The AM Forum

Diane is out of town tonight so I was on my own for dinner. Stopped in for a blues, beer and BBQ fix on the way home at my favorite BBQ joint in the area - Chester's Barbecue in Groton, CT.  Their 'cue is light on the sauce, heavy on the smoke, and the always have some great blues playing on the house sound system.  Tonight's CD while I was there was excellent - Omar Kent Dykes and Jimmie Vaughn's On the Jimmy Reed Highway.  The Radio Shack next door is the best smelling one around (if you like BBQ that is!).  Finishing up the ribs here at home while typing this and watching the Red Sox's Tim Wakefield trying for his 200th career win.  Life is good.

http://www.chestersbbq.com/Home.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgXFQ-AYk7A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3slkNf9a_c&feature=related

What's/where's you favorite BBQ pit?

Ribs. Slow-scorched on my own grill.

The question is: What BBQ sauce you like? There's a bunch of regional variations. There's the Tex style with chili or Tabasco, there's the smoky and sweet KC BBQ, there's the Kentucky-Carolina sweet stuff, there's nationally a bunch of sauces. Some have lots of tomato, some don't.

Jeez, I've got a weekend Jones now.

Actually, I tend to take my 'cue straight up without sauce, especially at Chester's.  The sauce takes away from the flavor of the 'cue.

While we are on the subject of ribs - have any of you ever had Brother Kane Baby Back Rib chips?  Absolutely the best ever...they have been stocking them at the vending machines at work and they sell out faster than anything else. As far as I can tell, they only sell to vending machine concerns and maybe some conveinence stores down south.  Out of Atlanta, GA.

Best ribs I ever had was in St. Paul  Adolph's

I like Memphis BBQ sauce with the vinegar flavor.

I don't know of any really good BBQ joints here in Sacramento.

You ain't had mine, Frank!!

Around these parts, it depends on what kind of "'cue" you want.

If you want a good pit beef sandwich, there is a dirty, dingy biker bar just north of here called "The big Falls Inn" They have absolutely the best pit beef sandwich I have ever had. The "benchmark" of all pit beef in this area. And a belly-buster in proportion size! ! !

But..................... Ifn its 'cued chicken or ribs you be jonesin for, the best place in town is the Casa de Slab Bacon! ! (With a monicre like "The Slab Bacon", would you expect less? ? ) I like sweet and smokey with a tomato based sauce cooked into a partially charred glaze. Say what you want about BBQ sauce, but technique of cooking is everything! ! ! ! !  You can't make no real BBQ on no stinkin gas grill! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

With Baltimore having the worse team in the league, who the hell wants to watch baseball? ?
I'd rather eat! ! !  Watching the Orioles is right up there with watching paint dry ;D  ;D

Frank, you could take up being a Phillies Phan...

Hmmmmm........................

Nah, I'd rather watch ribs cookin on the grill.  ;D  ;D

Out here a popular meat is the local Javelina, done pit style (buried 3' down for 12-16 hours.) 

It resembles a feral pig, but is not a pig.  Meaner than Hell. :o

Takes a lot of time & effort, with shovels & hot rock & coals.

Worth every bit, er, bite! :-*

Ummmm....

i like pulled pork the best, with or without bbq sauce on it, its still good. strangest thing i have saw someone cook was the batch of barbecued groundhog that my pap made once, the people who did eat it must have liked it, some didn't know what it was, they thought it was beef.

Hmmmmmm................. tastes just like chickin............ ;D  ;D

It all depends on how you pull your pork   ???  :o

Slow smoking over wood charcoal, with wood chunks/chips, it doesn't get any better. I use my smoker year round. Never did groundhog though...

How to pull your pork inside without a grill.

