Make barbecue

[Xavier da Silva]

Hello everyone,


I found safe occurrences on Google which helped me conclude that the phrase "make barbecue" is natural/idiomatic. Here are two of them.

- ''There are thousands of recipes for making delicious barbecue but check out these three simple, easy to make and awesome recipes.''[Yahoo.voices - USA]

- ''That's the basics. But what's missing is the story of how Stan really learned how to make barbecue.''[seattleweekly.com - USA]


My question is: Do you agree with me that "make barbecue" is natural/idiomatic in English? If not, what do you suggest?


Meaning intended: prepare barbecued meat, make it ready to eat

Thank you in advance!

 

[LisaPaloma]

While people in many parts of the U.S. have barbecues and barbecue various meats and, occasionally, vegetables, in the South, people make barbecue. They take the meat from the barbecued pig (usually), chop it up and mix it with condiments. That resulting chopped, seasoned pork is called barbecue.

 

[LisaPaloma]

P.S. "safe" occurrences?? Do you mean certain (i.e., particular?) occurrences?

 

[Xavier da Silva]

By safe I meant "used by English native speakers": make barcecue

 

[LisaPaloma]

I'm not sure I understand. Did I answer your question?
If by "English native speakers" you mean "native speakers of English from Great Britain," then I don't know. All I can tell you is that, native speakers of English from the southern United States (I am one) do say "make barbecue," as I described.

 

[Parla]

It's not necessarily so used in other parts of the US; I've never heard it here in the northeast.

 

[LisaPaloma]

I'm well aware of that, so I was careful to state that in the southern U.S. it is used. I also felt I was making that clear in my very first statement, but perhaps I wasn't clear enough.

 

[Bevj]

I have never heard this usage in British English.

 

[theartichoke]

It comes down to whether you live somewhere where the word "barbecue" refers to a dish rather than to a method of cooking. As Lisa has said, "barbecue" in the southern U.S. refers to a very specific regional specialty of barbecued meat with particular condiments. You can make barbecue, eat barbecue, have a restaurant that serves barbecue, etc. You would talk about "barbecue" in the same way you would talk about "pizza."

In other parts of the U.S., and in Canada (and probably in the U.K. as well), "barbecue" can refer to the method of cooking, the device which you use to do the grilling, or a party at which you consume things cooked on a barbecue, but it's not a noun for the barbecued food itself: I could say "I'm going to barbecue a chicken" or "we need to buy a new barbecue," or "she invited us to a barbecue" (I think this last usage is getting a little dated, though), but I wouldn't say "I'm going to make/eat barbecue" unless I was referring specifically to the Southern U.S. dish.

 

[waltern]

As you have probably guessed by now, the usage of the word "barbecue" (in the US) is VERY regionally specific.

I grew up in New York, where someone might invite you over for "a barbecue" - which meant a party where some hot dogs and hamburgers were cooked outside on a grill.

I now live in Texas, where such a usage of "barbecue" would be practically sacreligious!

 

[Miss Julie]

You mean sacrilegious​.

 

[waltern]

That too!

While LisaPaloma (from North Carolina) thinks of "barbecue" (as a dish) as chopped pork, here in Texas when we make or go out for "barbecue" it's generally beef brisket and sausage, while in Kansas City the term is usually associated with ribs...the factor they all have in common is long/slow cooking over wood smoke.

 

[Miss Julie]

LisaPaloma (from North Carolina) thinks of "barbecue" (as a dish) as chopped pork, here in Texas when we make or go out for "barbecue" it's generally beef brisket and sausage, while in Kansas City the term is usually associated with ribs...the factor they all have in common is long/slow cooking over wood smoke.

Exactly. That's what barbecue means to me (whatever is being barbecued), and it's ALL good!