👋 Monica here!

While Texas, Memphis and the Carolinas hog up the national barbecue spotlight, our own delectable smoked meats often get overlooked.

Why it matters: Chicago BBQ deserves documentation and a spot on the national stage.

Driving the news: Pitmasters Dominique Leach (Lexington Betty), Brian Jupiter (Ina Mae Tavern), Daniel Hammond (Smoky Soul) and Ron Conner (U Want Dat Smoke BBQ) joined writer Mike Gebert and me at Leach's restaurant in Pullman to chew on the topic with Chicago Food Historians' Catherine Lambrecht.

The big picture: Chicago barbecue was heavily influenced by Delta pitmasters arriving during the Great Migration and by German and Eastern European sausage makers whose combined skills produced rib tips and hot links.

• Hammond also credits German and Jewish immigrants with creating a North Side BBQ featuring corned beef and pastrami.
• Conner gives the biggest barbecue props to South Siders from the Delta, including the Robinsons of Robinson's Ribs from Mississippi and the Collins brothers from Arkansas, "who put the spice in hot links and helped create Mumbo sauce."

Between the lines: BBQ had a bad reputation early on.

• "It was seen as dirty and poor, and rib tips were considered garbage meat," Leach said.
• "But like so many other things in our culture, we found a way to make gold out of it, no different from chitlins or hog maws or pig feet. These things define what American cuisine is, and that's what soul food is all about."

The intrigue: Chicago's signature aquarium smoker emerged in the 1950s when local health inspectors rejected Texas-style brick pits as too dirty, Gebert explained.

• The metal-and-glass smoker was easier to clean and enabled pitmasters to display their delicacies in the upper chamber.
• Yes but: It's dangerous.

Threat level: "You're gonna get the best product off the aquarium smoker, but it's probably the most unsafe thing to cook on," Leach said. "I don't know how places get insurance to use it."

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The hot weather will continue through the early part of the week, so your cooling regiment is probably getting stale.

Zoom out: Chicago offers a bunch of ways to beat the heat, including heading to your local library, where programming these days goes well beyond books.

Here are two of our favorite local libraries to hear lectures, check out media and escape the hot temps.

📚 Justin's pick: Sulzer Regional in Lincoln Square. The new-ish library on Lincoln Avenue is a great spot to meander around for hours, checking out books and other periodicals while you wait for the sun to set.

📖 Monica's pick: I love Woodson Regional Library at Halsted and 95th for its terrific programming, (including a YOUmedia kickoff celebration tomorrow) and the Vivian Harsh Research collection.

📫 Tell us about your favorite cool library.

New Sunday, new quiz! Today let's dive into our wide world of local television. Chicago is one of the pioneers of broadcasting, and our local comedies, news programs and commercials stand the test of time.

Congrats to Mary G. and Mike R. for getting a perfect store last week.

If you get 10/10, screenshot your results, email us and we'll give you a shoutout next week.

Ready, set, quiz!

The Wrightwood 659 Gallery in Lincoln Park just opened an exhibition featuring the contemporary artwork of Chryssa, a leading avant-garde sculptor.

The big picture: This is the first North America showcase in over 40 years to focus on the Greek-born artist, who died in 2013.

Zoom in: Chryssa was prominent in the 1950s and '60s New York art scene and her works have been displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago and other museums around town.

• She used signage, text and neon, bridging pop and minimalist ideas in her work.
• "Chryssa & New York" presents more than 80 of her pieces from her time in the Big Apple.

If you go: The gallery is offering complimentary tours. Check the schedule. The exhibition runs through July 27.

We set out to answer the burning question this week: What is Chicago's emoji?

• Thousands of you responded to the question and took our poll. The winner, by a landslide is the handy, hearty, historic hot dog. 🌭
• Yes, but: Reader Andy B. pointed out a hack to get a good Chicago emoji — the six-pointed star. Throw four of those together? It's the closest thing we can get to the flag: ✶✶✶✶

Thanks for voting! We will incorporate the hot dog and the stars moving forward.