There are many versions of how barbecue got its start and by whom.
Each version has its own particular story on who started it and why it is
still around.But one thing that is agreed on is African Americans had much
to do with the origin and survival of barbecuing. In the South, where
slavery was prevalent and flouring, many slaves escaped the plantation
and were accepted by by the Native Americans. The Seminoles of Florida cooked their meat over hot coals slowly until it was tender and succulent. These former slaves adapted this method and perfected it into what we today call barbeque. These enterprising Americans operated barbecue stands in their communities and kept this food style alive.

Barbecuing for other people is something I've enjoyed ever since I
was a little boy. I can remember visiting my great-great grandfather,
PaPa Charlie, at his farm in the rural town of Elysian Field, near the
Texas-Louisiana border. His farm is the source of many memories of my
childhood and will always have a special place in my heart. It was here
that I developed my passion for cooking and barbecuing.

There was a very unique smokehouse on the farm that I remember vividly.
I used to love helping PaPa Charlie and my uncles prepare the hogs for
smoking underneath the smokehouse, I will never forget that wonderful
smell of smoke wafting up from underneath the house as the meat was
smoking. Just the smell of smoke alone was enough for me to decide,
at the tender age of eight, to follow in PaPa Charlie's footsteps
and try barbecuing and smoking meats. I began by preparing the meat
with my own personal touch of spices.