Serious question...


 
A

Andrew Marr

TVWBB Member
well not all that serious but I thought I might get more answers this way...

Being new to the Q world, I wanted to dive right in and get to know as much as I can. Let's face it, I'm just outside of Montreal and we're not in southern Texas, we have different obsessions but I think this might become one of mine real soon. Anyway, I've been reading and watching shows on this topic for some time. I know in southern Texas most of you love your Q dry, where the smoke gives off most of the flavor, then maybe add some bbq sauce when eating, some places like it nice and 'wet', some real sweet, and some real 'hot'. I was wondering if this is set in stone? If you're from one part of the country do you always stick to what your area is known for or do people tend to want to discover other flavors and techniques?
 
It is not set in stone. Play with different styles, techniques, flavor profiles and serving suggestions. You'll enjoy the process of discovering what you like best.
 
Andrew,

Being from Michigan and the Midwest, I'm not sure what method I'm suppose to adhere to. I think its true of me and most people would agree, its what ever makes your boat float, puts wind in your sails, tweaks your tweeters or you feel like at the moment that is best. I like to try it all and consider myself a worldly man.

Have fun!
 
I'm from Minnesota where our idea of good barbecue is Applebees or Famous Daves so I'm in the same boat as you. I look at it as an opportunity to try a bunch of new flavors without having any pre-conceived notions of what barbecue should taste like.
 
I'm from central Carolina and most of my local BBQ joints do not serve traditional Carolina BBQ. I only know of one local place that serves traditional pulled pork with little bark and vingar sauce. Most BBQ around here is what one vendor calls "competition style", which seems to mean lots of rub, thick bark, sweet/thick sauce.

I think I've eaten more brisket and flintstone style beef ribs in the last few years than traditional Carolina style pulled pork and spare ribs. Of course that was until I started cooking my own BBQ on my WSM.
 
i found i like mine dry. just not a sauce guy. but you need to try out the differant styles and then decide for yourself. i think that even though q can be regional that's becoming rather fuzzy now.
 
As Kruger said, experiment with them all and do it the way YOU like it.

Personally, I like lots of bark and just a little sauce so as not to mask the meat and smoke flavor. With Pork, I prefer a sweet thin sauce like Sweet Baby Ray's cut with Apple Juice and Apple Cider Vinegar (2:2:1). With Beef, I prefer a tart thin sauce similar to KC Masterpiece or Cattleman's cut with pan drippings.

Be careful with the use of the word "dry". Some places interpret that to mean a product covered in dry rub after being cooked.

.
 
After you get comfortable making decent food, it can be very enjoyable to branch out and explore some of the regional styles. All the classic presentations are popular because each has something to offer in it's own way, even that crazy Alabama white sauce. You'll learn what you like and don't, and then you can build off that base.

Who knows? You may end up developing your own style and people will be copying you.
 
If you don't want to pay for a book just click on Kevin Kruger and read his posts. If you want to purchase a couple of books there is a link on the site for BBQ books. http://virtualweberbullet.com/shopping.html

Here are the books well some of the books I have

Smoke & Spice

Paul Kirk's Championship Barbecue Sauce

Paul Kirk's Championship Barbecue
and for the out of the box there is the Great Ray Lampe aka
Dr. BBQ's Big-Time Barbecue Cookbook
and if you want a overview of BBQ acrosss the USA there is Ray Lampe aka Dr.BBQ's Road Trip.
 
I'm from SoCal and down here we don't have a style. All the Q joints serve some Texas stlye brisket, some pulled pork that you add sweet sauce too, ribs, etc. I haven't found anywhere in San Diego that is all that good. Ok, but not great.

Up the coast a ways they have Santa Maria style which is the Tri Tip cooked over direct heat via white oak. They move the meat up and down as needed. Seasoning is simple: pepper, salt, garlic powder.

My only "style" is that I can't stand it when the smother the meat in sauce. IMHO, why go to the lengths to make quality que if you're just going to mask it under sauce? I like to taste the meat, the seasoning, the smoke, etc, and maybe compliment with a good sauce. I doubt I'd be impressed by KC bbq joints.

But to each their own!

ps- jerry, I lived in St Cloud for 8 years so I know what you mean
 
Being from Toronto, which as we all know is the Q capital of the world
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, i try lots of styles. My wife likes it FOTB, I prefer some bite and bark. I usually just sauce lightly once about 40 minutes before taking off the grate.
 
