...BBQ...
Independence Day, 2007
...Finding a good BBQ joint is a problem for me. The benchmark I use is Dad's BBQ and Mother's Brunswick Stew...
...Here are my progressive BBQ basics and they should be followed in order... The first 5 are mandatory and #6 is optional...
1. Upon arriving at a BBQ place, look for smoke... If no smoke is seen, roll down the window and smell for smoke... If no smoke is smelled, drive on...
2. If you park, do so down wind and follow your nose to the front door... BBQ smoke is good for you and if you weren't hungry before you arrived, this should do the trick... A good BBQ joint has to cook meat almost continuously... If they don't do enough business to keep the pit hot, then this isn't the place you want to eat... If they don't use fire, don't use their parking lot...
3. Menus are only required to show what kind of pie they have, not to order BBQ pork... plate or sandwich is the question... it depends on whether you want to use a fork or your hands... BBQ beef may be good... I don't know... (Ribs will be a whole 'nother page...)
(Please note... as of the writing of these BBQ basics I had not eaten BBQ beef... That has changed... I had BBQ tri-tip at Lucille's in Los Angeles and it was better than candy... It was served dry, sliced with their mop sauce on the side... I tried it at the persistence of my buddy Tim Egenes...)(As a general rule I'm gonna have pork... but I will give credit where credit is due... I'd definitely have Lucille's BBQ tri-tip again and recommend it to all!)
4. Sauces are as varied as opinions... everybody has one... so get the sauce on the side... A serving sauce doesn't make BBQ, it only compliments the slow cooked, smoked meat... and besides, you might like to try several different sauces during one meal... I like the meat's flavor and may not use any serving sauce at all...
5. Before ordering any sides, catch a glimpse of the Brunswick Stew... If it looks like vegetable soup, do as I do and get the BBQ beans and a potato dish... baked, salad or fries, it doesn't matter... It's the BBQ you're there for... Use their BBQ sauce or mustard on the fries if that's what you get... By the way, Brunswick Stew is a meat stew and not soup...
6. Now, back to the pie... If there's room, get a slice of pecan... for some reason now, I can't get Mammy's Kitchen, south of Savannah off my mind... Back in '75 and '76, if I had enough money, I'd get the pie...
I'm going to be picky on my recommendations here... This is serious business...
Thanks for reading... more later...