In an earlier post I alluded to the fact that I was going to be eating a lot of BBQ. Unfortunately for a few reasons, I didn’t get to eat as much as I would have liked, but I also found that things are changing in the world of BBQ. Before I go further , I want to clarify that the BBQ that I’ll be talking about is actually the cooking process that is done using low indirect heat with hardwood and takes hours, known as slow and low. Most of us think of grilling as BBQ but that is not what I’m discussing today.
A very brief history of barbecue goes like this. The cooking style was brought to the Americas by the Spaniards who found the natives of the Caribbean cooking meat in pits using green wood to smoke the meat and keep it from burning. They called it babacoa. This cooking method spread throughout the colonies. There are four distinct styles of BBQ that come from different regions in America. Most purist would argue that only pork can be used in real BBQ, however those in Texas would disagree as beef is their meat of preference , while mutton is favored in parts of Kentucky. But what really sets the styles apart are the sauces and dry rubs used to impart flavor and keep the meat juicy. In the Eastern most colonies of North Carolina and Virginia the British immigrants liked a tart sauce to baste on their whole hogs as they cooked, so a tart vinegar based sauce was developed. In South Carolina where mostly French and German immigrants landed, they preferred the flavor of mustard. Hence, a mustard based sauce was born. German’s then moved into Texas and applied the cooking method to beef. In Memphis the city had the good fortune to be on the Mississippi river and could therefore acquire many types of goods and the sweet tomato based sauce was born from the molasses trade. Kansas City BBQ incorporated cooking of all types of meat and spiced up the Memphis sauce. Texas does have its own types of sauce but for some reason they’re not included in the four main regions of American BBQ.
My first stop was a place I had eaten at many times before and have had good results. Full Service BBQ in Knoxville. At Full Service you can opt to eat outside on one of their picnic benches or have the food brought to your car a la drive-in style. There is no inside dining, so if you go in the summer as I did you might want to do take out or eat in your car unless you like mosquitos. I got a small portion of pork ribs and a pulled pork sandwich with their mac-n-cheese, coleslaw and potato salad as sides. As usual the ribs were fall off the bone delicious with just the right amount of smoke flavor. The pulled pork however may not be for everyone. At some places they will smoke an entire hog and when that happens you can get a flavor not everyone likes, it can only be described as “porky”. Most people know the flavors of the shoulder or the butt. So I would caution you in trying the pulled pork if you haven’t tasted the whole hog before. Aside from that I would recommend Full Service if you’re prepared to eat in your car or come armed with some bug spray! (note: Mosquitos are out of their control and it really is good BBQ)
My next stop was at one of the most popular BBQ joints in Tennessee. Sweet P’s. Its been featured in Man Vs. Food and made the list on the Ultimate BBQ Roadtrip. I opted to eat at their downtown location called Sweet P’s Downtown Dive. Here’s where I noticed the change in BBQ, it’s the prices! I hadn’t been to Sweet P’s in a long time so I wanted to try the sampler plate. The plate consisted on your choice of pulled pork or chicken, a bun if you want to make a sandwich, brisket and 1/4 rack of ribs and three sides. This sounds like a lot of food (which it is if you eat all the sides) but the meats were weighed to the ounce. I saw the girl weigh my brisket and took back a piece the size of her thumb! I mean come on folks I barely got two slices of brisket, the end of the rack of ribs which has tiny small bones and was dried out and the pulled pork was just the right amount to fit on a bun. At the price of $24 I really didn’t feel that old bang for your buck. In comparison at Full Service I could get an entire rack of ribs which could feed 3-4 people for $21.95. The food at Sweet P’s was good except for the dried out ribs and the fact that they dust everything with their dry rub which is a little over kill. I was a little disappointed in my trip to Sweet P’s especially since the last time I was there at their original location it was probably the best BBQ I had ever eaten.
As Southern style BBQ has become more popular in the north, I’ve noticed the prices are getting more expensive. Granted there are places that are taking BBQ to the next level by having nice atmosphere and adding a twist like BBQ tacos or Philly Cheese steak made with smoked brisket. However spending $40 for lunch on BBQ just doesn’t seem right. I’ll be doing a few reviews of BBQ places in Rockland soon and I hope they stand up to the standard set by the traditional BBQ Joints of the south. As always if you have any questions or comments please leave them in the box below and I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible. Until next time Boone Appétit!
