The Grand Unified Theory of BBQ - Two Sandwiches

HJ77's family is Southern, and they have opinions about Southern cooking and cuisine, which is great because I have opinions about Southern cooking and cuisine. Such as: Paula Deen should be arrested and changed with crimes against humanity.

Anyway, after the race, Heather's mother had prepared pulled pork (low and slow as it cooked for six hours the day before and there was a secret ingredient) for dinner. The base for it was a pork tenderloin which I would not use (preferring the shoulder) because the lack of fat in the meat* but JoAnn knows more about cooking pork than I do apparently. It was moist and tender and easily pulled apart. It was great. The homemade cole slaw and the beans were perfect compliments as well.


JoAnn's Pulled Pork

And then...

I have been headed through Worcester, MA fairly often since the late spring and I have seen Smokestack Urban Barbecue often enough that I have been both fascinated by it as well as developing a Pavlovian response to it.

When I had a hour in Worhester the other day, I knew that I had to try something there...


Smokestack Urban Barbecue's Sliders

Now these sliders were very good, lightly sauced and very spicy. They were a mix of the brisket and the pulled pork and one could tell the difference between the two meats. (Off topic: Idea for porn spec script Between the Two Meats)

It was worth the wait, and you know what, it is an excuse to head back to Worcester soon.

*For me Fat equals Flavor and the fattier the piece of meat the more wiggle room you have for making a mistake. I would love to be using tenderloin for pork bbq but I go with the shoulder because...well...I screw up more often than I succeed.

Edit: Changed spelling of Worcester.

This is a great idea!

Big-City Barbecue: 101 Places to Satisfy Your Urban ’Cue Craving -- Grub Street New York:

"To put our Big City Barbecue list together, we turned to chefs, food writers, and journalists whose opinions we trust. We combined their picks with our own expertise to make choices in all of our Grub Street cities — New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and Philadelphia — as well as the country's other major metropolitan areas (with a few classic, all-time favorite 'cue joints thrown in for good measure)."

The Manhattan version of the Dinosaur made the list, as well as Hill Country (which I really want to try).

I think I am going to try the SoPo in South Portland very very soon.

The list Chuck's Hole in the Wall in Seattle...which is surprising because it isn't great. Certainly not one of the best in the country.

I have eaten at a couple of the Kansas City places, and yes, they are worth going to Kansas City.

You can see the entire list here.

The Grand Unified Theory of BBQ - Mustang Smoked BBQ and Fried Chicken

After my unsuccessful attempt to try the BBQ of Adam's Rib, it was suggested that I try Mustang Smoked BBQ and Fried Chicken. It was a happy accident and I am lucky that it happened like this.

You see, Mustang Smoked BBQ and Fried Chicken was listed on Urban Spoon (which, as I have mentioned, I am using as my guide) as...well...nothing. It isn't there. Which leads me to another question/favor: If you can think of any BBQ places, please suggest them to me. I want to try it all.

Before I start, can I plead for something for a quick minute? There is a large part of me that believes that BBQ is best enjoyed outside and eating such yummy food, and for this visit some of the food was able to move me to a state of almost religious like ecstasy, so why doesn't every place offer outdoor seating? It doesn't have to be great...just a picnic table on the sidewalk, even in an urban environment would be nice.

Anyway...on to the meal.






The BBQ Joint: Mustang Smoked BBQ and Fried Chicken, 478 5th Ave, Troy, NY

In North Troy, this location is interesting. There are three large televisions, and a mixture of tables and high tops, with a "fast food like" ordering counter. When I walked in, around the lunch hour, there were four other customers, including three kids around 12 years of age. It was not inspiring.

The Food:





Pulled Pork Sandwich
Brisket Sandwich
Cole Slaw
Mac & Cheese

I am going to get the things that I did not like out of the way quickly, which is to say, things that I did not think worked.

The portions are huge for the sandwiches, and while I am often a proponent of the "more is better school" with the subsequent aphorism of "quantity has a quality all it's own", this ws a lot of food. I would love to see a slider option of the brisket, pulled pork and the fried chicken sandwich.



The Black Jack Beef Brisket sandwich was tasty, and as was mentioned, huge. It was a pulled sandwich, as opposed the the sliced, and I think that was a detriment. The sauce was good but it did not have a good feeling in the mouth. It was a little stringy and not in an expected way. It would have been very good by itself, however, in comparison to some of the other offerings, it did not fair as well. This may be a matter of perception for me as I do prefer the brisket sliced and much more...meat like, or closer to the natural state.



Likewise, the Mac & Cheese was a little generic. It was saucy, with a good flavor, and it could have used a little more seasoning. It was not quite home-style while not being industrial. It was good, and filling, and I ate all of it, but it was not a priority. Again, this may seem picayune, but I do believe that mac & cheese is a foundation BBQ side.