I am from Maryland, a state known for crabs and seafood. Our BBQ is known as Pit Beef. It is usally bottom round in “pit beef stands” or top round at home. This type of BBQ is very regional and I have never seen it outside the state. Even though I do make Pit Beef on occasion, I try to cook everything. From Texas style brisket to Carolina pulled pork. Sometimes I make St. Louis style ribs and sometimes I make Memphis dry ribs. I love it all, that is why I started BBQing at home. I find a recipe or watch a BBQ show and give it a try. Some I like, some I wouldn’t do again but this is my hobby. Its fun to experiment with different ingredients and techniques. I am just a backyard cook and I have no aspirations for competition.
However I must say, I couldn’t tell you the last time I have gone to a BBQ restaurant. When I go out, I want something that I don’t or can’t cook well at home.
Steve
 
I am from just outside of Houston and I would like to echo what everybody else says. Get some fuel, fire up the smoker and figure out what you like. Some of the best bbq that I have had was the burnt ends at Gates in KC. I plan to go to the Salt Lick in Driftwood this summer to taste a brisket cooked direct. I have had a ton of good and bad bbq. Thanks to the fine folks on this board I am having a lot more of the good and a lot less of the bad.

-Don
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by S Hoffman:
I am from Maryland, a state known for crabs and seafood. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">However I must say, I couldn’t tell you the last time I have gone to a BBQ restaurant. When I go out, I want something that I don’t or can’t cook well at home.
Steve </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
My Mom is from the Tidewater area of Virginia; Norfolk and Virginia Beach. I grew up visiting her 3 sisters and their families and having wonderful bushels of blue crabs steamed in Old Bay. You'd sit at the lined up picnic tables and eat 'til your fingers hurt... then give up your spot, only to return 30 minutes later when someone else got up.

I love your comment about eating out.

I've been grilling on Weber Genesii for 25 years. And I am learning to BBQ, Santa having brought my WSM. But I also really enjoy regular cooking as well. Nothing is more calming than a nice glass of wine, good music, a sharp knife that molds to the hand, and a pile of ingredients awaiting transformation to a mise en place.

Like you, I am getting really picky about where I'll pay to eat, 'cause I just can't stand paying for stuff that I can do better. OTOH, I also find myself taking notes in restaurants when I have something that was really good, and I think I might be able to do it.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">As Kruger said, experiment with them all and do it the way YOU like it.

Personally, I like lots of bark and just a little sauce so as not to mask the meat and smoke flavor. With Pork, I prefer a sweet thin sauce like Sweet Baby Ray's cut with Apple Juice and Apple Cider Vinegar (2:2:1). With Beef, I prefer a tart thin sauce similar to KC Masterpiece or Cattleman's cut with pan drippings.

Be careful with the use of the word "dry". Some places interpret that to mean a product covered in dry rub after being cooked. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>


Agree 110% on the above!
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Invest in a few cookbooks that feature various styles or specific area styles and just start cooking the same meat with different styles to find your taste. I grew up in Kansas and experienced the KC style and Texas style. Lived in Arizona six years and had the southwest experience. Tried a bunch of other state/area styles, played around a bunch with making my own rubs and sauces, and now have my favorite flavor profiles for each cut of/type of meat I cook and those flavor styles are combinations from all over the place. Just experiment, most of the time the worse case scenario is edible food. The last few years I've had a lot of contact with Asian students and their homeland styles, including Indian/Nepali along with Taiwan and Korean flavors. It all helps keep your bbq from getting boring and repetitive.
 
I haven't yet met a bbq that I don't like. The only rule I have is that the meat has to be able to stand alone without sauce. If the sauce is anything more than a compliment, I don't think its good bbq.

Personally I like to stay away from the super sweet and the super hot. It masks too many flavors for me. In my house it ranges from no sauce, a light application of a kansas city or st louis style sauce, to a mustard sauce.
 
I grew up near St. Louis, MO, eating bbq grilled on a gas grill or over charcoal. At the end of cooking, it was always dipped into sauce (usually Maull's) which is kind of a medium thickness, ketchup based, medium sweet, tangy sauce.

I loved when we had BBQ at family partys. It is nice to remind myself, at times, how good that simple bbq really was.

Later, I lived in Memphis with a guy from North Carolina. We ate every type of bbq we could find. He showed me why people like the vinegar type sauces. My best explanation is that vinegar on bbq is kind of like squeezing a lemon on fish. It gives some acid balance.

To me, the more you understand the different styles... The better you can combine ideas to make really good Q. I never just dismiss an approach or style.
 
hey thanks for all your answers! I guess it's true that the Q community is a great place to learn and you all proved it. I read everything you guys wrote and I will in fact try everything and pick what i like and can cook the best. I'll look around the links you provided for books and threads on some of the great ways to prepare and smoke all this good food.
Thanks again and have a great week.
 
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