Call it barbecue, BBQ or just plain \u2018cue, that which we call a roast by any other name is just plain delicious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fire and smoke, the oldest cooking method on the planet, is new again as restaurants add global flavour mashups to the barbecue menu. A couple of years after Korean flavours made a splash, new flavours are joining the party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to barbecue meat in bibimbap bowls with gochujang sauce, operators are branching out and using other Asian flavours. There\u2019s Indian butter sauce on barbecue chicken sandwiches, smoked meats added to lasagna, as well as a variety of sauces, seasonings and sides that incorporate global flavours and pair well with smoky, barbecue meats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow creative do you want to get? You can pretty much put anything you want in a smoker,\u201d said Kevin Green, a Detroit-area Gordon Food Service\u00ae Culinary Specialist. \u201cYou can smoke a watermelon as a vegetarian option. Just marinate it, smoke it and slice. It looks just like smoked ham on a buffet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Traditionally, barbecue is about meat (or seafood) and smoke. This familiar canvas is a great place for chefs to introduce flavour mashups using ingredients uncommon to North American barbecue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m seeing Mediterranean flavours from Turkey,\u201d Culinary Specialist Bill Barker said. He calls out Meat Moot Smoking, an Istanbul-based chain now open near Chicago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey are primarily doing a lot of beef and lamb \u2014 necks, shoulders, ribs and leg quarters \u2014 no pork or chicken,\u201d Barker noted. \u201cInstead of using sweet or spicy rubs, they use ingredients like cinnamon, sumac and clove.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The heat and smoky flavour come from natural lump charcoal. There\u2019s no flavouring from cherry, apple or mesquite wood chips. The meats are slow-smoked, then wrapped in plastic and foil to lock in moisture during finishing. The cuts are then served with 14 sauces, including chimichurri, garlic with olive oil, honey mustard, lime and tahini. Sides include eggplant, couscous and spinach pineapple salad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While global spices and seasonings can enhance smoked meats and seafood, don\u2019t go overboard. Extra ingredients and preparations take money and time, which Houston-based Culinary Specialist Erin Copeland says will affect budgets and labour capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGood barbecuers keep the ingredients and the process simple,\u201d she said. \u201cKeep the menu small by doing five or six meats and five or six sides. If they are super flavourful and well-executed, people will love them and be lined up outside your door and around the corner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead of expanding the menu, operators can turn to retail for extra income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBottle and package your barbecue sauce or spice rub, make hats, sell cooking classes,\u201d Copeland said. \u201cThose revenue streams can help offset the cost of barbecue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another profit maker is side dishes. Ohio-based Business Solutions Specialist Abby Windau also sees sides as a vehicle for global flavour. Examples include smoked saffron rice, zucchini fritters with a Greek yogurt dipping sauce, or an ear of smoky elote with chili powder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s also possible to turn a side into an entr\u00e9e. Twice-baked smoker potatoes can be served with a small helping of barbecue meat and smothered with cheese or a dollop of sriracha sour cream. The same for mac and cheese \u2014 just add some protein with zesty global flavours and you have a meal worth way more than the sum of its parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWith good sides that feature colourful, global flavour mashups, you can downplay the fact that you are serving smaller portion sizes of barbecue meat,\u201d Windau said. \u201cIf you create exclusiveness \u2014 a flavour you can only get here \u2014 it will drive traffic.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Global influences are changing the landscape for food lovers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":30348,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[122,68,112],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-catering-small-business","category-culinary-ideas","category-restaurant-bars"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n