The Great Debate

And no, I'm not talking about Hilary and Donald... I'm talking about BBQ !!! I don't think there's another type of food out there that has so many opinions...


1. To sauce or not to sauce
2. Red sauce or White sauce
3. Pulled, chopped or sliced
4. Hickory, Pecan, Oak or Mesquite
5. Beef, Pork or Chicken
6. Brine or not to brine
7. Wrap or not to wrap Boston Butts ???
8. BBQ sandwich with or without pickles and mayo


You see what I mean ? Everyone one of you have had these conversations with someone at some point and time and as my daddy used to say "I'd bet a dollar against a hole in a doughnut" that you probably don't get your 'take out' bbq from the same place. You more than likely get your sandwich from one place, your chicken from another and your ribs from yet another.


I can remember going into Big Bobs with my pawpaw, when it was on 6th ave, next to where it is now. O.M Hutchinson (my pawpaw) was a long time customer and we always walked in the back door, where the pits were. As a kid this was really cool stuff. I can remember him walking up to the pits and actually picking out the chickens that he wanted to buy. So I guess because of this child hood memory, I've always been fond of Big Bobs chicken. It's really good and I cant eat it without thinking back to the days with my pawpaw, riding in his El Camino while he chewed on that 'Tampa' cigar.


With all that being said, Southern Style BBQ (on Moulton St) has the absolute best pulled pork sandwich in town, hands down !!! I'm still searching for the ribs. I really liked Sonny's BBQ ribs (Hwy 20 Trinity). I believe they were possibly the best in the state but that business was hit by the 2011 tornados and have yet to rebuild. Smokey C's (Hwy 20 Decatur) actually won 'Best Ribs' in the state, by AL.COM. I've never tried them because it seems like they are only open from 11:00am to 1:00pm and I never remember that until its too late.


Chief and Snoogie's (Hwy 24 Trinity) has an outstanding smoked ham sandwich. That's all I've eaten there but its worth the ride out, I promise.


My wife and I had been to an Iron Bowl a few years back and for those of you who don't know, we are a true house divided. She's been a long time Auburn fan and I'm a life long Bama fan. Well just so happened we decided to go to the Iron Bowl one year and of all years to go, the 'Kick 6' happened right before my eyes. I couldn't believe it and neither could the other 70K folks that were there. Anyway, on the ride home I needed something to drown my sorrows. Something that would help me forget the horror that I just witnessed then I saw it, just ahead at the very end of my headlights 'Jim & Nicks". Oh my... We had eaten their food once before but it was catered in to an event that we were at. We had never actually been to the restaurant. The sausage was fantastic. Now its wasn't as good as 'Triple R BBQ in Whitewright Texas, but it was close.


Now, I'm going to give you my opinions on the 8 debates that I listed up top...
1. Only meat that I want red sauce on is brisket. Its funny because somewhere around the Cullman area and south of there, you don't have a choice really. When you order pulled pork, it comes sauced as to where from Cullman north, its always on the side.
2. I love them both. Red sauce on Brisket, White sauce on Ribs and Chicken. I believe that the only sauce that should ever be on pulled pork is a vinegar based sauce, apple cider vinegar w/ crushed red pepper flakes (Carolina Style).
3. Pulled... plain and simple.
4. I think if it wasn't so expensive, everyone would smoke with Pecan. It has a great flavor and its not over powering. Believe it or not, too much hickory can ruin a good cut of meat, in my opinion. I will generally mix pecan and hickory when I'm smoking at home. Mesquite is for Texans... I like it but keep it out there. I've recently read that oak will give a darker color and you'll have a better 'bark' on your meat but I've yet to try it.
5. All of the above
6. Its a must if you ask me (for poultry anyway). It gets so much flavor and moisture into the meat that if you ever try it, you'll always do it. Next time you smoke chicken, grab you a pack of thighs, leg quarters or half chickens and brine them for 12 hours in the following
1 gallon water
1 cup salt
1 cup brown sugar
garlic powder
sprig of fresh Rosemary
I'll boil about a quart of water and add my salt and sugar so that it dissolves then add the remaining gallon with cold water. You want the brine cold when you add the meat and you need to make sure you have room in the fridge, to store it. Its going to take up a lot of space.


Quick story, I smoked the family Thanksgiving turkey one year. I brined it in the above but added 1/2 gallon of cranberry juice. It added so much 'Thanksgiving' flavor but It also turned my turkey the most beautiful shade of purple that you've ever seen. I thought to myself, NOBODY will eat that. Well, when I smoked it, it turned the most beautiful golden brown. I'm glad because I was worried for a little while.


7. I've tried both and I prefer not to wrap. I like the bark you get from keeping the meat open. I'm not real concerned with it drying out because once I pull it apart, I add salt and cider vinegar to the pan of meat and it has always turned out. The key to pulled pork is 190 degree internal temp.


8. I want both... I've also heard that a slice of Vidalia onion isn't too bad.


Most books you read will tell you that pork needs to cook to an internal temp of between 145 - 165. Well it will be done at that temp but impossible to shred. You can slice or chop I guess but like I said, who wants to do that ?


We could talk BBQ all day and not even get into the side dishes. I'm a traditionalist... Baked Beans and Potato Salad kind of guy and I like my potato salad warm. Cant hardly eat it cold. I do have a killer recipe for a mustard based 'Pool Room' slaw that's perfect with pulled pork. I say I have a recipe, I have it in my head and its never the same but it always seems to turn out and its a real simple base... shredded cabbage, prepared mustard and sugar. Make a dressing, if you will, out of the mustard and sugar, add spices (celery seed is a nice touch) and pour over cabbage and mix well. Add whatever other spices, peppers and/or onions you want and just go with the flavors that you like.


