Ed Mitchell | |
|---|---|
 Ed Mitchell in 2008 | |
| Born | 1948or1949(age 74–75) [1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Occupation | Pitmaster |
| Website | www |
Ed Mitchell (born 1948 or 1949) [1] is an American pitmaster and businessman. Mitchell's frequent media appearances and advocacy for the use of heritage breed pork has earned him the title of the most "famous pitmaster" in North Carolina. [2] Mitchell has appeared in Bon Appetit and on Throwdown! with Bobby Flay and National Geographic. [3]
Ed Mitchell grew up in Wilson, North Carolina. He learned about barbecue from his family, who frequently held large family gatherings. [4]
When Mitchell was 14 or 15 years old, he attended a family barbecue. It was attended by his father, uncles, grandfather and other male relatives. The family passed around moonshine and eventually, the adults fell asleep. Mitchell began tending to the barbecue fire. His grandfather woke up and saw a cooked pig in the barbecue and when he asked who cooked it. Mitchell acknowledged he did. Mitchell thought he was going to be chastised by his grandfather. Instead, his grandfather grabbed the bottle of moonshine and gave Mitchell a glass to celebrate - it was his first alcoholic beverage and his first time barbecuing. [5]
Mitchell specializes in whole hog barbecue. Mitchell uses traditional techniques for his barbecue, including using oak and hickory logs which are soaked in vinegar, onions and garlic, in addition to charcoal briquettes. His rub comprises salt, black pepper, red pepper, and onion powder. His barbecue sauce comprises cider vinegar, crushed red pepper, salt, sugar and black pepper. He cooks "hot and fast" with a bank of coals surrounding the hog. He closes the barbecue vents and will let the hog smoke overnight. He will smoke a hog starting at 500 degrees, lowering the temperature to 250 gradually. [1]
Mitchell prefers whole hog because it allows one to taste "all the different parts." [6] For example, to prepare a pulled pork sandwich, Mitchell will smoke a whole hog, believing that a proper pulled pork sandwich requires a blend of shoulder, ham, and belly meat. [1]
In the 1990s, he started selling his barbecue at his family's grocery store in Wilson. [7] In 2004, the business closed after Mitchell was accused of failing to pay state taxes for the store. [7]
Mitchell co-founded The Pit in Raleigh. He left The Pit in 2011. [7] In 2014, he opened Que in the American Tobacco Campus in Durham. [2] [4] Que closed in 2015 after less than one year of operation. [2] [8] Mitchell said the space did not enable him to barbecue more than one hog a day, which did not provide him the opportunity to maximize restaurant and catering sales. [4] [8] In 2019, Mitchell announced he would open a new restaurant, The Preserve, in Raleigh in partnership with his son Ryan Mitchell and LM Restaurants. [2] [4] The restaurant is slated to focus on the history of barbecue in North Carolina and will use pigs raised specifically for barbecue. [2] He also operates a food truck called Q on Wheels. In 2018, he started selling his barbecue through Goldbelly. The barbecue is prepared at a smokehouse in Micro, North Carolina. [4]
In 2020, Mitchell created three barbecue sauces for True Made Foods. [9]
The cuisine of the Southern United States encompasses diverse food traditions of several subregions, including Tidewater, Appalachian, Ozarks, Lowcountry, Cajun, Creole, and Floribbean cuisine. In recent history, elements of Southern cuisine have spread to other parts of the United States, influencing other types of American cuisine.
Barbecue or barbeque is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that employ live fire and smoke to cook the food. The term is also generally applied to the devices associated with those methods, the broader cuisines that these methods produce, and the meals or gatherings at which this style of food is cooked and served. The cooking methods associated with barbecuing vary significantly but most involve outdoor cooking.
A pig pickin' is a type of party or gathering held primarily in the American South which involves the barbecuing of a whole hog. Females, or gilts, are used as well. Boars and sows generally are too large.
Kansas City–style barbecue is a slowly smoked meat barbecue originating in Kansas City, Missouri in the early 20th century. It has a thick, sweet sauce derived from brown sugar, molasses, and tomatoes. Henry Perry is credited as its originator, as two of the oldest Kansas City–style barbecue restaurants still in operation trace their roots back to Perry's pit.
Barbecue sauce is a sauce used as a marinade, basting, condiment, or topping for meat cooked in the barbecue cooking style, including pork or beef ribs and chicken. It is an ubiquitous condiment in the Southern United States and is used on many other foods as well.
Barbecue is a tradition often considered a quintessential part of American culture, especially the Southern United States.
