Yesterday afternoon, we went to a wedding, and for the food, they had catered barbecue.
(I must insert a note that my idea of a nice wedding has been redefined; this one had an open bar that was open before the ceremony, which meant the men could sip on a glass of beer during the ceremony, which was mercifully short (15 minutes), and then there was barbecue for dinner).
Anyway, the barbecue guys pull up with a smoking smoker behind their truck, and then start setting stuff up. Pulled pork. Brisket. Chicken. Ribs. Baked beans. Slaw. Corn bread. The odors were quite enchanting…
So, I filled my plate with a sample of them all. As a bit of an afficianado, I was excited to try them all. I am not a big fan of sauce on my barbecue; I want to taste the meat and judge it by itself; you can cover a number of sins by slathering on the sauce.
The ribs were okay, but ribs are the easiest because of all the fat. The chicken – overcooked and dry. The brisket – undercooked and dry. Or perhaps overcooked and dry – it’s sometimes hard to tell with brisket. And the pulled pork – dry and stringy. No smoke ring on any of them, and a distinct lack of any smoky flavor.
Pork shoulder has quite a bit of fat which helps it stay moist even if you cook it too long, so it’s impressive if you can make it dry and stringy.
What is it with barbecue in the Seattle area?
So, what do you think ?