Like I've already stated, this blog is all about my opinions and preferences. If you like red sauce on pulled pork, by all means, eat it up and enjoy it. If you like chopped pork and not pulled, I ain't mad at'cha.


Its almost BBQ weather so fire up them smokers and get after it !!!

'The Garden'

With this spring like weather we're having in North Alabama, I feel it only appropriate to talk about gardens and canning... I took an interest in cooking at an early age. I can remember watching Justin Wilson on PBS when I was about 8 years old and it seemed like a really cool thing to get in to. That's also about the time I really remember my summer Saturday mornings being overtaken by 'The Garden'. 'The Garden', referring to my granddaddy's garden. Thinking back, I believe he could have sustained a dozen families out of that thing... It was huge. I really didn't enjoy or appreciate the whole process as much as I do now but I'm glad I have the memories. It seems like all we did was pick and shell butter beans and peas, shuck and husk corn, pull peanuts, pick plums, pick grapes and there was always a box or two of tomatoes, watermelons, cucumbers, squash and cantaloupe's out by the mail box with a 'FREE' sign on them. I can remember my grandmother, mother and my aunt working endlessly in the kitchen canning and freezing the summers bounty and as a kid I just thought, "wouldn't it be easier to just go buy this stuff", totally missing the meaning of it all. Years passed and one day my sister, Phillis Nelson, said something about canning some vegetable soup. You see, that's what we done with all the left overs at the end of the year, we made soup...and a lot of it. It wasn't long before my sister and I were canning soup together. My mother would guide us along and over a couple of years we got pretty good at it. If you'll take a couple quarts of home canned vegetable soup and add browned ground beef or a shredded rotisserie chicken, with a pan of cornbread... Wow !!!


Canning shouldn't be intimidating at all... If you'll prepare yourself, have everything you need ready to go and pay attention to what's going on with your canner, you'll be fine. I usually process and can about 30 quarts of soup every year. I use vegetables grown in my raised bed garden as well as some fresh produce that I purchase at the local farmers market or that friends and family give me. *** IMPORTANT*** Always use a tested recipe when canning. The Ball "Blue Book' of canning is full of tested recipes and instruction.


Last year I ventured out a little and canned a lot more than I ever had. I canned green beans, pepper sauce, chow chow, pool room slaw, blackberry jam, fig jam, peach preserves, scuppernong jelly, pinto beans, chili beans, mushrooms, carrots, sweet potatoes and soup. Its very rewarding to walk into the pantry, pull out a couple of jars and have supper ready in less than 30 minutes. Its even more rewarding when those who eat it, tell you how good it is. On the healthy side of things, I can't even pronounce half of the ingredients listed on a can of soup that's bought in the store. If someone ask me what's in mine, besides the fresh vegetables... Salt, that's it.


At the end of last summer, when I canned about 10 quarts of sweep potatoes, I remember telling my wife "I'll never do this again". I mean, that's a lot of work and I really don't enjoy peeling 25 lbs of sweet potatoes but after I tried them for the first time, I changed my mind, they are absolutely delicious !!! I'll never say that its not a lot of work, its time consuming and a little costly to get started but so worth it. After the initial purchase of the canner and jars all you'll need is a little time an commitment.


Just a little heads up, it can become consuming, if you let it. In the winter months, I catch myself walking through the grocery store just looking for something to be on sale, that I can put up and can. I have so many jars in my house, it looks like a 'Ball' or 'Kerr' warehouse. I have pots and pans of all sizes, dishpans and 2 pressure canners (well, maybe 3 canners... I might have bough another one today just because I got a great deal on it and you can never have too many pressure canners but don't tell my wife, she'll think I'm nuts). I might have bought 8 more cases of jars today as well. I mean really, you can't can without them and I have not bought any since I bought 18 dozen last summer, that I also got a great deal on.


If preserving your bounty is something you're interested in, I would suggest reading all you can about it before you get started. 'Water Bathing' is pretty simple and that's how you preserve most of your jellies, pickles, fruits and salsa (high acid foods). That's where I would start and graduate up to pressure canning. Like I said before... be ready and have everything you'll need when you get started. Once you get a canner up to pressure, its hard to call time out and run to the grocery store for rings and lids.


As the summer progresses, I'll be posting recipes and pics of things I'm canning and or freezing. I've had over 350 people look at this blog site in the last 2 days. That's flattering and as I continue to post, I hope that I'll provide information, tips, ideas and suggestions that will be helpful to you. Thanks for following...
   

And so it Begins (Introduction to my Blog)

Well, I have decided to write a blog... My wife has been doing it for years and she really seems to enjoy it. She's able to get a lot of information out to those who trust her work and its something that she truly enjoys doing... Mine will be on food. It will be on recipes that I've tried, recipes that I've created, recipes that I've altered. I will also discuss different places that I have and will eat at in the future. There will probably be some 'disaster' kitchen stories in here as well. If you cant laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at ?


My goal is NOT to be critical, as a food critic, but just my experiences and opinions. If I try something that I feel works, I'll share it. If I eat somewhere and the experience is good, I'll share... not so good, I'll still share but please remember, its only my opinion...


I'll be posting pic's along the way. I collect cookbooks and probably have 300 or more and my favorites are the ones with pictures. You know what they say "You eat with your eyes first". I want to be able to put a picture with a recipe. I want to know what the writer of the recipe intended the dish to look like when finished and I hope to share this with you as we go.


I'm fortunate to the point that I get to travel a good bit and we always look for the 'Mom and Pop' type places to eat 'No chains allowed', unless we're invited by a customer or you're in a place like Decatur Al, that thrives on chains. I'll be posting pics and experiences about those places as well.


Writing like this is new to me but my goal is to be helpful and to share things that I hope you'll enjoy.