Texas Barbecue

uH, Where's the sauce?



Save me an ear.

Joe

Oh, no, BVT -- I meant I'll forever eschew the sticky stuff in FAVOR of Carolina BBQ! I didn't know mouth-meltingly delicious vinegar barbecue until that meal!

bless you my son.... and welcome to the church of real barbeque.....

Bear,
Where do you go for good 'cue in Raleigh ?

unfortunately I don't anymore since eschewing meat, but I used to go to the Barbeque Lodge up on Capital Blvd at mini city...I always liked it real well..... There's also a place on the other end of Capital just before the beltline that's real good....where do you go?

I forgot about you going veg...Sorry.
I go to Bullock's, Damon's, and the Q-shack in Chapel Hill and Durham.
I work near Meredith, and have been trying to find a 'cue source that's close enough for lunch.

hit the beltine to the cap blvd exit and go north... you'll see the place on the left. can't miss it. that should give you time if you get an hour....

Thanks, I'll give a shot.

There's only four things to barbecue. The meat, the smoke, the time, and the sauce.

Forget any of those and you might as well forget it.

The stuff here in Houston is all about the meat and the time. There is no smoke flavor to speak of, and there is no sauce, dry rub or otherwise, worth mentioning. So they lose IMO.

Still looking for a County Line or Salt Lick to see if I like those any better.

The Salt Lick in Austin is OK, but not spectacular.

County Lines are usually pretty good. But they often go for glazes instead of smoking.

Your best bet is to ask the locals, of which Houston has few.

That's exactly what I figured.

When I do ribs, and I've done a lot, I may or may not use a rub, depending on my mood, which consists of white and brown sugar, salt, and spices. Those I never sauce before serving.

I like to smoke over fruitwood, apple, apricot, plum, cherry, whatever is available. Sometimes I'll use hickory, which may be more common now that I've moved out of California.

Typically I slow smoke the ribs for at least four hours. If not glazed with a rub, then I'll hit them with sauce before I cut them and serve some diluted sauce on the side so it's a little thinner, for a mop.

My wife does not like ribs, but some that I've made have started to convert her.

One thing that bugs me about even the best barbecue joints is the lack of diversity of flavor (there's that word again). The ribs will be sweet, the beans sweet, and the coleslaw and other sides too sweet. I like my beans ranch style, the coleslaw made without or just a pinch of sugar, and mildly sweetened cornbread. Too much sweetness kills the deal for me.

So tonight we went out for Mexican food to a place we went before. They had no mole, which is my favorite. I ordered the carnitas instead, and when they came it looked like something from the sea. Big pieces of pork loin sliced improperly with the grain - just plain bad.

For an appetizer I ordered cheese stuffed fried jalapenos - realizing they aren't really Mexican (sort of American rellanos), but I had a vegetarian in the group and was trying to get something he could eat. They used pickled - yes, pickled, jalapenos.

What in the world? This place is owned and operated by Mexicans - why did they do that?

You're currently in Houston? I'm afraid I can't help with the restaurants. Give a shout if you come to Austin; I'll give you some recommendations.

Sounds awful, chjsa. Where did y'all go? (So I'll be sure to avoid it.)

In the terminal I use most often at Houston/Bush Intercontinental, there is a Pizzaria Uno serving Chicago deep dish pizza.

In the terminal I use most often in Chicago, there is no Chicago style pizza, but there is a Wolfgang Puck's.

How weird is that?

In perspective, here in Michigan, they'll fry up some bell peppers and onions to top a piece of prime rib and call it "cajun style". They have no idea.