Thanks for the praise guys. It's funny how I started this little venture off a little unsure of how good my food was. But after seeing so many people's faces when they try it, I now know that I have stumbled on to some good recipes. My confidence is gets higher every time I light up the smoker. I owe a lot of that to you guys and the free knowledge you have kindly shared. I used to wish I was good enough to compete with the likes of Johnny Trigg and Myron Mixon. Now I'm just waiting for the chance to take them down!! I'm gonna test the waters with a case of ribs at our next event. I was thinking $10 for 1/3 of a slab, 2 sides, and a drink. Do you guys think that is too much or not enough? I was leaning towards it being too much and wanted to go with $9, but my wife is insisting on no less than $10.
Rib, I agree. Florida BBQ is a like a melting pot of flavors. We don't put so much heat in it that it sets you on fire like they do in Texas and LA. We don't make it so sweet that it sends you into a diabetic coma the way they do in KC and Memphis. And we don't make it so tart that you walk around with your lips puckered for a week the way they do it in the Carolina's. Mine is a blend of all of these starting with the sweet, followed by a little tartness, and finished off with a hint of heat. It is balanced very well and you don't have to be afraid to give it to your kids. I also use it sparingly to allow the meat to shine through. You really need to get up here so we can cook and brainstorm together sometime!
Dutch, my father-in-law called it pig jerky, too. Those last pieces were left mainly because the ribs started coming off and nobody wanted them anymore. Why eat the scraps when the good stuff is right there? Those girls tore those ribs up. They were eating like they really were starving. I almost felt bad for them and wanted to ask them when the last time they ate was. They were friends of my wife's younger cousin and she said they were all still talking about them the next day. That is probably the best compliment a cook can ever get. I hope that's the way it goes at our next event.