Welcome to Barbecue

by david feige

On the subject of barbecue, let's make one thing clear. There is precisely one barbecue recipe. Just one, and that's it. This recipe is universal, and has exactly three steps:

The good meat can be beef or pork or even lamb or chicken. The heat (always low, slow, and indirect) can be suffused with the smoke of hickory wood, mesquite, or even white oak. And as for seasoning to taste? Well, the disagreements there can make the Hatfield-McCoy feud seem like a fleeting lover's quarrel.

The truth is that despite the confines of this simple recipe, barbecue is one of the most diverse of regional delicacies. From the pulled pork of the Carolinas to the burnt ends of Kansas City, much of this country has its own specialized take on this American favorite. What follows is an interactive guide to the profusion of deliciousness that is American barbecue. Click on an icon on the right to learn about barbecue styles around the country and get recommendations on hot spots to visit.