- Mar 23, 2009
- 436
- 325
I wanna preface this by saying I've been thinking about this for a couple days now, for some reason it's been bugging me. So I've finally decided it would be best to get it off my chest. I appreciate everyone who hones their craft. Be it woodworking, music, etc no matter what it is, the will and drive to better one's self/passion/skills is a great quality. Bbqer's are no different in this aspect. No matter if your the total novice who went to Walmart and bought the cheapest tin walled smoker, the well seasoned veteran who have honed their skills over many a smoke, or the those of us who have turned competitor/restauranteur.
With all that said and out in the open I want to get to what I've been stewing on. Despite enjoying my own brand of Q, I still love finding a good BBQ joint to grab something different at. I'm pretty lucky to be just an hour south of KC, so there are always a ton of choices available. A little closer to home is a Q joint, that only a few months ago finally found a location and moved into a building after working out of a trailer for a couple years. I've supported this spot for quite a while, while they worked hard and dished out some damn good Q.
Them moving into the new building was a great business move. They already had a good customer base that was willing to brave to weather to get food from a trailer, and it skyrocketed going to the building.
Here's the rub, I was in the area the other day and decided to swing in and support this spot by buying a full slab. I took them home to eat for a later meal, and when the time came to reheat and eat, I discovered they were not only very tough, but the flavor and quality was poor. Now I don't normally nitpick every visit to a restaurant, but after speaking to my folks who had eaten there a few days before they said the same. And for some reason it got me a little upset to see a drop in quality after doing such an amazing job for so long, with less equipment.
Now I'm not saying I'm perfect, or that I haven't ever botched a cook job. But I'm also not a restauranteur, with a well established product. You see, I grew up in the kitchen of a pretty damn good Q joint. If it wasn't for the owners taking cash out of the till to go gamble, and then eventually to slack off on the food that place would likely still be alive and thriving. I've seen what it takes to be successful, and how to turn it 180 and be worthless and close.
I know this post was full of rambling thoughts, with no real point in sight, but this was just something I needed to get off my mind. I don't care if all you ever do as a bbqer is cook meals for your family, or if you go bigger and cater/vendor at some events, or even go all the way and open a restaurant. What I care about is that you always put out a product that is the best that you can put out. Be the best that you can be, do the best that you can do, never stop learning and growing your skill.
Sorry for the wall of text that is very random. Sometimes my head gets this way, and I just need to do something with it.
With all that said and out in the open I want to get to what I've been stewing on. Despite enjoying my own brand of Q, I still love finding a good BBQ joint to grab something different at. I'm pretty lucky to be just an hour south of KC, so there are always a ton of choices available. A little closer to home is a Q joint, that only a few months ago finally found a location and moved into a building after working out of a trailer for a couple years. I've supported this spot for quite a while, while they worked hard and dished out some damn good Q.
Them moving into the new building was a great business move. They already had a good customer base that was willing to brave to weather to get food from a trailer, and it skyrocketed going to the building.
Here's the rub, I was in the area the other day and decided to swing in and support this spot by buying a full slab. I took them home to eat for a later meal, and when the time came to reheat and eat, I discovered they were not only very tough, but the flavor and quality was poor. Now I don't normally nitpick every visit to a restaurant, but after speaking to my folks who had eaten there a few days before they said the same. And for some reason it got me a little upset to see a drop in quality after doing such an amazing job for so long, with less equipment.
Now I'm not saying I'm perfect, or that I haven't ever botched a cook job. But I'm also not a restauranteur, with a well established product. You see, I grew up in the kitchen of a pretty damn good Q joint. If it wasn't for the owners taking cash out of the till to go gamble, and then eventually to slack off on the food that place would likely still be alive and thriving. I've seen what it takes to be successful, and how to turn it 180 and be worthless and close.
I know this post was full of rambling thoughts, with no real point in sight, but this was just something I needed to get off my mind. I don't care if all you ever do as a bbqer is cook meals for your family, or if you go bigger and cater/vendor at some events, or even go all the way and open a restaurant. What I care about is that you always put out a product that is the best that you can put out. Be the best that you can be, do the best that you can do, never stop learning and growing your skill.
Sorry for the wall of text that is very random. Sometimes my head gets this way, and I just need to do something with it.