Mine's better


 
M

Mary M

TVWBB Fan
Yesterday, for the first time in close to a year, I got ribs from my fave (semi-)local q place. Despite the fact that I haven't been a frequent customer, I've loved this place since it opened. Yesterday was the first time I've been since I got my WSM and started barbecuing for myself. I got a to-go order of St. Louis ribs, my fave kind, and a couple of sides, and drove to a nice spot by the river, thinking to have myself a nice barbecue dinner while I watched the sun set.

I bit into the ribs, and they were good, but...

..they just weren't as good as mine.

I suppose I should feel pleased about this, but I really don't.
 
What place did you get the ribs from? Maybe wifey and I will give it a try when we are in the Berkshires - without my WSM
 
Mary, that's quite a complement to your expertise, right? After all, we're usually our own worst critics. It's a stretch, but maybe you could rationalize that just maybe they were having an off-day? Probably not, tho.
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Rita
 
I have had the exact same experience. REAL BBQ places that can equal the quality of a dedicated backyard Q'er are few and far between. I suppose there are some famous places around the country that are up to the challenge, but for the most part I have ruined myself for getting BBQ from anywhere other than my own backyard.
 
I seldom go to BBQ restauraunts anymore at all for the very same reason. I always leave either very disappointed or, best case, a little disappointed.
 
Thanks for the feedback. Honestly, I wasn't expecting this. When I first started, I was kind of hoping that I could come close to a good q restaurant...and I had a "Wow!" moment over my first results, to be sure. But a memory of something being really great is like that: when your standard of "really great" changes, you don't realize that your former "really great" place may not quite be on that scale any more.

The place in question is Holy Smokes BBQ in Hatfield, MA, and I think it really does qualify as a better barbecue restaurant. They take a lot of pains, their stuff is honestly smoked, etc. If I were taking someone out for q, that's where I'd head. I think, in this case, the "mine's better" mostly results from being able to do it just the way I want, and I'd still highly recommend Holy Smokes to anyone. But I don't think I'll go out of my way to go there again, and that's really sad, because I like the atmosphere of a good q joint.
 
Mary,

I’ve been hesitant to post this, but I think it is in the spirit of your post and also reinforces how good the quality is of ALL of our barbecue.

I recently received very positive feedback from a commercial barbecue sauce creator after he sampled my International WSM Smoke Day barbecue feast. To shorten a long story, this is an individual who has sampled a lot of barbecue and knows good barbecue when he eats it. He even encouraged me to compete. I value his opinion and consider this to be very high praise.

My point, I don’t do anything different than the rest of you at TVWBB. I basically know what I like and cook to please myself and my family. Many of my recipes and techniques are directly from TVWB website and discussion boards. Everything else is adapted from other cookbooks.

Feel proud of the barbecue coming off your WSM. It really is THAT GOOD!

Jim
 
Mary,
I know exactly what you are talking about. I always thought my buddies grilled BB's were the best. He does make a big deal out of them. Until I smoked my 1st ribs. They were way better than I ever hoped for. Now every time I go to a BBQ place, It's OK, but not the best. All my friends & co-workers say " mine's better".
 
I do think most of what I cook is better than what I can get out. When we cook, we cook with love. We plan every detail as to what time dinner is on and when the guest will be here and so on. We are passionate about our methods and way.
Now my second part. I did a review on a BBQ eatery in my area a while back on another site. It was an honest review, but later on I couldn't help but feel bad about what I had wrote and went back and deleted it. Most restraunts you order a steak, fish, or usually something that is prepared or finished quickly and placed on a plate and sat in front of you for consumption. Then I think of the BBQ people who spend hours if not all day or night trying to prepare a decent Q to serve to their customers. The establishment I was refering to was probably someones dream just like one of ours in some way or fashion. Then I start thinking about when he opened his business, he instantly went from pitmaster like one of us to waiter, cashier, dishwasher, supply order person, janitor and so on. It became a job, and a rather tough one I'm sure. Your big well known bbq eaterys probably started the same way, and they luckily stuck it out till they were successful and could hire the help to carry on. I have since went back to this mom and pop Q shack and had a rather delightful meal. Thats when I jerked my review off the other site and started feeling guilty. Now if their food had been down right rotten it would have been a whole different ballgame. I more than likely just caught them on a bad day and I am very grateful that I gave them a second chance and went back. We get a lot of tips from people like Minion, Lempe, and a lot of other pros and comp cookers that we can use at home from this and other sites. A lot of that info is just not feasible or usable on the local
bbq shack level. The bbq shacks are probably what drew me to liking it in the first place, I guess I'm just not as quick to judge as I once was.
 
I agree with all the posts in this thread. My wife and I went to the local bbq joint and ordered take-out. As we were eating, my wife tells me that the food is ok and that mine is actually better. That put a smile on my face. I have been q'ing for a little over a year now and rarely eat q out anymore.
 
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