What’s more American than BBQ? Injecting it with various cuisines that reflect the diverse nature of the country, that’s what. Today’s American barbecue landscape is extremely exciting, incorporating everything from traditional Chinese food to Ethiopian culinary customs.
Like so many things, BBQ has gone global. The proof is in places like Smoke ‘N Ash in Texas and Riot BBQ in Denver. The former treats barbecue to some Ethiopian flair while the latter blends northern Mexican cuisine with Lone Star barbecue. There’s King BBQ in South Carolina, which mashes up Chinese with southern barbecue. And there’s Portland’s esteemed Eem, which injects Thai dishes with the smoked meats of Texas barbecue.
New kinds of BBQ
“BBQ is simple and straightforward, but not easy,” says chef Manny Barella of Riot BBQ. “What makes it unique is that it leaves little room for error. You can’t just re-fire an overcooked brisket the way you might fix a dish in a traditional kitchen; once it’s done, it’s done. That pressure demands a lot of care and respect for the process.”
There’s a lineage at play too. “For me, BBQ also connects deeply to my roots,” he says. “I grew up in a part of Mexico known for cooking over open fire, so working with BBQ feels natural and nostalgic. It’s a way of fusing my heritage with something universal.”
For Shuai Wang of King BBQ, it’s all about authentically merging cuisines. “I think generally when people think ‘fusion,’ especially ‘Asian fusion; in our case, they’ll slap some lemongrass, miso, soy sauce, or kimchi on things, and boom it’s Asian fusion,” says Wang. “It took us a very long time and R&D to figure out how to respectfully pay homage to both southern BBQ and traditional Chinese BBQ, which people before us had spent decades to perfect. We wanted to make sure we’re really embracing both cuisines and creating a menu that is truly unique but not gimmicky. You won’t find any pulled pork wonton nachos on this menu.”
Honoring tradition is important too, especially when dealing in age-old food customs. “Classic American barbecue and Chinese BBQ has not changed much in a very long time, not that it needs to,” admits Wang. ” We’re using both American smoking techniques and Chinese BBQ techniques and have created something that’s very unique and one of a kind.”
Of course, traditions can be played with, yielding exciting new dishes. “I’ve made it a priority to bring authentic Mexican food to Denver—not Tex-Mex—using traditional techniques that many people here may not be familiar with,” Barella says. “I’m very intentional about staying on the side of true Mexican flavors and not crossing into the Tex-Mex style, which has its place, but it’s not what Riot BBQ is about. My goal is to share the flavors and traditions I grew up with in Mexico and bring that genuine experience to the BBQ scene here.”
New means, new dishes
“We take great pride in what we’ve created,” says Fasicka Hicks of Smoke ‘N Ash. “When we first started experimenting with dry rubs outside the norm for Texas BBQ, we weren’t sure how it would turn out. But through consistency and hard work, we gave Smoke’N Ash BBQ its unique identity as Tex-Ethiopian BBQ.”
Some of her favorite dishes on the menu include the brisket ribs and the smoked doro wat. “I love our shrimp toast sliders and our smoked duck service,” says Wang. “Shrimp toast is very much an American Chinese takeout dish; you won’t see it anywhere in mainland China. We have a guilty pleasure of housing several orders of it, though, when we do order American Chinese takeout. On the menu, we’ve combined our love for shrimp toast and my love for the classic Filet-o-Fish, and that’s how the shrimp toast slider was born.”
Over at Riot BBQ, it’s all about getting the best of both sides of the border. “The esquites cornbread and the pork ribs al pastor are my two favorite bites,” Barella says. “Both of these dishes perfectly embody what we’re doing at Riot. The esquites cornbread is a traditional Texas-style savory cornbread, but topped with charred onion crema, cotija cheese, and charred corn to evoke the esquites street corn of Mexico. Similarly, al pastor is one of my favorite family dishes. Here we take the traditional chilies, achiote paste, and spices of al pastor to lend a smoked BBQ complexity to classic fall-off-the-bone ribs.”
Evolution and excitement
Given the thoughtful infusions happening all over the country, the state of barbecue is perhaps better than its even been. If nothing else, it’s in its most intriguing form to date and that’s cause for excitement. “I’ve learned that there are so many similarities between Texas BBQ and northern Mexican asado, yet every cut of meat responds differently,” Barella says. “You really have to learn to listen to each one to achieve the result you envision. One of the most pleasant discoveries has been how well dried chiles pair with smoked meats; the combination creates such a rich, memorable bite.”
Looking at something as established as BBQ in new ways sets the stage for further innovation in the field. “We made our fusion to represent my Ethiopian heritage and my husband’s Texan BBQ tradition. We have learned that blending our traditions represents our cultures and opens the door to others to learn about it,” Hicks says. “With an open mind, anything is possible with food!”
Perhaps coolest, there’s an acknowledgement that BBQ is a supremely flexible culinary art. “We’ve definitely learned that with the right recipes and techniques, BBQ is very versatile and mixes well with all different cuisines, honestly, it’s limitless,” says Wang. “Every country has some kind BBQ. It does well with Chinese ingredients, but not all traditional Chinese BBQ techniques. Let’s just say we ate a lot of ribs to get to the perfect one.”
“We would love to inspire others around the country to take the risk of blending different cuisines, just as we’re doing,” Barella says.
