Read this China Press 1936 recipe closely and notice what has gone missing. Barbecue means a pit about ten feet long and three or four feet deep. An Arkansas a pit master known as Dad Crummit lit his hardwood at five in the morning and fed the fire all day, keeping the coals red and a little flame spurting. Hickory burns longer and hotter than softwood and puts its flavor into the meat through smoke. The China Press version slides a split bird under a broiler flame and calls a mop of butter, vinegar, mustard, and Worcestershire a barbecue sauce. When a technique like barbecue moves from the people who guard it to a newspaper that summarizes it, the vocabulary spreads while the craft thins.
Barbecued Chicken
Ingredients
1 young broiling chicken
5 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons vinegar
½ teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Dash cayenne
Directions
Split the chicken for broiling. Place it on a broiling rack above a shallow dripping pan, skin side up, and broil under a hot flame until well browned. Turn and brown the other side. Baste the chicken frequently during broiling with a barbecue sauce made from the remaining ingredients.
The China Press, September 11, 1936.
