How BBQ went global?

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FP readers already know the story of “How Sushi Went Global.” And it’s generally no secret that you can get a spicy tuna roll everywhere from Bangalore to Belize. But barbecue? Yes, apparently slow-cooked pig’s butt is starting to go global, too.

The word out of the 2008 World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, the world’s largest pork BBQ contest held last weekend in Memphis, is that the globalization of barbecue is in the “embryonic” stages.

The trend can apparently lead to some awkward interactions:

At one point this year, a member of the Deominox team [from Belgium] was trying to talk his way in past the gate. The ‘good old boy’ working the entrance [had to ask for] help…. The language barrier almost got the Deominox team disqualified when it turned in its blind box in the whole-hog contest. Two of the non-English-speakers handled the delivery, but they missed the deadline after walking past signs they didn’t understand. A sympathetic official interceded and successfully made the case for giving the team a break and letting their samples be judged….”

Now, before getting carried away about diluting of an American icon, it’s important to remember that around two-thirds of this year’s contestants still hailed from Tennessee. Perusing the list of winners, I don’t see any foreign teams. Nor did I see baby backs on the menu the last time I was in Beijing. Of course, that was two years ago….