The Lord and Barbecue

Here in the South we like things that are steady, reliable, and good. Our motto should be, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." The proof of this is in two things that we dearly love: the Lord and barbecue. You can't go a mile down the road without passing a church or a barbecue stand.

I was taught to love the Lord and barbecue at a young age at a small church in North Georgia. After an emotionally charged revival, you could always count on there being barbecue to refresh your saved soul.

The prevalence of churches down here might be attributed to our spiritual and social needs. Our churches not only provide a place of worship -- they provide an extended family. When my Grandpa died, our church helped by filling our house with pies, casseroles, barbecue, and visitors bearing hugs. My church had activities that centered mostly on Southern cooking.

Pork is used in most Southern dishes. Daddy told me that his family used every part of the pig except the hair and eyeballs. He told me how an inflated pig's bladder made a tough ball to play with. Back then when a pig was killed, everyone gathered together, prayed, and shared the meal. Perhaps having barbecues came from this tradition. Barbecues are a popular and inexpensive way to lobby for votes, and since barbecue ain't class-specific, it's a great way to eat, drink, and get an ear-full from the preacher or politician.

What does barbecue have to do with the Lord? To try and figure this out, I got out my Bible. Leviticus chapter one, verse nine paraphrased says, "It is a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord." Next, a "handful" of salt was placed on the fire. The rest of the offering belonged to the priests. Although pork was not sacrificed in Biblical times, we Southerners have to make due with what we have on hand.

Daddy takes meal offerings literally because his barbecue is partially consumed before the meat reaches the supper table. He doesn't know that he only has to burn a handful, not all of it. A friend told me, "My husband came home one day and said 'Man, that Pentecostal church is really making a sweet-smelling aroma to the Lord. I don't know how they do it.' And I said, 'So, what, were they having a tent revival or something that you could hear their worship outside?' And he says, 'Nope, a really great-smelling barbecue.'"

A friend told me, "My husband came home one day and said 'Man, that Pentecostal church is really making a sweet-smelling aroma to the Lord. I don't know how they do it.' And I said, 'So, what, were they having a tent revival or something that you could hear their worship outside?' And he says, 'Nope, a really great-smelling barbecue.'"

Was Jesus a vegetarian? The Gospels tell us that Jesus helped his disciples catch fish and He ate fish with them. Also, the Bible tells us that Jesus celebrated Passover and the Passover meal contained lamb. I wonder if the lamb was roasted in a pit with a peppery tomato-based sauce?

Barbecue and church types are as diverse as colors of the rainbow. In the Carolinas, the meat is either sliced or chopped and the sauce is peppery vinegar or vinegar and tomatoes. In Georgia, the pork is still sliced or chopped, but the sauce is primarily a yellow mustard-based mixture. Further west, barbecue is served "pulled" (shredded by hand into tender threads of meat). The pulled pig region (centered on Memphis, Tennessee) has a sweet tomato sauce flavored with pepper and sorghum molasses. In Alabama and Arkansas, most of the sauces are red but a bit spicier than Tennessee's.

As far as churches go, you'll find Conservative and Liberal Southern Baptists, Conservative (no music) and Liberal Primitive Baptists, and Freewill Baptists. There are Conservative and Liberal Presbyterians, Modernist Methodists, Charismatic Episcopalians, Conservative Episcopalians, Churches of Christ, and Pentecostal Holy Rollers (Church of God, Assembly of God, and Charismatic). Also in the mix are Charismatic Catholics, Ritualistic Roman Catholics, and Conservative and Liberal Lutherans. And this list barely scratches the surface of all the worship centers down here; in our churches, you will find radical rompin', devil stompin', Bible talkin', faith walkin', ever lovin', overcomin', curtain climbin' Christians!

We take our religion and barbecue serious. Whether you just finished speaking in tongues, laying your hands, or singing Amazing Grace, chances are great that pulled, chopped, or sliced pork will be available to fill your belly after the Holy Spirit has filled your heart.

Barbecue is definitely Southern Manna.