What is BBQ? In your part of the world?

I travel all over as a truck driver.

I have found BBQ is differant all over.

Were I am in the Metro east FARM areas of St. Louis.

BBQ is slow grilled pork steaks with BBQ on them.

That or slow roasted ribs that are slow cooked with the sauce oon while cooking.

In a Carolina state. They seem to think BBQ is a pulled pork concouction with a vinigar sauce.

Kansas City I have found that BBQ normaly means a dry rub rib rack with sauce added.

Differant parts of Texas range in their thinking.

If You order BBQ what do you expect to see?

First time poster long time reader Bellinghan WA home but work keeps me in Beijing. BBQ here is coal burning outdoor affair. Vendors setting up on the local streets selling anything from greens to shrimp scewered on a stick and covered with salt pepper and hot sauce. Some delicious always thick smoke but most patrients only doing there eats while guzzling beer.

beijinger,
Welcome to RF.
Do you have your camera? It would be great to see -- not as good as to smell or taste.

Re: OP, the 'q I don't quite get is the tri-tip in California ... I've never enjoyed it, as it never seemed to be fork tender.

BBQ here in NE PA is either Smokey Bones or chopped lunchmeat with ketchup and relish. The lunchmeat could be ham, pork, beef, or turkey, but it's all the same; chopped lunchmeat held in a steam tray.

We have a BBQ joint, Woody's, but I haven't gone there in several years. The food is OK, but there is a bad vibe about the place. I'm not sure why, everyone is nice enough. But still, Woody's makes me uncomfortable. The place is not thriving.

In the Northeasy,I've seen that barbecue is the stereotypical pork,bbef,or chicken with a spicey wet sauce. We had a slow cook barbecue in the next town over from where I live in Jersey, and it closed. Famous Dave's is what we call barbecue!

Barbecue in West TN is heaven! From Memphis to 50 miles east of Nashville every town, regardless of the size, has barbecue joints they consider the best. Real pit barbeque is smoked over real wood not these mechanized steel cookers you are starting to see all over. When I go to my favorite pits I can smell the que as I approach.The whole hog, ribs, chicken and bologna have a smoked taste that can only be obtained by the slow process that has been done here for years. My pulled pork sandwich is going to be piled two inches thick on a large soft bun , topped with slaw, and then sauce. It will be wrapped in paper and ready to eat. The cost is four dollars and will more than fill you up. When opened the meat will start falling out the sides. The half chicken, 3.50, will be moist and delicious. It will come with slaw and beans. When you head this way I will be pleased to direct you to many grat places.

Here in Texas....beef and more beef.

Here in Arkansas where I am there is only one really decent bbq place and that's Grandpa's bbq in Searcy I like their food butI dunno it's not THE best there are better bbq places in Arkansas I'm sure but quite a drive for me who lives out in the middle of nowhere they do the typical smoked ribs with sauce on pulled pork dry and you sauce it yourself on the bun ......

OH wait just remembered a new place I've been there twice Whistle Stop BBQ in Kensett, AR across the tracks from my nana's.....best damn brisket I ever laid my lips on they make their own selection of sauces and the meat has a nice smoke ring it's very tender very lovely flavor :)

I haven't tried their chicken yet :)

Here where I am is more about fried catfish than bbq :)

BBQ is a slow process if it is authentic. In Bama's Tennessee Valley where I am from it's usually pulled pork or ribs, but can be chicken, brisket, or pulled beef. I prefer outside meat if it's pulled pork. Until the last 15 or so years the usual sauce was a thin, quite spicy vinegar-based liquid also used to baste the meat as it cooked. As ribs have gained in popularity the thicker, tomato-based sauces have become more popular. But in this part of the country, a mayo-based white sauce is used to baste the chicken and then served along side. This stuff is wonderful! My sister sends a few bottles of Big Bob Gibson's white sauce to her good friend in California each year. Her friend puts it on everything!

Where do you get Big Bob Gibson's white sauce. Anyone here in the northeast: Ever seen it???

In Milwaukee, its Speed Queen BBQ.

Am I the first to say Brisket on this thread? Is that a mostly Texas thing? And yes, slooow cooked over real wood, sauce on the side as an option.
Joe

thanks,annpeeples!

Mosca, In Birmingham,Al the best BBQ is also found in places that makes a person feel uncomfortable.That one reason we all carry guns down here.

No Joe I said Brisket!! :) lol I think brisket is one of my favorites :)

oh, I see now Leania, sory! The selection of sauces sounds interesting. There is only one choice of sauce at the places I have been. Oh, except for hot sauce.
Joe

They have like 9 sauces in bottles on the table to choose from they like spicy bbq sauce, memphis style sauce, vinegar type sauce....neat stuff if any of you guys ever make it to my neck of the woods give me a holler ok :)

Although we have a few places in Maryland that can make BBQ, most of our BBQ is a mixture of a sweet BBQ sauce and shreaded pork or chicken. Very seldom do you see beef. Most of the places that sell BBQ around here get it out of a tub from Sysco.

