Barbecue sandwich facts for kids

A barbecue sandwich is a yummy meal made with barbecued meat served between two pieces of bread. Many different kinds of meat can be used, like pork, beef, or chicken. Sometimes, the meat isn't barbecued, but it still has delicious barbecue sauce on it! There are lots of ways to make these sandwiches, and they can be very different depending on where you are.

A barbecue sandwich served with pickled cucumber

A pulled pork barbecue sandwich

Barbecued meat served in flatbread

What's in a Barbecue Sandwich?

There are so many ways to make a barbecue sandwich! The meat can be sliced, chopped, or "pulled" into tender strands. Popular choices include pork, especially pulled pork from the shoulder, beef like brisket, chicken, sausage, pork ribs, and even turkey. Some sandwiches use meat that has been slow-smoked for hours.

Most barbecue sandwiches include barbecue sauce. The sauce might be added while the meat cooks, or put right onto the sandwich. Sometimes, the meat is seasoned with a special spice rub before cooking. Even if the meat isn't barbecued, it can still be a barbecue sandwich if it has that tasty sauce!

Often, coleslaw (a salad made with shredded cabbage) is served with barbecue sandwiches. It can be placed right on the sandwich or served on the side. Sometimes, cooked vegetables like onion and garlic are added too. The bread used can be white bread, hamburger buns, whole wheat bread, or even rye bread. The bread helps keep the meat warm and moist.

Barbecue Sandwiches Around the World

Barbecue sandwiches are popular in many places, and each region often has its own special way of making them.

Asia

In East Asia, there are sandwiches similar to barbecue sandwiches. For example, the northern Chinese rou jia mo is a type of meat burger. The southern gua bao is a fluffy steamed bun with meat. Bánh mì sandwiches from Vietnam can also have BBQ chicken, marinated beef, or roast pork.

United States

A barbecue sandwich with smoked beans

A beef brisket barbecue sandwich

Barbecue sandwiches getting sauced at a barbecue restaurant in Alabama

Illinois and Pennsylvania

In parts of Pennsylvania, a barbecue sandwich often means ground beef cooked in barbecue sauce. It's served on a hamburger bun. This is very similar to what many people call a Sloppy Joe in other places.

Missouri

In Kansas City, Missouri, beef brisket barbecue sandwiches are very common. They can be served with sauce on top or "dry" (without sauce, letting the meat's flavor shine).

North Carolina

In North Carolina, a "barbecue" sandwich usually means chopped pork with coleslaw right on the sandwich. When people in North Carolina say "barbecue," they often mean this specific chopped pork dish. Other barbecued foods are called by their actual names, like "barbecued chicken."

Tennessee

In Memphis, Tennessee, chopped pork shoulder barbecue sandwiches with coleslaw on top are a classic. A man named Leonard Heuberger, who started a barbecue restaurant in Memphis in 1922, is thought to have invented the "classic Memphis pork barbecue sandwich." It had chopped or pulled pork shoulder, a tomato-based sauce, and coleslaw on a bun. This style became very popular and is still a favorite today.

Texas

East Texas

Barbecue in East Texas often features chopped beef or pork served on a bun. It's known for having a good amount of hot sauce.