According to www.slate.com “WE tend to hold as a self-evident truth that the proper way to celebrate the country’s independence is with a backyard BBQ.” The country’s leading barbecue trade association reports that The 4th of July is the nation’s most popular outdoor cooking holiday…with Memorial Day a distant second. “The Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association”– HPBA- states that over 80% of Americans celebrate The 4th of July with a cookout! Celebrating with Family and Friends, by lighting up the grill gratifies every outdoor party crowd. Pleasing Patriotic palates this July, according to HBPA’s consumer poll, Americans say first and foremost that 85% of BBQ Attendees prefer cheeseburgers/hamburgers at their 4th of July festivities, followed by steak ranking at 80%, hotdogs at 79% and poultry by 73% according to HPBA’s National BBQ Poll. 55% of American BBQ-ers choose bratwurst and 53% choose BBQ ribs. As for toppings, 66% of Americans reach for the MOST popular condiment, ketchup, followed by 62% saying that they add on mustard. The Communications Director of The HPBA says that “cooking out is a popular tradition not only on the 4th of July but at any time of the year—because it’s an easy way to unite friends and family over delicious tasting food at an affordable price.” www.prnewswire.com
Since when did “throwing hunks of meat onto an open fire become Patriotic?” In the early 1800s, Colonists in Virginia had been getting together in the summer in order to smoke large animals over a fire pit, since before the founding of our nation! Such a tradition was imported from the West Indies. The word BARBECUE, as we all well know, derives from the Spanish word “BARBACOA,” which is believed to have come to from a word used by the indigenous Taino people of Hispaniola to describe a wooden rack used for smoking meats. This practice spread in the first half of the 19th century as political leaders began staging rallies to mark Independence Day—which was not yet an official holiday. Independence Day was officially declared a federal holiday by Congress in 1870. In order to draw crowds, political leaders held massive barbeques, oftentimes roasting both whole pigs and oxen. “Pushing agrarian virtues and states’ rights, party operatives used the rallies to extol The Declaration of Independence and celebrate the BBQ as an expression of regional pride. Elsewhere in the fledgling nation, there were reports of Americans commemorating the occasion with less familiar fare, including Turtle Soup, which enjoyed popularity in Philadelphia, Charleston, and even Boston!” *OF NOTE: It is currently illegal to consume Turtle Soup in the USA, consuming soup made from wild sea turtles is a felony.
The Democratic-Republican Party, also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison on May 13th, 1792 and was dissolved in 1825. It championed liberalism, republicanism, individual liberty, equal rights, the separation of church and state, freedom of religion, anti-clericalism, emancipation of religious minorities, decentralization, free markets, free trade, and agrarianism. Agrarianism is a social and political philosophy that advocates for rural development, a rural agricultural lifestyle, family farming, widespread property ownership, and political decentralization. The Democratic-Republican Party found Independence Day cookouts “particularly congruent with its ethos; pushing agrarian virtues and states’ rights.” Below, find a description of “a handsome barbecue” celebrating The 4th of July and The Declaration of Independence.
In the 20th century, as the nation’s population shifted from country to the city and then to the suburbs, the Independence Day cookout morphed from a “public-free-for-all” into a family affair. Magazine advertisements of the pre-World War II era encouraged families to stage their own backyard BBQs, with the aid of the “newly popularized charcoal grill!”
Edward G. Kingsford was an American timber cruiser, real estate developer, and automotive executive. In 1919, Kingsford was invited on a camping trip in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, by Henry Ford. They were also accompanied by Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, and John Burroughs. Ford wanted to produce timber for his automobile operations—a Ford Model T used about 100 board feet of hardwood. In August of 1920, Ford became the VP of the
Michigan Iron, Land, and Lumber Company, which was specifically organized to carry out the operation of a sawmill and auto body plant. That company was then absorbed into Ford in 1923, and Kingsford carried on as the General Manager for Ford. Ford was upset by the wasted wood by-products at the car manufacturing plant. A University of Oregon chemist, Orin Stafford, invented a method for making “pillow-shaped lumps of fuel from sawdust and mill waste” combined with tar and bound together with cornstarch. He called the lumps “Charcoal Briquettes.” Thomas Edison then designed the briquets factory adjacent to the sawmill to turn the sawdust and wood scraps from the lumber mill into charcoal briquets. Kingsford ran the new factory. Pictured below from left to right are: Harvey Firestone, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and E. G. Kingsford.
