Here are some pics from the first day of the party:
It really was a beautiful day, warm, somewhat overcast so I didn't wilt in the heat. The lines weren't as long as last year and I didn't wait more than 20 minutes in any one line. Well worth it. I tried to avoid the local places as I can go to them any time I want (but I hit at least one).
Steven Raichlen was there doing some BBQ demos (recipes, techniques). I thought it was pretty interesting.
Here is a TV clip of Mr. Raichlen. They had it set up so the folks in the back of the tent could see up close what he was talking about. A nice rack of ribs getting prepped.
My favorite food of the whole party. The pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw from Big Bob Gibson's. It was perfect: velvety tender, just a bit of bark on it, soft potato roll and nice crunchy, lip-puckeringly good vinegar based slaw to put on top. I did think the pork could have had more smoke flavor to it though. I slathered on all three of their sauces: red, white and mustard. The red was sweet and spicy at the back end. The white sauce was tangy, somewhat of an acquired taste. The mustard sauce was nice and tangy. The reason I loved this so much is that something happened when I ate it. I lost track of my surroundings and awoke with my chin and hands covered in sauce. It's a great feeling to love eating a particular food so much that all else is blocked out. I didn't care who saw me. It was a pretty special moment.
Here's the same sandwich before I made a glorious mess of it with the sauces.
Gibson's pitmaster Chris Lilly at the ready with the pork just out the of smoker and a big knife. He asked me if I wanted a shot with the knife or the pork. I said "I want the whole money shot"!
This is what I had at Baker's Ribs (from Dallas). Some brisket and bread with beans. The beans are similar to Dinosaur's with a good smoky flavor to them. The brisket had a nice smoky punch to it. And good crust on it. The good thing about this party is that the tents usually have many portions ready to go, so I was alway reaching for the crustiest looking pieces of meat. The sauce was tomato and vinegar based (I think). Had a very tangy flavor to it and was kinda thin. I prefer mine thick, smoky and spicy (with a dash of sweetness).
A shot of the crowd on the first day.
A fried pie I cut open from Stehling Brother's out of Asheville and Charleston. Very tasty. Good apple and cinnamon flavor, but I thought it was pretty pricey for $4 a pop. I picked up some for my friends the next day and it was $4 for two of them. Not sure why, but damn tasty anyway.
A full shot of the fried pie.
This is Cooter. He makes pulled pork at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. Their pulled pork makes me very happy.
The smoked chicken at Blue Smoke (people I asked said it was good) but I didn't try it as it's in NYC.
A little hockey anyone? I got some air on the balls, but none in the net. Guess I'll have to watch the draft on the TV this year.
Lots of people enjoying the music and food on a beautiful day. It was really great and a perfect weekend for it.
Mitchell's BBQ (Wilson, NC), the whole hog and coleslaw sandwich. Very disappointing. The hog was extremely dry. The way I worked it with all of the food, was to taste the meat first, then dip into the sauces next and take notes. The finely chopped texture was different for me, good, but I couldn't believe how dry it was. However, the slaw and sauce saved it somewhat. The vinegar slaw was ok, not great. I really loved the sauce though. It was a vinegar based affair, somewhat peppery and spicy, thin and a nice jolt of tabasco flavor at the end. It brought the sandwich back to life. I probably wouldn't get it again if other places were around to try.
Me, kickin' it with the hogs!
The beginning of the smoker journey...
Almost done.
Thsi year, all of the tents had bright signs so they could be seen easily and there were volunteers holding huge long flags to indicate the end of the line. A good system that worked out well.
My beef rib with saltines, cheese cubes, and black eyed pea salad from Hill Country Barbecue Market in NYC. I'm usually not a huge fan of beef ribs, but this was very good. Nice and smoky, chewy (but not too much) and a lot of meat on it. I wasn't really down with the cheese and crackers thing. Just not used to it. The black-eyed pea salad looked good, but I felt the peas could have been cooked more.
The pitmaster said they put onions on the coals to add some flavor to the ribs.
Racks of beef ribs getting ready to be devoured.
I didn't make it to the Brunswick Stew tent, but I really liked this banner!
I didn't see the Sterns, but I saw Jeffrey Steingarten on the street, but didn't go up to him as I'm not crazy about his writing. Day 2 pictures to follow soon...
