I read somewhere on another forum that European colonists and their descendants only started BBQ late in history after copying it from the slaves. The post made it sound look BBQ was the exclusive domain of slaves, despite most Southern families (70-90%) not owning slaves. Is there any truth to this? I always thought both white and black Americans adopted this great technique from Native Americans at the same time. English colonists in Virginia and German colonists in the Carolinas particularly advanced BBQ a lot (basting is an English contribution and the ketchup and mustard based sauces supposedly have German origins) Also do we know the original vinegar + pepper based BBQ sauce developed? And did Texas' spicy BBQ sauce evolve out of that tradition via later German waves to the US.