Barbecue allows, nay, encourages, you to announce your presence with authority.
The only other food that has more cook offs that I can think of is chili. Barbecue has several shows on various food channels (That we, as a society, have several TV channels devoted to the preparation and consumption of food is something to ponder) where they follow folks around the country that participate in barbecue cook offs Contestants from around the nation descend on a spot and set up camp, often times cooking over an entire weekend. Various cuts of meat are combined with what has to be an infinite combination of few spices and are cooked on a wide variety of contraptions for judges to taste and figure out who the winner is. Based on what I've seen the chefs themselves are as varied as the dishes they prepare.
Every barbecue place has its own secret sauce or rub that seems to adorn almost everything that gets served to their eager customers. I've lost count of the books, magazine articles and TV shows where somebody asks a pit master or chef what is in their sauce or rub, only to be given some version of the response "If I told you I would have to kill you." These things are closely guarded secrets. In some cases the recipes have been handed down for generations.
So when you barbecue, make an effort to put a stamp on your cooking that is uniquely you. After you do a few basic, successful dishes, search for an inspiration. You like citrus? Add some orange zest or orange juice to your sauce. You like spicy? Add a pile of cayenne to your rub. Got a sweet tooth? Try using honey, coke or some other sweet liquid in your sauce. Small tweaks go a long way in barbecue. Find one that is you and incorporate it into your next dish.