Let me tell you about this pulled pork sandwich...

Here is what my notes say about it: "What I have been looking for". The pork on this sandwich was tender and moist, well sauced (even a little over sauced, which was great), and the sauce was perfect. A note about the sauce...I like making my own sauce and I have very particular ideas about what it should be like. This was as close to my perfect sauce as I can imagine, tangy and spicy but working well together without any element being overpowering.

And then we came to the cole slaw...



In this unassuming plastic container, we have cole slaw gold. It was outstanding. It was cold, crisp, and made with obviously fresh ingredients. There was a spicy bite to it, I am thinking a bit of cayenne, but the man behind the counter refused to tell me. (He also asked if I was going to eat all of my meal, and when I replied in the affirmative, he gave me a "God Bless You, man.") This is what cole slaw wants to be when it grows up. It is the alpha and omega of sides. I cannot speak more effusively about this cole slaw, and I am not going to try because it would border on (from your perspective) hyperbole. Let it be known that when I put together my perfect BBQ meal, this is going to be the slaw.

Just one more nice touch...that has nothing to do with the food.



Paper towels on the table. It is a simple thing to do and more people should do it.


Cost: $18.42

Score: 8

The Grand Unified Theory of BBQ - Adam's Rib

In my quest for barbecue, I have been using UrbanSpoon as my guide.

UrbanSpoon reported that there was a BBQ joint called Adam's Rib on 1st St in Troy. I had never heard of it, but I am willing to try them all. I can be a completist about some things.

After finding the address, I came to this place...




Not what I was expecting.

After a minute of looking confused, a nice woman came out and asked what I was looking for.

"Adam's Rib"

"Come on in."

As it was only, 11:30 or so, I asked if they were open and she said that they were and asked me what I wanted.

"Well, can I see a menu?"

"We don't have food."

She then went on to explain that they have been mislabeled.

I explained my project and asked for suggestions.

She said the Dinosaur and then mentioned about another new place in Lansingburgh.

That place is the Mustang Smoked BBQ and Fried Chicken, who gets their own post.

Cost: $0

Food: Nothing to speak of.

Score: 2 (because the hostess and the patrons were awesome and supportive in my quest)

The Grand Unified Theory of BBQ - LJ's BBQ

One of the things about BBQ is that you can not tell by the location how good or bad it is going to be. One of the best BBQ places I have ever been to was in a scary neighborhood and the shop had both bouncers and scratched shatter proof plexiglass over the windows.

So, when I saw LJ's location in a strip mall, I was more than hopeful. When you have the food, the location does not matter, and the opposite is true. When the food does not work, the location does not matter.



BBQ Joint: LJ's BBQ 727 East Ave, Pawtucket, RI

When you walk in, you see this sign:





Who is Frank J. Faubert? He apparently had created a program called "S.T.O.P Training" It is an interesting sign, and I suppose that random name being there did force me to take to the internets to find out what it meant, so...effective advertising for his program.

Anyway...the food:

Pulled Pork Sliders
Brisket Sandwich
Cole Slaw
Mac & Cheese
Corn Bread*

We (HJ77 from Sugar n Spice Blog was my wingman on this tasting) took the food to go, but that did not mean that we did not deal with the waitstaff who were helpful, enthusiastic and seemed to be having a lot of fun.



Pulled Pork Sliders

So, let's start with the Pulled Pork and the Slaw:

I love pulled pork and on the first two visits for the Grand Unified Theory of BBQ, I have been disappointed. This pork was flavorful, and the sauce of the side was very good (tangy and spicy) but again is was dry. More to the point, it was drier than it needed to be. Maybe I have just been lucky to find places where the pulled pork has consistently been moist and juicy without the need to a lot of sauce. I am not saying that this was "bad" or inedible. It was not. It is more that I had an expectation that I thought was reasonable that I am being forced to reevaluate.

The cole slaw, however, I will complain about. I have a thing for cole slaw and I think that if you are going to do it, you should do it well. It should be made on site and every place should have their own version. This was, I am guessing, not made on site but coming out of a large jar from Restaurant Depot. Just look? Does that look like fresh slaw? If you are going to offer it, I plead with you to offer it done "right".



Brisket and Corn Bread*

*I am going to just say this...I had corn bread because the Mac & Cheese was a premium side and was purchased separately. It was not bad corn bread. It was...corn bread. There is a scene from season one of True Blood where Lafayette and Tara are cleaning up after Sookie's grandmother's funeral, and talking about food. Saying that food has to be made with love and that love comes through the cooking and infuses itself into the food**. Lafayette then mentions the corn bread, prompting Tara to take a bite and state, "It tastes fine to me."

