July is chock full of homages to Americana Food Classics. It’s National Hot Dog Month, National Ice Cream Month, National Baked Beans Month, National Pickle Month, National Picnic Month, July 6th is National Fried Chicken Day, and of course, July 4th is National BBQ Day!
The fourth of July is the birthday of America, the day our Founding Fathers declared independence from Britain. It’s the day that American freedom was born, and every year, we celebrate that hard-earned freedom with fireworks, concerts, carnivals, family reunions, and not least of all, barbecue.
Five Fun Food Facts about BBQ, courtesy foodimentary.com:
- Barbecues have been a White House tradition since Thomas Jefferson. Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th president of the United States, hosted the first barbecue at the White House that featured Texas-style barbecued ribs.
- The most popular holidays for barbecuing are, in order, July 4th (71 percent), Memorial Day (57 percent), and Labor Day (55 percent)..
- The most popular foods for cooking on the grill are, in order: burgers (85 percent), steak (80 percent), hot dogs (79 percent) and chicken (73 percent).
- The side dishes most commonly prepared on the grill are, in order, corn (41 percent), potatoes (41 percent), and other vegetables (32 percent).
- The most popular flavors of barbecue sauce are hickory, followed by mesquite, honey, and then spicy-hot.
So what are you waiting for? This Independence Day holiday (and all month long), fire up the grill, get the smoker smokin’, prepare to slather everything in your favorite barbecue sauce, and LET’S EAT!
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