“Because you all gather, sit down, and enjoy the boodog together, the meat tastes better,” says an old, nomadic man from the vast plains of Mongolia. Boodog is a traditional style of Mongolian cooking in which hot rocks roast a marmot or goat from the inside out. Like this man, many Americans find something life-giving in the ritual of family gathering to share fire-roasted meat.
The new film Barbecue explores this tradition and the communities built around the experience. Covering traditions from a dozen countries around the globe, the documentary doesn’t read like an encyclopedia; instead, Barbecue encourages viewers to step into back yards from Armenia to New Zealand, grab a drink, and become part of the family. It’s about community and shared experience as much as food.
From stunning nature shots to the effervescent background of classical music, there are stylistic similarities to Chef’s Table. But while Chef’s Table celebrates food through stories of the world’s foremost figures of culinary ingenuity, Barbecue celebrates food through everyday folks: students in Sweden, refugees in Jordan, family restaurants in Texas. Chef’s Table wows viewers with imaginative creations and rare ingredients, while Barbecue is about sausages and whole hogs.
American barbecue diehards must suspend their definition of barbecue for 101 minutes. For such viewers, barbecue isn’t barbecue unless it includes low and slow cooking that utilizes smoke and indirect heat. Imprecise use of the term (for example, “barbecuing hot dogs on the grill”) is a pet-peeve in the barbecue community. For this crowd, I offer a warning: If you expect a movie about the food that you consider barbecue, you will not find it here. Instead, you'll find a visually pleasing, thought-provoking glimpse into the traditions of grilling meat around the world.
As students emerge from the frigid Swedish winters to enjoy shared meals beneath the sunshine, it reminds viewers what a joy it is to be alive. Despite our differences in food, geography, and culture, the far corners of humanity have more in common than not. Barbecue is a celebration of shared meals worth watching.
Barbecue is now available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Vimeo, Microsoft XBOX, Vudu, and YouTube. It will be available on Netflix beginning August 15.
Johnny Fugitt authored The 100 Best Barbecue Restaurants in America.