That is all I have to say about corn bread. (My note on the corn bread said "Jiffy. Enough said.")

Now, the brisket...

The brisket is something to write home about. The brisket is something to slap your mother for. The brisket could help you believe that there were WMD in Iraq. The brisket was perfect. It was flavorful, smokey, rich and fatty, and the same sauce that was used with the pulled pork was so well paired to make it make it a symphony of flavors in your mouth. I would not be surprised if this end up being the best brisket I have during this experiment. It is worth the trip from any place in the Northeast.


The "premium" Mac & Cheese

I keep harping on the term "premium" here, but that is mostly snark on my part. Many times, I have expressed that mac & cheese is a foundation side for BBQ. This was good. It was not great. It was a very good homestyle mac & cheese, and it was made with love and care, and that did come through.

As we did take out, we were able to pair the meal with the beer of our choice. Because it was a hot summer day, fruit infused beer did not seem like a bad idea. It wasn't.


Sea Dog Motley Crew

We went with the sampler pack from Maine's Sea Dog Brewing. It was tasty, and the Blue Paw Wheat Ale is the most blueberry-ie beer I have ever had. It matched so well with the deliciousness that was the brisket.


The meal put together...

All in all, even though I was critical, the meal was good, and a perfect summer meal, with one exception. Sweet corn would have been a nice addition, and it is my fault entirely for forgetting this. It was also a lot of food for very little cost.

The Score: Using my ten point scale, I give LJ's a 6.75. It is worth the trip, as I have said, for the brisket alone.

The Cost (without gratuity): $20.95


**I am a firm believer that there is a link between the time and care that you take with the food and the result that you deliver to the table. I know some people who aren't.

Upcoming Posts

I am back in the 518 and have a lot to write out but...not tonight.

So...upcoming posts:

• The Grand Unified Theory of Barbecue - LJ's
• Touring the JFK Museum
• Reading the Year of Living Biblically

It was a tremendous weekend on a number of levels and thanks to HJ77 for being a spectacular hostess!

The Grand Unified Theory of BBQ - Dinosaur BBQ

I love BBQ. I mean really love it. To this end, I have created my version of the perfect BBQ meal. To that end, I am going to try all of the BBQ places in the greater Tri-City area. According to Urban Spoon, there are thirty eight of them. (That number may be not as accurate as I believed before. I think there may be a handful more of them.)

My original plan for this project was to eat at all of them over the course of a five day weekend, but...my body is far too old for that much meat and sauce in such a short period of time.

So, instead of five days, I am going to try to hit all of them over the rest of the summer.

Here is what it is going to about:

BBQ Joint: Dinosaur BBQ at 377 River Street in Troy
Date of Visit: July 7th

The Food:
Pulled Pork Slider
Brisket Slider
Cole Slaw
Mac & Cheese

My server was Holly (who was behind the bar) and she was great. She was helpful and she adjusted my order for me to save me money without asking me to do it, which was kind of awesome.

The meal was decent. My first issue was when Holly brought me my plate, she warned me that it was "Very hot". Why is this an issue? Well, there was cold slaw on the plate. Hot plate plus cold slaw does not an auspicious start make.

So, I started on the slaw, because it is supposed to be cold, crisp and refreshing. It was...decent. I mean it was tasty, but it was not the paradigm of slaw that it should have been. Maybe I was off base by expecting something transcendental from cole slaw, which is a working class summer salad that has taken on more importance as of late, and while the ingredients were obviously fresh and it was well put together, it had not quite jelled yet.

The Mac and Cheese was decent as well. Not great, nothing to write home about but...it was good. If I had a complaint about it, the black pepper flavor dominated and not in the way that I generally enjoy. There was a pleasant bite to it, but it lingered on the back of the tongue for an extra nanosecond longer than it had to be.

But...most people don't go to BBQ for the sides (most people, I know...I love the sides)...so for the meat.

The brisket was amazing, and easily the best thing that I had during the meal. It is moist and tender (which is really tough to pull off) while being flavorful. It was lightly sauced (almost perfectly so) and I am willing to go back again just for the brisket.

The pulled pork...not so much. It was tasty, but dry and the sauce was inconsistent. I know it was between shifts. I went after lunch but before dinner and maybe it did not happen the way it was supposed to. I need to try it again to ensure that this was not a one-off problem because I have a couple of friends who swear by the Dinosaur's pulled pork.

The pickles were great though.

With the meal, I had a diet soft drink (I asked for Diet Coke, but I was served a Diet Pepsi according the the receipt) and an Erie Brewing Company Railbender Ale.

The score:
Using a ten point scale, I am going to give this visit a 7.75. It was going to be a 6.75 but Holly's exceptional service bumped up the meal by a full point.

Cost (Without Gratuity): $19.02