Month: June 2015

Linkdown: 6/10/15

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– The latest barbecue list, this time from Southern Living and its barbecue editor Robert Moss

– Robert Moss provides some backstory to the feature

– Moss also talks to the Wilmington Star-News about both types of NC slaw (with recipes, too)

– Moss has been a busy guy, apparently; here’s his article An Illustrated History of Barbecue which is presumably a shortened, illustrated version of his book we just reviewed

– And coverage of the list: Carolinas do OK, Three Triad Joints Make the List, Southern Mag Snubs Houston,

– Munchies: Why is Brooklyn Barbecue Taking Over the World?

…Brooklyn pitmasters tend to be less traditional than their counterparts in the South. They don’t really follow any single barbecue philosophy and aren’t so focused on beef brisket, like most of Texas tends to be. They may include items like house-cured pastrami or pork ribs or burnt ends. Most use heritage animals—free-range and hormone free—from small family farms within the region.

But now it’s spreading, very quickly and without warning, to every fucking corner of the world. The barbecue being assimilated in places like Colombia, Spain, Panama, Sweden, England, and Japan (and even other parts of the US) is not the killer ‘cue from fabled Texas BBQ cities like Lockhart or Austin. Or even the pork-centric versions with sauce in the southeast. It’s an adapted form of Southern barbecue from Brooklyn. And it all looks like it came straight out of Williamsburg.

– Franklin Barbecue clarifies its policy that line waiters cannot save spots for groups of people

– I didn’t catch wind of this event so missed it from mid May, but making a note for next year: barbecue camp at NC State

– This NPR Food article on famed pitmasters resting, or “holding”, smoked meats for hours before serving also includes tips for the home smoker

– Queen City Q won the Taster’s Choice Award for dinner entrée at this past weekend’s Taste of Charlotte

Barbecue Bros Book Club: Barbecue: The History of An American Institution by Robert Moss

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Not that I’m anywhere close to being qualified enough to evaluate books but more so as a public service announcement we will periodically discuss barbecue and barbecue-related books. First up is what I would consider an essential book to understanding barbecue.

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In order to better understand where barbecue is heading today, I think its vital to understand the history and foundation of barbecue in the US. Robert Moss is a barbecue historian from Charleston and the current barbecue editor of Southern Living Magazine, so he is as qualified as any to write about the origins of barbecue in the United States and how the regional styles popped up. And that is exactly what he does in Barbecue: An American Institution. In it, he traces the Caribbean origins of the word to the American roots in Virginia – thats right, South Carolina, you are decidedly not the birthplace of barbecue despite what your ludicrous campaign says – through the decline during the fast food era and its current rebirth.

Moss’s book is comprehensive in its documentation of barbecue’s trends across America, and while it does devote some space to detailing the regional styles of barbecue (North Carolina, Texas, South Carolina, etc) if you are looking for more in-depth knowledge about a particular style you will have to look elsewhere. Still, this is as good a starting place as ever if you are looking to read up on American barbecue. Lots of great archival photos and ads are sprinkled throughout as are some barbecue-related recipes. Highly recommended.

–Monk

Friday Find: How to Make Pinoy Style Ribs

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So this technically isn’t barbecue per se since the ribs are oven baked, but Chef Miguel Trinidad of Jeepney (a filipino gastropub in New York) details the filipino take on ribs, which includes banana ketchup and 7-Up. Definitely looks intriguing, and could be worth trying on an actual smoker.

–Monk

Linkdown: 6/3/15

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– Remember the Carolina-style barbecue joint in SF, Rusty’s Southern? Well there, “barbecue doctrine gives way to what simply tastes right” as they do their variations on NC and SC style barbecue and sauces

– EDIA, Inc, the folks behind The Great NC Barbecue Map, collaborate with Garden & Gun Magazine on 5 lesser-known NC barbecue joints

– This DC-area blog has a breakdown of the different spots around DC to try various styles of barbecue

– Red Hot & Blue opened its latest chain restaurant in Cary in early May

– Marie, Let’s Eat! visits Couch’s Barbecue in Ooltewah, TN for the second time and reiterates that its worth a stop, even if the style of barbecue is a little unique

– Robert Moss goes in deep on Central Texas sausage in his latest post for Southern Living

– Some (but not all) details on Looking Ahead to the Past BBQ, a cool sounding barbecue event around Charlotte on June 14; the location has yet to be disclosed:

The Relish Carolina event will include outdoor cooking by chef Jim Noble and his Noble Food & Pursuits team, wine pairings by Eric Solomon of European Cellars, and involvement from Dan Huntley of Dan the Pig Man Barbecue, Free Range Brewing, Haunt Bar and Unknown Brewing. Some of the proceeds will benefit The Kings Kitchen and Bakery, owned by Noble, which supports homeless programs in Charlotte.