Celebrating African American Barbecue Culture And History With 'Black Smoke'

For many Coloradans, Memorial Day weekend marks the ‘official’ start of barbecue season. Not that we’re afraid to fire up the grill in the middle of winter, of course -- but there’s just something about this holiday weekend that inspires the outdoor cook to clean off the grill or the smoker and get dinner fired up.   Barbecue is hands-down one of the most popular cuisines in the country right now. But where did it come from? And why is it that the contributions of African Americans who helped establish this cooking style are left out of the current conversation around barbecue?  Colorado Edition spoke with Adrian Miller last September to get some of those answers. Miller is a soul food scholar, food historian and certified barbecue judge. He’s also the recipient of a James Beard Foundation Book Award. His most recent book, Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue, is intended to celebrate African American barbecue culture and to restore the voices of Black Americans to barbecue storytelling.   Colorado Edition is hosted and produced by Erin O'Toole (@ErinOtoole1). Web was edited by Ashley Jefcoat. The mission of Colorado Edition is to deepen understanding of life in Northern Colorado through authentic conversation and storytelling. It's available as a podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Colorado Edition is made possible with support from our KUNC members. Thank you! Our theme music was composed by Colorado musicians Briana Harris and Johnny Burroughs. Other music in the show by Blue Dot Sessions.