Instructions: Whats in a name: There is much debate in the world of barbecue, some of it over the origin of the word. Laura Dove, who wrote The History of Barbecue, suggests the word is derived from barbacoa, a West Indian term for slow-cooking meat over coals. But she notes that the Oxford English Dictionary suggests the word comes from that soul of cookery, France. The phrase cited is barbe a queue meaning from head to tail.

Q-lingo: For the most part, the pork barbecue belt runs from the Carolinas and Georgia to Tennessee and Arkansas. Dry seasonings are rubbed into the meat, which is cooked slowly. Sauce is important, usually applied at the end or served on the side. In Texas, where barbecue usually means beef, particularly brisket, sauce is of lesser importance. Kansas City is a mix of pork and beef.

Why restaurant barbecue is sometimes Mojave dry: Most recipes call for long hours of slow smoking, for up to 20 hours. When the meat is ready, it should be eaten. But customers dont follow schedules. Meanwhile, health departments require that once done, all cooked meats must be maintained at a minimum 145 degrees. So it dries out, said John Berwald, founder of Los Altos-based Armadillo Willys.

Hot tip: Tom Cain, an official judge of the Kansas City Barbecue Society, says that when hes cooking barbecue and his fire gets too hot, he squirts apple juice on the coals to reduce the heat and add flavor to the smoke.

Sugar and salt. Judge Tom Cain warns cooks to be cautious when using salt and sugar in barbecue cooking. If sugar gets too hot, it burns and turns bitter.

Salt, on the other hand, extracts moisture.

Mopping vs. sopping. Mopping means applying sauce while cooking, sopping means applying sauce after cooking. Most sauces are tomato-based. North Carolina sauces add vinegar; South Carolina-Georgia sauces add yellow mustard; Tennessee and Kansas City often dose with molasses; Alabama is spicy; Texas is dry-rubbed with sauce, if any, on the side.

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