BBQ DISCUSSION - the food, not the recruiting event.
Folks, a small tangent on the Jadyn Davis on3 forecast thread has gotten me inspired to talk about BBQ: the cuisine.
There is really no greater culinary combination than smoke and meat. But not all smoked meats are created equally.
Recently, I ordered a full brisket shipped from the world-famous Franklin's BBQ in Texas, from a website called Goldbelly.com. Long story short, it was packaged to be reheated in the oven, and turned out absolutely perfect. It was easily, and by far, the best BBQ dish I've ever had.
But I've been all over this country specifically to eat BBQ, and found some close competition. Kozy Korner in Memphis has some of the best pulled pork and chicken you can imagine. Also in pulled pork, I went to several different spots in Georgia that I can't remember the names of that were out of this world. The Joint in New Orleans features the best ribs I've ever had.
However, I've been pleasantly surprised by the level of quality on offer at Ricewood here in Ann Arbor. It's a different spin as they are usually serving their meats in a rice bowl with optional veggies and a Filipino flavoring sauce. However, I was genuinely impressed with the brisket and ribs in particular. The ribs have just the right amount of tooth so you can actually chew them as opposed to some over-done ribs that literally dissolve off the bone (just not my thing). Ricewood also smokes burgers, which is a revelation.
What are some of your BBQ memories, highlights, and triumphs? Interested to hear from pit masters to amateurs to folks who are just gluttons like me.
GO BBLUE!
(the extra B is for BBBQ)
Thanks for the insite on the the Goldbelly shipped Franklin BBQ. I’ve been wanting to try that but it’s a boatload. I see just under $270 for 4.5- 5lbs. Ps, I’ll have to try Ricewood I guess.
Aside from the price, the process was super easy. Keep in mind it's supposed to be able to feed 8-10 people so it breaks down as still very expensive, but proportionately more reasonable than the initial sticker shock, which certainly took me.
I ordered in April and received the brisket in July, it was listed as sold out for a while before that. Once I got it, they said it lasts in the fridge for 10 days. It comes fully cooked, wrapped in layers of plastic, ice packs, and butcher paper. It took almost twice as long as recommended to heat it to serving temp (135-40 I believe, could be wrong on that); they recommended 70 minutes, took about two hours at 225 degrees.
Ricewood is highly recommended. They're known for their brisket so I'd get that or the ribs. It's not Texas brisket, but still quite good.
Man you guys are crazy! For $80 you can get a prime grade 16-20lb whole brisket from Costco and smoke it yourself and feed twice as many people! Aaron Franklin (of said Franklin's BBQ) even has youtube videos on how he smokes brisket. It's really not too hard....that is unless you don't own a smoker!
BBQ in Texas, on any given day and location, is the best I've had in a general sense, but every part of the country (well, maybe not New England...) has their own style. There are places in southern Illinois and Indiana which take a back seat to no one, and the southeastern part of this country would be pretty pissed off at not being mentioned, particularly when it comes to pork in its many glorious forms. But Texas...Texas has the best sausages and beef BBQ and their slow cooked pork is pretty good.
For myself, I use dry rub and a Sous Vide rig to get the meat perfectly cooked, but have yet to invest in a smoker for finishing. It's all good
No disrespect to the Southeastern BBQ traditions, but white / vinegar sauces are not my preference.
We use a mustard base here in the midlands of South Carolina. Have really fell in love with it.
Add me to the list of those thinking that Texas BBQ is on a different level. I have recently moved to the northern Dallas suburbs and have tried several restaurants in the area known for BBQ. Hutchins in Frisco for its brisket and sausage and Terry Black's in Dallas for its ribs are outstanding. I've tried BBQ in many areas of the country, including Kansas City which is also off the charts good, but BBQ in Texas tops the list.
Some good pics at this link:
https://hutchinsbbq.com/
For my money, Carolina BBQ > Texas BBQ in all things except brisket. Plus then you don't have to spend time in Texas.
Don't get me wrong, I'll eat Carolina if there is nothing else available, but make no mistake, it is second class BBQ. Carolina BBQ is not one of the top 5 styles in the US:
1 - Texas
2 - KC (t)
2 - Memphis (t)
4 - Someplace else
5 - Anyplace else
6 - Carolina
I once had TEXAS atop my list until I tried the CROWN PRIME at Jack Stacks in KC.
EDIT
I like Texas rub but RUB and WET is the best yet.
Rudy's in Austin is top notch along with Stubb's. Plus for a hot take, smoked turkey is better than brisket
ugh, a pox on your monkey house
Nah, Dickey's is the way to go!
If a BBQ joint has smoked turkey on the menu, I always get it. Because given how hard it is to make smoked turkey not super dry, you know if it's on the menu, it's gonna be amazing
Smoked turkey is very good, but c'mon man....
