By Ryan McGeeney 
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture

“Barbecue,” as anyone in the South can tell you, is a loaded word. 

“It means different things to different people,” said Janeal Yancey, extension animal science instructor for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. But, she said, one thing ought to be clear: “Barbecuing” is not for hamburgers.

“I grew up in Texas, and in my mind, ‘barbecuing’ is a low and slow smoking process,” Yancey said. “I would never say I’m ‘barbecuing’ a hamburger. If I was going to cook a hamburger on a grill for Memorial Day, I’d say I’m grilling it. But I might say in the same sentence that I’m having a ‘backyard barbecue.’”

Semantics aside, grilling and smoking offer two different flavor profiles based on two different chemical reactions, Yancey said.

“When we grill things, such as hamburgers, you’re using a really high heat, usually using some kind of wood fire or charcoal, that creates a char on the surface of that meat,” Yancey said. “It makes a really nice brown or blackening color, and it creates a delicious flavor.

This is known as the Maillard reaction, in which sugar and protein under heat create the color and flavor grilling enthusiasts love.

“You probably have to go back to cavemen cooking meat over a fire to understand why our brains like that,” Yancey said.

The low and slow of it all

“With barbecue — that would be more of the low and slow smoking — there’s some different chemistry happening there,” Yancey said.

During the smoking process, the smoke generated from burning wood interacts with proteins in meat and poultry. The fats and proteins in the meat absorb the chemical smoke, creating a new, smoky flavor. The process also denatures the meat, causing it to lose structure, which is how it becomes fall-off-the-bone tender.

“You can use the combination of smoking and grilling techniques to get a nice char on the outside of a brisket, along with the pretty pink and nice smoky flavor on the inside,” Yancey said. 

“The pink color comes from the nitric oxide interacting with the proteins in the meat. You’ll see that in hams, hot dogs — any of our cured meats,” she said.

Safety first

Yancey said that whether you’re grilling or smoking, heat is the key ingredient to killing off bacteria and making the meat safe to eat.

“When it comes to cooking things quickly, especially with ground meat such as hamburgers, make sure to get the whole patty to 160 degrees Fahrenheit,” she said. “With a steak, the internal temperature can be cooler, because the inside of the steak won’t have the bacterial load that you can have on the inside of a hamburger.

“When you’re smoking meats, you’re cooking it for so long, you’re going to reach those temperatures without any problem,” Yancey said. “Those cookers can reach 180 degrees or more, and the process takes hours. Killing bacteria is a combination of high temperature and time.”

Yancey said it’s also important to avoid cross-contamination through shared plates and other surfaces, where cooked meats may be exposed to bacteria left behind by its raw forebears. 

“It’s important to remember that plates are a one-way street,” she said. “You’ve got one plate carrying uncooked meat that goes out to the grill — that needs to then go in the sink or the trash. Then you’ve got a different, clean plate that carries cooked meat from the grill to the serving table.”

Yancey advised chefs to use a meat thermometer to assess the internal temperature for hamburgers, poultry or raw sausage.

“Don’t try to use color to assess whether it’s done,” she said.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. To learn more about ag and food research in Arkansas, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station at aaes.uada.edu. 

By Rebekah Hall
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture

Anna Goff said it was a “sincere honor” to have a quilt made by her late mother, Ann Prince, selected for the “America 250: Common Threads” exhibit at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

“Everyone who knows anything about her has said this is something that she would have been so very proud of — to be able to see her work displayed in a museum,” said Goff, extension family and consumer sciences program associate for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

The exhibit, which opened March 14 and continues through July 27, celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the centuries of American art and civic participation that followed.

Prince is one of two members of the Arkansas Extension Homemakers Council, or EHC, program whose textile works were selected for the exhibit.

Laura Hendrix, extension professor of personal finance and EHC adviser for the Division of Agriculture, said Arkansas EHC learned of the opportunity to submit items to the exhibit through Ayanna Bledsoe, director of inclusion and belonging for Crystal Bridges.

Bledsoe is a current participant of LeadAR, the extension leadership development program, and became familiar with EHC through her experience in the program.

“When Ayanna heard about the Common Threads exhibit, she thought of the handcrafted items that are made by extension program participants, including EHC members,” Hendrix said. “We sent out a call for proposals to EHC club members to submit items for the exhibit, and Crystal Bridges staff selected two pieces.”

Hendrix said EHC members have a “long and successful history of using their time and talents to improve and strengthen communities.”

