No, barbecue does not come from a French phrase meaning from beard to tail. This episode dismantles that folk etymology and traces the word back through the Spanish barbacoa to the Taino and Arawak barabicu, a raised wooden framework used for roasting, food storage, and even sleeping.

We explore underground pit cooking recorded by Olaudah Equiano, the colonial propaganda that linked smoke cookery to cannibalism, and how Puritans ended up throwing barbecue parties anyway. Then we break down the science of barbecuing versus grilling and tour the fiercely guarded traditions of South Africa’s braai, Argentina’s asado, and the American South.

• How the Taino used smudge fires beneath sleeping platforms to repel insects
• Why Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes brought the word to Spain and how it spread into English
• Low and slow smoking at 240 to 280 degrees versus grilling over 500 degrees
• Why British barbecue and grilling mean something different than in the United States
• Regional sauce borders in the Carolinas, Memphis dry rubs, Kansas City sweetness, and St. Louis ribs