and spices that flavored a variety of meats as they roasted over a wood fire. A tomato-based sauce is often served alongside Kansas City barbecue instead of brushed on the meat. Texas-style barbecue is famous for its roasted beef, flavored with mesquite smoke and simple salt and pepper rubs. Other Texas recipes include a sweet, molasses-based sauce that locks in the slow-cooked meats' juices, or President Lyndon B. Johnson's favorite that included catsup, vinegar, and hot pepper sauce that he served at his Texas ranch and formal state dinners.

While the United States may be defined by its four most popular regional barbecue styles, these are certainly not the only flavors to enjoy from the nation's barbecue pits, grills, and smokers. Many states and cities have developed their own regionally-popular recipes that represent the ingredients available and the particular tastes of the race and ethnic groups making up their populations. For example, visitors to Decatur, AL, enjoy barbecued chicken with the regions famous "Alabama White Sauce" made with mayonnaise. Honolulu, HI's Asian American population influenced that city's barbecue featuring sweet teriyaki glazed meats sharing grill space alongside Spam (a processed, canned pork product) and pineapple. Lunch crowds in Baltimore, MD, crowd around vendors serving the regions famous "pit beef" sandwiches; a trip to Owensboro, KY, should include a marinated and smoked mutton sandwich; Muskogee, OK, visitors often sample its popular barbecued bologna, mayonnaise, and coleslaw sandwiches; and visitors to Santa Barbara County, CA, have enjoyed the Santa Maria-style barbecue that uses a salt, pepper, and garlic rub over hot oak coals since the 19th century.

For many Americans, the summer menu would not be complete without hamburgers and hot dogs on the backyard grill or slow-roasted pork, brisket, ribs, or chicken. Whether the meal comes from your own barbecue pit, a favorite restaurant, or a local festival, that savory barbecue aroma is sure to attract a crowd of hungry family and friends during the warm nights ahead.

You can learn more about the history and economic impact of barbecue in the United States using census data and records. For example:

• Great barbecue is harder than it looks, so many Americans choose to enjoy barbecue at a favorite restaurant or food truck. Data from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns series found that the United States was home to 672,602 food services and drinking places in 2019. These establishments employed 12,330,989 people during the pay period that included March 12, 2019, and had an annual payroll of $236.6 billion. Among these establishments were 7,217 mobile food services establishments (NAICS 722330); 254,873 full-service restaurants (NAICS 722511); and 5,494 cafeterias, grill buffets, and buffets (NAICS 722514).
• Beef, pork, and chicken are the most popular barbecue and grilling meats in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there were 711,827 farms raising cattle and calves; 66,439 farms raising hogs and pigs; and 42,858 farms raising broiler and other meat-type chickens in 2017.
• Many cities claim to be home to the nation's "best" barbecue, including Kansas City, MO; Austin, TX; Memphis, TN; and Lexington, NC. Kansas City owes some of its barbecue fame to restaurateur and "Father of Kansas City Barbecue" Henry Perry, who operated "Perry's Barbecue." Perry was inducted into the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame in 2014. In 1875, a market owned by Jesse Swearingen put Austin-style barbecue on the culinary map when he began selling barbecued meats from his market in Lockhart, TX. Charlie Vergos made the Memphis-style "dry rub" of herbs and spices famous from his restaurant in a downtown alley in 1948. He was inducted into the Barbecue Hall of Fame in 2018. Lexington, NC, pitmaster Sid Weaver began selling his famous Lexington barbecue—which adds tomato to the vinegar-based sauce—from a tent in 1916. Weaver was a member of the first class honored on Lexington's Barbecue Wall of Fame in 2016 along with two of the region's other barbecue pioneers—Jesse Swicegood and Will Johnson.
• According to the 2017 Economic Census, the hot dogs, hamburgers, steak, ribs, and sausage Americans enjoy at barbecues and cookouts this month were likely prepared by one of the nation's 1,404 establishments engaged in processing meat from carcasses (except poultry and small game, NAICS 311612). Texas led the nation for the number of these processing establishments in 2019 with 122, followed by California (116) and Illinois (78).
• In 2017, the economic census found that 240,067 employees at the nation's 522 poultry processing establishments often worked around the clock trying to satisfy the nation's hunger for chicken and other poultry. That year, the total value of processed poultry products—including chicken wings, drumsticks, ground turkey, etc.—was nearly $67.3 billion. Arkansas and Georgia led the nation in the value of processing poultry products with $8,093,195,000 and $8,092,195,000, respectively.
• The U.S. Census Bureau classifies the nation's charcoal and gas grill manufacturers as part of the Major Household Appliance Manufacturing (NAICS 335220) industry. The 2017 Economic Census found that 163 establishments in this industry employed 43,216 people, and had an annual value of shipments of more than $18.9 billion.
• Most Americans fuel their outdoor grills and barbecues using either charcoal briquettes or propane. County Business Patterns series data showed that during the pay period that included March 12, 2019, 74 establishments employed 5,870 people in the "Cyclic Crude, Intermediate, and Gum and Wood Chemical Manufacturing" industry (NAICS 325194), which includes charcoal briquette manufacturers. Along with gasoline, waxes, and lubricating oils, many of the nation's 175 petroleum refineries (NAICS 324110) and their 64,334 employees also produce propane used in Americans' outdoor grills during the pay period that included March 12, 2019.
• Do you want to live and breathe barbecue? Perhaps move to Barbecue, NC is in your future. The township in Harnett County has a population of 19,517, median age of 32.4, and median household income of $69,701. Other places to consider include: Grill, PA; Rib Mountain, WI; Weiner, AR; Smoketown, PA; Meat Camp, NC; Cattle Creek, CO; Roasting Ear, AR; or Grand Prairie, TX, which recently renamed a street "Brisket Lane" in honor of one of the city's famed barbecue restaurants.
• Barbecued meats aren't for everyone. According to a 2018 Gallup Poll , 5 percent of Americans consider themselves to be vegetarian. A September 2020 article in Forbes Magazine suggested that vegetarians would be happiest in Portland, OR; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; or Los Angeles, CA, thanks to those cities abundance of affordable vegan-friendly restaurants and markets.