Take 1ea 2-3lb pork shoulder or Boston Butt.
Put into crock pot and smother with your favorite storebought BBQ juice.
add small dash or 2 of "liquid smoke"
Add small amount of water to the bottom of pot. (just enough to cover the bottom)
Cook until meat falls off of the bone.
Remove your pork and pull it. (shred as fine as you like)
Remove and discard any left over excess fat.
add a small amount of the juice from the bottom of the pot.
add a small amount of uncooked BBQ sauce.
Mix thoroughly. (Add a dash of hot stuff or other seasoning if desired)
Serve nice fat sandwiches on fresh kaiser rolls.
Stuff face well!
Life is good  ;D  ;D

This is for when you dont feel like firing up the grill or smoker, and need a BBQ fix.

Has been eaten by Steve (K4HX) and Todd (KAQ) and pronounced most excellent!!

we've done it that way too, i dont remember putting liquid smoke in it though, will have to try that next time.

It is not unusual to see me outside during the winter months with the grill fired up doin some chicken and ribs. when you need a fix, you need a fix! ! ! there is something about having a grill half buried in the snow smokin away that adds to the mystique of it all. It may even make it taste better (or you just appreciate it more).

Never had BBQ groundhog, but I'll try anything once. I have, however had it pickled, that was definately different!!

never heard of pickling it, i don't know what it was like i didn't try it. the only wild animals i've ate were deer and fish.

Hmmmmmm..........
Deer, fin fish, shell fish, Octopus (yum yum!), squid, rabbit, squirrel, duck, goose, pheasant, and elk. Elk cooked over charcoal is absolutely to die for! ! ! ! ! !

Just like The Nuge said: "Kill it and grill it"  ;D  ;D

I like Sarah Palin's response when asked her position on Alaskan fish and game:

"Like most Alaskan's I feel the best position is next to the mashed potatoes."

Other than roasting corn, potatoes, baking cornbread or keeping stuff warm.

The best thing on a GAS grill is a chimney heaped with charcoal startin’ on dat side burner. ;D

Time to "Q it up"  8)

You can make your own liquid smoke easy.

Use your gas grill. ;D Place a pan of water with chunks of your favorite wood on the grill and let it simmer till a lot of the water has evaporated, about 1/2. Filter what's left thru coffee filters and a funnel into a bottle and you have it!

I've got bottles of apple, peach, hickory and oak smoke to choose from.
When I'm forced to do a ham in the oven there ain't nothin' better than the applewood smoke!

You can't make real BBQ on any grill. Real BBQ is made in a smoker and takes many hours (sometimes over night).

Chris,

How does it compare to Russel's Ribs in Groton?

I travel all over the country. Best I have ever had was Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse

Actually never been to Russell's ...Have heard mixed reviews about Sunset Ribs down near GFZs summer place in Niantic.

Except in North Carolina, where "BBQ" is apparently a piece of boiled meat with vinegar slathered on it.

Africa is the mother continent of barbecue.  And this place is one of the best on the continent - a must-do if you ever find yourself in Nairobi.  Zebra, gazelle, giraffe, Cape Buffoonalo, as well as more familiar meat http://www.tamarind.co.ke/carnivore/

"Pulled Pork", which sounds nasty enough on its own!  :P

One of the few cultural shocks to moving here was going to an outing which had 'BBQ'. Wasn't I in for a surprise. Give me the good ol' Kansas City version anyday.

It's smoked most places in NC too.

True!
I meant that all a gas grill is good for is starting charcoal on the side burner and using it in the smoker.  ;D

Ted / KC9LKE

Everytime I tried to smoke it, It was hard to roll and just about impossible to keep lit ???        ;D  ;D  ;D  ;D

There's a place up in Portland, ME that is a rib house that I went to years ago. I don't remember the name of the joint but went there once and had some of the best meaty ribs I have ever had. The place was in a dinky little metal quonset hut. Don't know if it's still there.

Chris, my favorite is Little Marks Big Barbecue in Vernon. http://www.littlemarksbbq.com/ (http://www.littlemarksbbq.com/)

..........Larry

Thanks for the tip Larry - will have to try them out next time we are up at our son's place in Vernon.  From their web site, their approach to BBQ is similar to Chester's.  If that's the case, should be great!

Chris, there is another one not far from Little Mark's. Its called Little Taste of Texas:

http://www.dannyslittletasteoftexas.com/ (http://www.dannyslittletasteoftexas.com/)