Louis Hughes, circa 1897. From Thirty Years a Slave from Bondage to Freedom. Louis Hughes (1832–1913) was born enslaved near Charlottesville, Virginia. He escaped slavery during the Civil War. In 1897, Hughes published his autobiography titled Thirty Years a Slave from Bondage to Freedom: The Institution of Slavery as Seen on the Plantation and in the Home of the Planter that was prefaced with the following: The institution of human slavery, as it existed in this country, has long been dead; and, happily for all the sacred interests which it assailed, there is for it no resurrection ..read more

"A Virginia Barbecue" A poem by Robert Francis Astrop from Original Poems, on a Variety of Subjects, Etc., published in 1835. Ye who love good eating, just go to a ’Cue— Ye’ll find and enjoy it there, I warrant you. Who ever went there and ne’er got enough? Who ever went there and found the meat tough? Who ever went there and came mad away? Who ever went there, and kept steady all day? Who ever went there, discontent of distrest— Who ever went there with sorrow opprest— Who ever went there deep in love or grief— And did not immediately find some relief? Enjoyment here presides as the host, A ..read more

Barbecued brisket with a low and slow bark cooked using the hot and fast method.Many people struggle with the appearance of their backyard barbecue. It's either way too dark, sometimes burned, or it ends up looking pale with little appetizing color. If your barbecued chicken is always too dark in color or the bark on your pork barbecue isn't as well-developed as you would like, read on. Here is a very-little known secret to making your barbecue look appetizing with the perfect color and bark. The appetizing color and bark on barbecue is the result of several things going on during the cooking ..read more