Overall, I’m a horrible cook. I’ll mess up mac & cheese if I try to make it.
With that, I’m a master on the grill and cooking just about all meats. The one item I get the most praise on are my ribs. It takes me about 5-6 hours to complete, but well worth it. Some pointers I’ll give on doing ribs on the grill:
1. stick with baby back ribs (as opposed to St Louis spare ribs). Baby back are more tender and are more forgiving in the grill environment.
2. take the time to remove the membrane on the back of the ribs. It’s not an easy task, but well worth it for added tenderness and “fall off the bone” quality
3. if you want to use bbq sauce on the ribs, do so at the very end of the cook. This helps maintain flavor of the sauce.
4. if your grill can’t maintain an even heat for several hours, just cook them in the oven.
Rub the ribs the night before with salt, sugar, black pepper and whatever else you may like!
What is everyone’s suggestion on store bought rubs? Im going to experiment with a couple in the next few weeks. I still want to use bbq sauce so I’m looking for a good rub that doesn’t interfere with the BBQ flavor
I'd say make it yourself. It's easy, cheaper, and you can customize it. I'm sure there are good ones on the market, it's just so easy to make your own to your liking for not much effort.
Say what you want about Emeril, and it's not designed for BBQ per se, but his basic "essence" creole seasoning ( https://www.emerils.com/120057/emerils-essence-creole-seasoning ) is a solid recipe base to start a generic rub with (I've used this on smoked pork shoulder and wow!). If you're doing ribs, I'd probably add brown sugar and some ground mustard, then omit/reduce the oregano and thyme.
I prefer to go straight 50/50 coarse black pepper and salt, the true Texas way with BBQ sauce on the side so you can dip if you choose. Store bought rubs can be all over the place, but if you want to experiment, get a couple racks of ribs and do each one different to determine preference.
Love keeping it classic with the S & P, that's how I'd roll if I were doing brisket, let the beef speak for itself, but for ribs I like a more robust rub
I do one set of ribs traditional and it's always my favorite with a nice sauce on the side, but the beauty of Costco ribs is I get three racks, so always do two different ones. There was a Franklin's rub that everyone seemed to like a lot with Ribs specifically.
It's a good thing there's more than one way to enjoy BBQ! I'll be sure to do some S & P ribs next time, always down to taste test and experiment for science!
For BBQ or any kind of dry rub/dry brine situation, definitely apply the rub the night before, and let it sit on top of a cooling rack loosely covered with wax paper. Life changing.
For a fun experiment, take 3 chicken breasts, one brined just with salt the night before, one not brined but still aired out the night before salt before cooking, and then one straight out of the package (dry that off real quick tho) salted before cooking. That salt only brine makes the tastiest, juiciest chicken breast I've ever had, but find out for yourself! Works well with big cuts of steak, as well
If you're not using a smoker, I agree with all of these especially #4. Grills can be very difficult to hold consistent temps to cook low & slow. Better off in the oven with rub with the option of finishing on the grill with sauce.
I’ve given up on trying to remove the membrane myself and usually just ask the butcher if they can do it for me. I’ve watched plenty of YouTube videos on it and they make it look so freaking easy with being able to yank it all off in one fell swoop, the knives I use are plenty sharp, but I’ve never been able to remove it without having to take it off piece by piece.
Guessing it’s like riding a bike where once you get it right once, you’re set. But I haven’t been able to do it without it being an incredibly painstaking process.
Absolutely agreed on using the sauce at the end though. All I put on before the ribs go on the grill is some olive oil and my seasoning. Sauce doesn’t go on until the end, and I’ll leave it on the grill just long enough for the sauce to caramelize and get a small semblance of crispiness on the skin.
Best method I've found is to slide under with a relatively dull butter knife (so you're not cutting holes in the membrane), and when you've worked up one edge, grab it with a dry paper towel. Not easy, but doable.
I love ribs, but St. Louis cut spare ribs are my preference. Beef ribs are great too. I think good short ribs are cheaper, easier, and faster to smoke than a brisket, and just as good as all but the best briskets.
Working up the entire edge - not just enough to get a grip, and using the dry paper towel are the keys you keyed on. Absolutely correct! If you try to use a knife to take it off, like filleting a fish, you're going to have a lot of trouble...
This talk about membranes on ribs is ruining ribs for me.
Completely disagree with you on baby back ribs being more forgiving. Far too often they are sold as “extra meaty” which means a huge layer of pork loin on top which will dry out.