The North Carolina Barbecue Society (NCBS) is a non-profit organization created to promote North Carolina culture and food. They are based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, One of the goals of the organization is to promote barbecue related cultural events such as the Tar Heel Barbecue Classic and the Lexington Barbecue Festival, as well as promote the barbecue culture of North Carolina.
Barbecue chicken consists of chicken parts or entire chickens that are barbecued, grilled or smoked. There are many global and regional preparation techniques and cooking styles. Barbecue chicken is often seasoned or coated in a spice rub, barbecue sauce, or both. Marinades are also used to tenderize the meat and add flavor. Rotisserie chicken has gained prominence and popularity in U.S. grocery markets. Barbecued chicken is one of the world's most popular barbecue dishes.
Inihaw, also known as sinugba or inasal, are various types of grilled or pit-roasted barbecue dishes from the Philippines. They are usually made from pork or chicken and are served on bamboo skewers or in small cubes with a soy sauce and vinegar-based dip. The term can also refer to any meat or seafood dish cooked and served in a similar way. Inihaw are commonly sold as street food and are eaten with white rice or rice cooked in coconut leaves (pusô). Inihaw is also commonly referred to as Filipino barbecue or (informally) Pinoy BBQ.
Texas Barbecue refers to methods of preparation for barbecue unique to Texan cuisine. Beef brisket, pork ribs, and sausage are among the most commonly known dishes. The term can also include side dishes that are traditionally served alongside the smoked meats.
Barbecue is an important part of the heritage and history of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It has resulted in a series of bills and laws that relate to the subject, and at times has been a politically charged subject. In part, this is due to the existence of two distinct types of barbecue that have developed over the last few hundred years: Lexington style and Eastern style. Both are pork-based barbecues but differ in the cuts of pork used and the sauces they are served with. In addition to the two native varieties, other styles of barbecue can be found throughout the state.
Texan cuisine is the food associated with the Southern U.S. state of Texas, including its native Southwestern cuisine influenced Tex-Mex foods. Texas is a large state, and its cuisine has been influenced by a wide range of cultures, including Tejano/Mexican, Native American, Creole/Cajun, African-American, German, Czech, Southern and other European American groups.
Myron Mixon is an American celebrity chef and competitor on the competitive barbecue circuit. He is a five time barbecue World Champion and appeared as a judge on Destination America reality television show BBQ Pitmasters. He also appeared as a judge on the bbq show Smoked as well as the show BBQ Pit Wars. Due to the number of accolades he has achieved during his BBQ career, he has the nickname of "the winningest man in barbecue."
A barbecue sandwich is a sandwich that is typically prepared with barbecued meats. Several types of meats are used to prepare barbecue sandwiches. Some varieties use cooked meats that are not barbecued, but include barbecue sauce. Many variations, including regional variations, exist, along with diverse types of cooking styles, preparations and ingredients.
A barbecue restaurant is a restaurant that specializes in barbecue-style cuisine and dishes. Barbecue restaurants may open relatively early compared to other restaurants, in part to optimize sales while barbecued foods being slow-cooked by the process of smoking are being tended to by restaurant personnel on premises. In some instances, this can enable the sales of barbecued meats that began being smoked the night before the next business day. Per these logistics, a significant portion of their sales may occur during lunchtime. Additionally, high lunch turnover at barbecue restaurants may occur per the foods being cooked and sold in large batches. Popular food items may sell out earlier compared to others, which may encourage customers to arrive earlier. In January 2015, the U.S. National Restaurant Association forecast "barbecue, Italian food and fried chicken" to be "top perennial menu favorites in 2015".
South Carolina is home to several distinct styles of barbecue characterized by different cuts of meat, types of barbecue sauce and preparation. It is particularly well known for the heavy emphasis on pork and the popularity of a mustard-based barbecue sauce in the central part of the state.
Rodney Scott's Whole Hog BBQ is a barbecue restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina. Specializing in pulled pork barbecue and owned by Rodney Scott and Nick Pihakis, it opened in February 2017.
Rodney Scott is an American chef and whole-hog barbecue pitmaster from Hemingway, South Carolina. In 2018 Scott was named Best Chef: Southeast by the James Beard Foundation, only the second pitmaster to win a James Beard chef award.
Dukes Bar-B-Que is the name of numerous unrelated barbecue restaurants in South Carolina, all founded by descendants of Manuel Dukes.
Alabama has various barbecue styles and dishes and is noted for hickory-smoked pork and chicken prevalence. White sauce, a mayonnaise-based barbecue sauce, was invented in Decatur, Alabama in 1925.
