Vegetarians: Do NOT Read This Post
Saturday brought, what is likely to be, the final blast of sunny, hot weather until next year. We gassed-up the Toyota and headed down the Jersey shore for the annual Seaside Heights Que by the Sea festival. It's the state barbecue championship, although you don't have to be from New Jersey to enter. There were vendors from all over the tri-state area. Awards were given for best chicken, ribs, pork, and brisket.
There were over a dozen award-winning booths just like this one. How does one decide?
The event is sponsored by the Kansas City Barbecue Society. I have no idea who that is. For all I know, it could be some guy in his garage with a certificate he printed himself. No matter. If a Kansas City Barbecue Society-sanctioned event includes this...
...then count me in! 4-Year Old Daughter said, "Daddy, that's gross." I spoke to the chef and he said that that pig will turn for 12 hours. The meat they served that day was cooked the previous day and the guy above was served up the next day. Now THAT'S a reason to get out of bed in the morning!
Regular readers know that I'm nuts for ribs, but I decided to deviate slightly and get the brisket. I dribbled a little BBQ sauce and a little hot sauce on it. Not a lot. You don't want to mask the flavor of the meat. Baked beans on the side (of course). It was so good that I told Mrs. Wife I wanted to go back the next day for more. I wasn't kidding. I'd have done it. She put the kibosh on that idea. She's too sensible.
This is an industrial-strength smoker. The streets were lined with them and the fragrance of smoking meat permeated the air. It made me woozy. Someone should develop a perfume that smells like a barbecue festival. Men would find you irresistible. It'll work. Trust me.
When 8-Year Old Daughter heard that we were going to the barbecue festival, she shrieked with delight. She likes ribs just as much as I do. The apple never falls far from the tree. And just for the record, she said that as good as these were, they're weren't as good as Uncle J's ribs back in Cleveland. And she's right about that.
* * *
There were over a dozen award-winning booths just like this one. How does one decide?The event is sponsored by the Kansas City Barbecue Society. I have no idea who that is. For all I know, it could be some guy in his garage with a certificate he printed himself. No matter. If a Kansas City Barbecue Society-sanctioned event includes this...
...then count me in! 4-Year Old Daughter said, "Daddy, that's gross." I spoke to the chef and he said that that pig will turn for 12 hours. The meat they served that day was cooked the previous day and the guy above was served up the next day. Now THAT'S a reason to get out of bed in the morning!
Regular readers know that I'm nuts for ribs, but I decided to deviate slightly and get the brisket. I dribbled a little BBQ sauce and a little hot sauce on it. Not a lot. You don't want to mask the flavor of the meat. Baked beans on the side (of course). It was so good that I told Mrs. Wife I wanted to go back the next day for more. I wasn't kidding. I'd have done it. She put the kibosh on that idea. She's too sensible.
This is an industrial-strength smoker. The streets were lined with them and the fragrance of smoking meat permeated the air. It made me woozy. Someone should develop a perfume that smells like a barbecue festival. Men would find you irresistible. It'll work. Trust me.
When 8-Year Old Daughter heard that we were going to the barbecue festival, she shrieked with delight. She likes ribs just as much as I do. The apple never falls far from the tree. And just for the record, she said that as good as these were, they're weren't as good as Uncle J's ribs back in Cleveland. And she's right about that.
* * *
Take a look at this blog. She posts one photo per day. No text. The consistency of the quality is pretty amazing.
posted by The Unbearable Banishment at
1:27 PM
18 Comments:
Slow roasted pig, I think I may have begged to go back again the next day.
Now I will check out the link you've posted, thanks for it.
I'm bloody hungry now!!
The Kansas City BBQ Society is the largest barbecue society in the world. It's basically a bunch of bbq nuts who have setup rules, regulations and procedures for holding barbecue contests. They help regulate the events so that the judging is consistent, the teams get paid and everyone plays fair.
There are something like 500 KCBS sanctioned events every year in this country.
If you are interested in joining in, why not become a certified bbq judge? It's pretty easy and you'll get to eat lots of great, and some not so great BBQ all year long.
damn, damn, damn! i reallyreallyreally miss good bbq! i need to have some wine just to forget this post. *sigh* and just when i thought my life was getting better... ;~) xoxoxoxoxo
Eryl: I really did try to coax her into a second visit. My powers of persuasion aren't what they used to be.
Cabby: It's contagious as hell.
BBQ: Thanks for clearing that up! I honestly had no idea if the organization even existed. I like your product, sir!
Savannah: You MUST have great BBQ nearby! I'll bet that, pound for pound, you have access to better BBQ than we do here in NJ.
Nice pig!
I can honestly say there is no part of a pig (from tail to snout!) I have not eaten! (And enjoyed!) :¬)
I like pig cheeks - the meat is very gelatinous. And crackling of course. i could eat a whole plate of just crackling
Thanks for the new link - will check it out.
And by the way... mmmmm... BBQ
I love that old fable of how they discovered roast pork.
A Chinaman's house caught fire and everything went up in smoke - including his pig. The aroma was so delectable that one by one all the villagers deliberately had a fire in order to smell and eat the pig.
Off to follow the link.
Map: My squeamishness prevents me from eating certain parts. Snout? No thank you.
Nurse: Not only have I never tried a pig cheek, I'm not even sure I've ever seen one. Did you have it when you lived in New York?
Nutty: You would have died at the BBQ fest. In the good way.
Pat: I hope that's not a fable. I hope it's true.
went to an afternoon pigroast en route to a date with a gent friend - and the host explained that the only perfume i'd need was a little 'pig juice' on my neck.
he was right. double yum!
So are ribs requested for Thanksgiving instead of turkey?
MT
My favorite days of the summer are the rib cook-offs, Pittsburgh has about 6 during summer, sometimes 2 at once, meat coma ah sweet sweet meat coma... and where do i sign up to support the KC BBQ society, sounds like a movement i can get behind.
There's nothing better than a slow roasted pig over coals!!! I am soooo envious!
Daisy: The only thing better than that would be a date with at gent friend at a pig roast.
MT: We're there for more than one day. Why can't we have both. If you ask S, you know what she'll say.
Kono: The KCBBQS sound like it has awesome fringe benefits. I use to go to the Clevo rib burn-off every summer but it got crazy expensive. I think I saw Ian Hunter perform there once.
Ponita: It's great but who has 12 hours for preparation?
So funny that secondWide is a strict vegetarian and you mention her blog during this of all posts.
I think I'm the only person who watched Babe and thought "om nom nom"
hee! thanks, mrs. wife. :) i'm actually not a strict vegetarian. i'm a big supporter of small, local, humane farms (though i still rarely eat meat) i'm really just anti-factory-farming. making me an antifactoryfarmatarian..?
regardless, i'll take a shout-out from TUB anytime, even with the image of a whole, dead pig on spit that comes with it.
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