In 1875, in Lockhart, TX, market owner Jesse Swearingen put Austin-style barbecue on the culinary map when he began selling barbecued meats to hungry patrons.

Today, Texans claim their barbecue is the world's best and made famous by restaurants and colorful roadside advertising, like this road sign in Brown County, TX. In 2019, the County
Business Patterns series found that Texas was home to 47,326 restaurants and other eating establishments (NAICS 7225), many of which served the state's famous Texas-style barbecue.

Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

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Did you know?

The variety of barbecue sauces lining the shelves of your local grocery store is growing every year! The Census Bureau collects economic data about the producers of these tangy condiments as part of the fruit and vegetable canning industry (NAICS 311421).

In 2017, the economic census found that 843 establishments involved in fruit and vegetable canning employed 44,898 people. Between 1997 and 2017, the total value of shipments for the industry grew from about $16 billion to more than $23.9 billion.

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Ford Charcoal

According to the The millions of Model T automobiles the Ford Motor Company built between 1908 and 1927 created tons of scrap wood. So, beginning in 1920, the company began using this scrap to make charcoal briquettes.

Using a production method developed by chemist Orin Stafford, in a factory designed by Thomas Edison, and managed by Edward G. Kingsford, the Ford Charcoal Company produced 600 pounds of briquettes from every ton of scrap hardwood entering the plant.

Ford named the community adjacent to the charcoal factory Kingsford, MI. When investors purchased the charcoal brand in 1951, they renamed it for Edward Kingsford and the town that bears his name.

Photo courtesy of the Henry Ford Museum.

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For the Record

Ayden, NC, claims to be the home of the first establishment dedicated to serving barbecued meats in the United States. Pitt County, NC, resident Skilton Dennis sold "whole hog" barbecue to churchgoers from the back of his wagon in the 1830s.

Decades later, Dennis' son Skilton M. Dennis opened his own barbecue restaurant in the town. Generations of Dennis' descendants have continued to operate barbecue restaurants in Ayden and Pitt County, NC, featuring North Carolina's world-famous slow-cooked pork, flavored with spices, vinegar-based sauce, and hardwood smoke.

Photo courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

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Visit https://www.census.gov/history every month for the latest Census History Home Page!