Ford’s BBQ briquets initially were only sold through Ford car dealerships. At first the charcoal was marketed to meat and fish smokehouses, however, demand soon exceeded supply. By the mid-1930s, Ford was marketing BBQ “PICNIC KITS,” containing charcoal and portable grills, and every BBQ Picnic Accoutrement! Capitalizing on the obvious link between “motoring and outdoor adventure that Ford’s vagabond travels popularized,” his new slogan read: “Enjoy a modern picnic! …Sizzling broiled meats, steaming coffee, and toasted sandwiches!”
An adjacent community nearby the automobile plant, the sawmill, and the charcoal plant was planned and built by Ford Motor and named for Kingsford. The community was incorporated as a village in 1924 and later reincorporated as a city in 1947. Ford Charcoal was later purchased in 1951 and renamed Kingsford, along with naming its City Hall after E. G. Kingsford, as well!
Currently, The Kingsford Products Company remains the leading manufacturer of charcoal in the United States with 80% market share. More than one million TONS of wood scraps are converted into charcoal briquets annually! Kingsford also makes other products related to grilling, and the brand is now owned by The Clorox Company and has a worldwide market. www.kingsford.com In the race to compete in the charcoal and wood pellet market, Clorox subsidiary, Kingsford, announced in March of 2022, that it was launching a line of flavored charcoal, wood pellets, and Flavor Booster for use in adding to pre-lit charcoal. The line, called “Kingsford Signature Flavors,” is made with 100% real spices and features such flavors as:
- –Garlic Onion Paprika: “A savory, caramelized flavor featuring an earthy base of garlic paired with the mildly sweet notes of onion and warmth of paprika.”
- –Basil Sage Thyme: “A smooth, balanced flavor that channels a peppery blend of basil harmonized with mellow hits of herbaceous sage and earthy thyme.”
- –Cumin Chili: “A bold, smoky flavor built on a warm and hearty foundation of cumin with a spicy pick-me-up-pop of chili heat.”
Kingsford Marketing Director, Ram Gopalakrishnan stated: “We’re excited to bring this innovative, new offering to the category to help grillers create even more memorable experiences around the grill. Grilling is a sensory experience, and we’re taking it to a new level with the real spices of these signature flavors. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, signature flavors Charcoal Briquets, Pellets, and Flavor Boosters will level up any BBQ!” www.cookoutnews.com
As we make preparations and plans, To-Do Lists, and run a million errands in order to “GET FIRED UP” for our 4th of July and Independence Day BBQ celebrations, it serves us well to reflect upon history itself. James Madison, the 4th President of The United States of America, holding the Presidency from 1809-1817, made a major contribution to the ratification of the constitution by writing The Federalist Papers, along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. In later years, President Madison was referred to as the “Father of the Constitution.” Here is a description of President James Madison’s barbecues, which were held at Montpelier, his estate in Orange, Virginia, written by President Madison’s wife’s—one of the best known and beloved First Ladies–Dolley Madison– Dolley’s niece, Mary Cutts:
“Barbecues were then at the height of popularity. To see sumptuous board spread under the forest oaks, the growth of centuries, animals roasted whole, everything that a luxurious country could produce, wines, and the well filled punch bowl, to say nothing of the invigorating mountain air, was enough to fill the heart…with joy!…At these feasts, the woods were alive with guests, carriages, servants and children—for all went—often more than a hundred guests. All happy at the prospect of a meeting, which was a scene of pleasure and hilarity. The laugh with hearty goodwill, the jest, after the crops, ‘farmer’s topics’ and politics had been discussed…If not too late, these meetings were terminated by a dance.”
As Henry Ford stated, “BEFORE EVERYTHING ELSE, GETTING READY IS THE SECRET OF SUCCESS,” so as you make ready, put together, draw up, devise, conceive, formulate and compose your BBQ Party Plan, here’s wishing all you www.ribbqnews.com Readers a 4th of July with celebration aplenty …
“ENOUGH TO FILL THE HEART…WITH JOY!”