“EHC members used surplus cotton to make mattresses in the 1930s and ‘40s, and they also made quilts, clothing and other handcrafted items,” Hendrix said. “Extension educators throughout the decades have taught EHC members, who then use their new skills to create items that improve life and enhance the environment for their families, friends and communities.”

Today, EHC members make teaching dolls for doctors to use at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, quilts for local veterans and lap quilts and bibs for nursing homes, Hendrix said.

“We are delighted to have EHC items on exhibit at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art,” Hendrix said. “This is a great opportunity to share the history of EHC with museum patrons and to encourage EHC members to visit the museum.”

Passing on heritage skills

Prince was a member of the Hot Spring County Gifford EHC club for 40 years. She also joined the Garland County Crazy Quilters and Saline County EHC quilting clubs to expand her skills and teach others.

“After she started taking different skills classes through EHC, she became one of the teachers, and that was something she really enjoyed doing — getting to share her passion with others and show how it made a difference in her life,” Goff said.

Goff said her mother had 69 years of sewing experience when she passed away in June of 2025. Of the 10 pieces of Prince’s work that Goff submitted for consideration for the Crystal Bridges exhibit, her “patriotic pineapple” quilt was selected.

Prince made the quilt in 2012 as part of the Garland County Crazy Quilters EHC club’s project to make quilts for local veterans. The quilt was given to her son, Raymond Prince, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and Army National Guard.

Erin Holder, 36, is a member of the Benton County Extension Homemakers Council. Holder’s large crochet doily, approximately 27 inches in diameter, was also selected for the “America 250: Common Threads” exhibit.

Holder used her great-grandmother’s crochet hook to work on the doily between October 2023 and July 2024, and she then submitted it to the Benton County Fair. She said heritage arts is a focus of her EHC club, and when the call went out for submissions to the Crystal Bridges exhibit, she thought her doily could be a perfect fit.

“A giant homemade doily feels like the epitome of heritage art,” Holder said. “When I was making that piece, I kept thinking to myself, ‘I wonder if I am making a family heirloom right now. Is this going to stick around in our family for generations?’

“Now that it’s in Crystal Bridges, I think it’s so cool that not only did I make this piece with the hook that’s been in our family for decades, but it now has a fascinating story behind it, too,” Holder said. “What an honor to be included in this exhibit.”

Holder said she particularly enjoys the friendship and community she experiences through EHC, similar to the camaraderie her children experience as part of Arkansas 4-H, the extension youth development program.

“As adults, I feel like it’s getting harder to make connections with other people in your community,” she said. “My kids are in 4-H, and that’s one of the big benefits of the program, is that my kids can get connected with other youth who have similar interests in their county and the state. With EHC, I call it 4-H for grown-ups. It’s very similar. I think it’s a great way to meet people, make friends and learn new things.”

Tickets to the “America 250: Common Threads” exhibit cost $15 for adult general admission, and entry is free for Crystal Bridges Museum members, veterans, youth under age 18 and participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

SNAP participants can call 479-657-2335 to enroll for free entry to temporary exhibitions.

Visit the Arkansas Extension Homemakers Council page to learn more about the organization or contact your local county extension office to learn about clubs in your area.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. To learn more about ag and food research in Arkansas, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station at aaes.uada.edu.

About the Division of Agriculture

The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system. 

The Division of Agriculture is one of 22 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.  

Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.

ServSafe has been the industry standard since 1919 in training millions of people how to receive, store, prepare, and serve food safely. Through the Cooperative Extension Service, we offer training and certifications for the ServSafe Food Handler, ServSafe Manager, and ServSafe Instructor & Proctor programs. The Arkansas Department of Health is now requiring each food service facility to have at least one supervisory employee who has Certified Food Manager training.

 A ServSafe Certified Food Manager Course will be offered on Monday, June 29th at the Franklin County Extension Office located at 300 Airport Road in Ozark, AR. The training will take place beginning at 9:00 a.m.. The course will cost $140 for New Managers and $60 for re-certifications. The course cost pays for the book and the exam. Participants who pass the exam will receive a ServSafe Food Manager Certification good for five years. All participants must pre-register and pay by June 15th.  Class size is limited. Once the ServSafe books are distributed, they are non-refundable.

If you have any questions or would like to register, please contact the Franklin County Extension Office at 479-667-3720 or email Casey Ford at cford@uada.edu.  You can also contact the Sebastian County Extension Office at 479-484-7737 or tbolton@uada.edu.  Persons who require ADA accommodation, language and/or interpretation services for your ServSafe course instruction, and/or examination should notify the County Extension Office as soon as possible prior to the activity. The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity institution.  If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact the Franklin County Extension Office as soon as possible.  Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.