This is the written version of a talk on American Muslim barbecue that I gave at the 2022 Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium.
When I told my family what I was talked about, they were impressed really, only concerned about my potentially “representing Islam,” given that I occasionally enjoy pork barbecue. Not that it should disqualify me, for every single bite is always accompanied by the tang of guilt along with peppery vinegar.
The illustrations by Molly Brooks captured the feeling & even smells of our community barbecues in the 1980s and more.