Barbeque is a Noun

The title alone will open me up to corrections from English teachers and mid-Westerners, but it is what it is.
The above image, which I read in this month's Fast Company on a flight back from Evansville, spurred a few thoughts about barbecue, good restaurants you will never hear about, and summer.

• I have a bias about barbecue - it's pork, grilled/smoked in a pit or smoker, and it can have minimal seasoning (the original coastal Carolina's method) all the way up to a tomato-based sauce. I lean to the minimalist version, but I haven't met a barbecue rib or sandwich I didn't like yet
• I travel a lot across North and South Carolina talking with churches. When the timing works out right, I often look for a barbecue joint for lunch. My sure fire method for selecting the best place to eat? If the trucks in the parking lot outnumber the cars, it will a be a good place. If the trucks have gun racks, it will be a great place.
• Memorial Day is a couple of weeks away. Traditionally seen as the "start" of summer and the outdoor grilling season, I say start summer grilling season whenever the temperature is above 70 degrees, the sun is shining, and friends are nearby.

Here's a quote from the documentary "Barbecue is a Noun" that pretty much sums it up:

"If you use it as a verb, you can barbecue anything, but... barbecue is... roast pork."

I rest my case. Enjoy some barbecue this summer!