Barbecues in the Rocky Mountains

Barbecue might be a distinctly American culinary tradition, but according to Time magazine, it actually originated with the Taíno people of the pre-colonized Caribbean islands. The word "barbecue" derives from the Taíno and Spanish terms for cooking meat over a fire pit, a practice that quickly spread after the first Spanish settlers tasted the native spoils in the 15th century. Eventually, European influences brought pork into the picture and turned barbecues into popular ways to cook wild pigs.

Today, this cooking style pervades the lifestyles and cuisines of many regions of the United States. Private backyards boast barbecue grills, sweet and spicy barbecue sauces fill grocery store shelves, and thousands of cities have their own barbecue restaurants. Barbecue cooking is still distinguished by open flames and a slow cooking process, usually over charcoal, but specific techniques include wood-smoking, barbecue-baking, and braising in a grill-top pot.

Recreation options in the Rocky Mountains already revolve around the Great Outdoors, so backyard feasts and campfire treats are commonplace. With so many hiking and camping opportunities in the local landscape, outdoor cooking is a convenient option for both social settings and everyday lifestyles, and natives have a fond appreciation for the sweet, earthy flavors and laid-back atmospheres of barbecue gatherings.

Barbecue enthusiasts even formed the Rocky Mountain BBQ Association (RMBBQA), a collective that celebrates barbecue culture and encourages barbecue cooking in the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. The South gets most of the barbecue acclaim; states including North and South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama even have their own signature sauces and cooking techniques. However, there are also regular and popular barbecues Colorado, North and South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Utah.

Colorado is unique among the western mountain states, thanks to thriving metropolitan areas in Denver and Boulder that celebrate diversity and include families from across the world. Both these cities and their suburbs share a communal appreciation for new tastes and experiences, so their cooking traditions incorporate a wide variety of influences.

Family barbecues Lakewood, Highlands Ranch, and the rest of the Denver area help showcase new techniques and create new traditions, bringing urban and suburban neighborhoods together. Colorado communities don't need reminders to enjoy fresh air and good food, but a backyard barbecue removes the distractions of city life and encourages everyone to slow down, sit back and savor tastes that first emerged in much simpler times.