St Louis cut spare ribs are better, cheaper and easier to cook, they just take longer. 4-6 hrs depending on the smoker. Pretty fool proof unless you undercook them. No need to wrap unless you like them extra tender - the 3-2-1 method makes them too soft if you ask me (cook for 3 hours, wrap in butcher paper or foil and cook for 2 hours and then unwrap and cook for 1 hr). And don’t add any sauce til the last 30 min or so or it’ll burn
I see what you are saying about baby back ribs. I don't think I've ever had that issue, but something to look out for.
With that, I've always thought that that the meat on St. Louis style ribs were tougher and require extra care on the grill. That has been my experience at least. My counterparts much prefer St. Louis style in the smoker vs the grill.
These are all great tips. I consider myself to be a pretty awesome bbqer, and my ribs seem to be a favorite. My tips:
1. Definitely remove the membrane. I suck at it but most butchers will do it for you if you ask.
2. Salt liberally the night before. Both sides.
3. The day of, lightly coat the ribs in vegetable oil (not a lot - just rub it over the surface) and the generously sprinkle on - and then actually rub in - whatever rub you are using. Don’t scrimp on the rub - you need to fully coat all surfaces. I use a rub that I developed over a few years that has white and brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, rosemary and one or two secret ingredients. I like to do the rub a few hours before the ribs are cooked.
4. Get your smoker to around 225-250 and place the ribs into the smoker. Total cook time in the smoker is around 2:15-2:30. At the start of the smoke, add around 6-8 oz of a mix of hickory and mesquite wood to your fire. Great flavor addition.
5. After 2:15-2:30 has passed, I then baste the ribs in my own sauce (it’s a bbq base but with Asian flavors added) and out the ribs on my bbq on high heat. I flip em every 2-3 minutes repeatedly basting. After a few flips, when the sauce has really caramelized, I take ‘em off.
6. Final tip - if you are cutting the ribs into individuals, I cut right on the grill (the knife slides between the slots of the grill grates easily) and transfer the cut ribs onto a low-medium heat while I cut the rest.
Good advice. I always have better luck with pork ribs and the best with baby back. I have always struggled with beef ribs and I think part of that is not being able to thoroughly remove the membrane with beef ribs.
When I moved to Atlanta a dozen years ago, I found that Sony’s and Williamson Bros. both have great smoked meat selections. Brisket, pork, chicken - doesn’t matter as they are all delicious!
Atlanta resident here. Never been there but we don’t find ourselves in Marietta all that often, we’re on the Northeast side of town in Norcross. Usually our go-to is Local Q and Brew in Alpharetta, but just looking at Google I’ll have to make the trek out and give this place a try!
I’m a sucker for anywhere that can serve up a good brisket and some hush puppies.
Franklin’s is the best food I’ve ever put in my mouth
Bought a Z grill on Prime day and it arrives on Monday. Bought pellets, cleaning supplies, and made room in my garage to store it. First dish will be ribs, then pork tenderloin. Going to wait until winter to tackle brisket.
Boston Butt.
It's pretty much impossible to screw up a Boston Butt... I mean, you can put it into the oven with no seasoning whatsoever, take it to ~205, and you have a fantastic pulled pork sandwich! Adding smoke and seasoning just makes it better from the excellent starting point that is a basic Boston Butt.
I bought a Zgrill last year and I really like it. Only issue I had was the RTD wire broke. It has been excellent other than that minor hiccup. Hope you enjoy yours.
I went for Bluetooth probes and a temp screen that connects to my WiFi. My fat ass will be watching the game and the miracles of modern tech will alert me when it’s time to boat the brisket. Also, a Prime Day purchase
+100 for the Kozy Korner shout out! That place was lights out when I lived there!
I haven't had decent BAR-B-Q in 15 years.
Medvedev couldn't hook you up with a spot for some St. Petersburg style ribs?
Or did he cut you off when you took his job back?
Try Mr. Pig Stuff in Shakopee. I think it’s really good. You might be surprised.
Thanks for the tip! Now I've got a weekend plan.
I struggled to find good BBQ in MN for a while. I finally just found my spot a couple weeks ago. Big Bore BBQ. It's a ways out of the city in Hanover, but totally worth the drive. I can't wait to go back. My ribs were phenomenal.
The best bbq I've ever had was in Austin at Terry Black's (also went to the one in Dallas). The whole experience was fantastic. Got a plate with brisket, mac n cheese, green beans and cole slaw. The brisket was perfect -- not too fatty, fork tender, and the smoke was just the right level. It had no sauce, which I liked. You could add some if you wanted but the brisket was so flavorful, I didn't want to cover it with bbq sauce. In Chicago, where I live, I like Smoke Daddy. I get a pulled pork sandwich with cole slaw and that hits the spot. I'm sure there's better bbq here but I'm satisfied with what I've gotten.