Now if you go to a community or church function, alot of times what is called BBQ is in fact sloppy joe. I've written about this before. When I order sloppy joe and get BBQ, it is quite the letdown.

1.) Anything with tomato-based BBQ sauce on it.

2.) Anything cooked on a grill.

Like I said. I have found that depending were you go. BBQ is differant.

I guess I should have worded it differant. Like if you order "I will take the BBQ" What do you expect to see on your plate.

I have been to some of the large BBQ joints. They try to BBQ everything.

I know in some areas. I can order the chicken, the Brisket or the BBQ. It is differant in all areas.

Like I said. You order BBQ in this area for about 15 miles around. You will get a plate with a slow roasted thick sweet sauced while cooked Pork steak.

You go 30 miles out. You will get about 6-8 slow roasted Ribs with a thick sweet sauce.

I thought beer was required to BBQ everywere?

quote:

Originally posted by beijinger

First time poster long time reader Bellinghan WA home but work keeps me in Beijing. BBQ here is coal burning outdoor affair. Vendors setting up on the local streets selling anything from greens to shrimp scewered on a stick and covered with salt pepper and hot sauce. Some delicious always thick smoke but most patrients only doing there eats while guzzling beer.

quote:

Originally posted by leethebard

Where do you get Big Bob Gibson's white sauce. Anyone here in the northeast: Ever seen it???

Yes, I was able to buy a bottle at one of those hot sauce stores I stumbled upon in downtown Syracuse over the summer. So I recommend hot sauce stores.

You could probably also try their restaurant website.

BTW, I did'nt personally even like that white sauce, (and I really thought I would !!) It was too phony tasting to me, and too heavy

quote:

Originally posted by leethebard
Famous Dave's is what we call barbecue!

Leethebard,
Oh, how I pity (no pun intended, for once!) poor you!
C'mon down here to Georgia, where you can find vinegar-based sauce with Brunswick stew at one place and tomato-based sauce with BBQ hash at the next.
I guess there are fifteen BBQ places in the environs of Athens, several of which I've never tried and heard good-to-mediocre things about.
Now that I think about it, a nice plate of 'cue would sure'nuff hit the spot sometime this upcoming week.
Famous Dave's? Gracious, I'd never heard of him/it until one opened up out the way. It closed with mighty little fanfare.
Infamously, Ort. Carlton in Amazing Athens, Georgia.
P. S. There are even some places with BBQ goat. One in particular I have to shun because the owner insists on pouring a sweeeeet sauce over it before serving it up (that's how he likes it), and I can't take the sugar.

Come to the area surrounding Owensboro, Kentucky in the north-western part of the state, and you find most people prefer barbecued mutton.

Add another Texan to the beef side of the menu. Very slow smoked brisket is the cut of choice. Choice of wood to smoke with could be, Mesquite, Post Oak, or my favorite, Hickory. With sauce (if any) on the side, please.
And, let's not forget those big beef ribs either. They are PapaJoe8's favorite when he's in our proud state if I remember right.

Right Twin, but it's hard to find anyone smoking beef ribs. Oh, I'm always in Texas, just east of Dallas. Well, almost always.

I have a friend who insistd on using pecan wood. He smoked a standing rib roast that was to die for! Hey, I need to put that on the "new BBQ" thread.
Joe

quote:

Originally posted by PapaJoe8

Right Twin, but it's hard to find anyone smoking beef ribs. Oh, I'm always in Texas, just east of Dallas. Well, almost always.

I have a friend who insistd on using pecan wood. He smoked a standing rib roast that was to die for! Hey, I need to put that on the "new BBQ" thread.
Joe

Cut me a big slice, Joe.

quote:

Originally posted by PapaJoe8

I have a friend who insistd on using pecan wood. He smoked a standing rib roast that was to die for! Hey, I need to put that on the "new BBQ" thread.

This past weekend at The Brick Pit in Mobile, I discovered the joys of pecan-smoked BBQ. If I recall correctly, they use a 75% pecan blend (the other 25% is hickory?). The folks in attendance at this event were some of the folks who have been around this country once or twice and many believed that the BBQ at The Brick Pit to be among the best - anywhere!

I have always enjoyed BBQ smoked with pecan. It's good to throw in the pecan shells too. God knows, we have more than our share of pecan trees here in Dallas. The other day, my ex brought me a 5 pound bag of pecans from the trees in her yard.

North Carolina "Lexington style".

Pork shoulders slow cooked over wood embers. Very light sauce (called "dip"), not on the delivered product, but choice of a couple of sauces on the table if your want to lose the great flavor of the meat. I prefer the "outside brown" with the rich smoke flavor.

"Eastern Style"--eastern North Carolina that is, cooks the whole hog and uses a slightly bitter vinegar sauce.