posted by Susan Sueiro
Supposedly the Inuit language has seven words for snow, to express the differences in texture, water content, etc.
By comparison, we use one word in English, barbeque, to describe any meat cooked over fire. It could be beef or pork, ribs or roasts, slathered in sauce or dry rubbed, the same word is used for them all.
Perhaps that is because in any one place, it is understood to have a single, specific, CORRECT meaning, but unless you're from Carolina, Kansas City, Memphis or Texas, you may not have such a strong opinion.
In wine country, one grape variety claims to pair best with all forms of BBQ: Zinfandel. That is likely due to the sweetness of most rubs and sauces and the hearty, jammy style of zin that is long been popular in California. But it is worth digging a little deeper into this most clichéd of summer wine pairings.
Though I think of zinfandel as far from the most nuanced of varieties, my favorites are the ones that are full of pepper and smoke, with fruit that is juicy not jammy, and retains some acidity to balance it out. Yes, I admit it, I am so partial to the Gundlach Bundschu style that I rarely experiment much with other zins.
It serves to reason that style matches my taste in BBQ. I tend to stick to beef and avoid messy/sweet BBQ sauces, but have recently developed an addiction to dry rubbed pork chops. I go for lots of spice and no sugar in the rub. The simple, fast staple in my house, thanks to Nancy Lang from the winery tasting room crew, is 2T chili powder, 1t cayenne, 1t salt and 1/2t black pepper. It pairs real nicely with that GB Zinfandel.
So, barbeque fans, what's your preferred definition of Q? And while you're at it, expand my zin horizons with your recommendations.
