When I first had pork BBQ in Alabama, I honestly didn't think it was that special.

People in Korea are used to eating meat like samgyeopsal, grilled hot and fresh.

But after a few days, I found myself strangely craving that smoky smell and tender meat again.

Southern BBQ seems to have that kind of charm. You start to appreciate the flavor more with the second and third bites than with the first.

Alabama BBQ is centered around pork. It definitely has a different vibe compared to Texas BBQ, which features beef brisket as the star.

Pork shoulder or ribs are usually smoked at low temperatures for long periods.

Using woods like hickory, the meat is cooked slowly, allowing the smoky flavor to deeply infuse.

Well-cooked pork doesn't even need to be cut with a knife. The shredded meat is what we commonly refer to as pulled pork.

A sandwich piled high with pulled pork, topped with coleslaw and sauce, is very common in the South.

At first, you might wonder, "Is this a hamburger or BBQ?" But as you eat, the combination of tender pork and crunchy coleslaw turns out to be quite nice.

When talking about Alabama BBQ, you can't forget about white sauce. It's a tangy and savory sauce made primarily from mayonnaise and vinegar, famous especially for smoked chicken, but it's also served with pork in some places. It's completely different from the brown BBQ sauce we usually think of.

In cities like Montgomery, you can easily find everything from famous chains to long-standing local BBQ joints.

As you get close to a restaurant, the smell of burning wood hits you, and eventually, just that smell makes you hungry.

If Korean samgyeopsal is about the fun of sitting in front of a grill and cooking it right away, Alabama BBQ is about slowly enjoying meat that has been smoked for hours.

If you ask me which is tastier, I would choose samgyeopsal. But sometimes, for no reason at all, I strangely think of that Alabama smoked pork.

However, if you go all the way to Alabama, it would be a shame to only eat BBQ.

What I find interesting about Southern food is the way you get to enjoy a variety of dishes on one plate.

Fried chicken or meatloaf comes with sides like collard greens, mac and cheese, and cornbread.

At first glance, it may not seem like much, but as you eat, it oddly feels similar to a Korean banchan meal.

You can think of cornbread instead of rice and collard greens instead of kimchi.

Visiting an old restaurant like Martin's Restaurant is a great way to experience this Southern home cooking. It's also fun that the menu changes slightly every day.

If you're traveling in Alabama during the summer, you should definitely try the peaches. Chilton County is especially famous for its peaches. You can find places selling seasonal peaches along the road, and they taste really good when eaten cold in the hot Southern summer.

Catfish is also commonly eaten in the South. In Korea, when we think of catfish, we think of spicy soup, but here it's coated in cornmeal and deep-fried. A squeeze of lemon and a dip in tartar sauce make it quite addictive.

And if you make it to the Alabama coastal region, there's also West Indies Salad. It's a dish made with crab meat, onions, and vinegar, served cold, and is known to have originated in the Mobile area of Alabama, despite its name.

Ultimately, it's hard to say that Southern food is healthy. It's fried, smoked, and often contains a lot of butter.

But you wouldn't want to eat salad every day while traveling, right?

If you go to Alabama, make sure to have a plate of BBQ, and the next day, try fried catfish and cornbread as well.

That's how you truly feel like you've been to the American South.