Im sure many of you can relate to this, and have probably been in this same spot and felt the same way....
I was running late to work, so I didnt pack a lunch like usual, figured I would just go with some co-workers. It always does me good to get out of the shop once in a while anyways. A group is going to the time clock to punch out, so I invite myself along, and no one objects. They dont have a plan, so we start driving towards the resteraunt strip down the street and will just wing it for whatever sounds good on an impulse...bad idea.
about 2/3 of the group in the van decides that a local bbq chain (Dick!@s, so as to not actually name the place!) spot would be where we will eat. We go in and order up. Now I grew up in a resteraunt/catering world, since my dad owned buisnesses in both. I know you cant smoke meat to order for lunch etc and some things just have to be made ahead of time for obvious reasons. This place didnt even smell like smoke, or any other carbon producing chemical reactions had EVER occured in there. I ordered a nice safe sliced beef sandwich, should be the staple of any bbq joint. there was NO smoke ring on any of the pices I got, nor on the hunk of brisket he was cutting off of. The baked beans were obviously a resteraunt supply companys canned product, straight to serving dish. I could go on but you get the idea. I figure I can drown it in sauce if its too bland, maybe it will be ok. The meat was grissely, greasy and outright tough. Each bite had me squeezing my fingers thru the bun to hold the rest of the slice in. the actual taste was like a london broil that had been cooked by itself in a broiler way too fast, nothing like a smoked brisket should be. All my co workers thought I was being too critical and ate away like nothing was wrong. They must have gotten thier food from another line or something, because mine was barel edible at best, mostly becasue it cost me almost $10 for a sandwhich, 2 sides and a glass of tea, and I wasnt wasting anything that cost me that much.
All I could think about was even when it isnt my best one, how much better my brisket is and how much $$ I spent on that hog feed they were pedaling as bbq. How many people eat that crap and dont know the difference/have never had proper piece of meat from a smoker? I went by the store on the way home to get a brisket and smoke one up this weekend to make amends (and apologize to my smoker for cheating on her!) and realized how I spent almost as much as that brisket for less than 8oz of meat and a bun. I now remember why I dont eat out at so called "bbq joints" anymore, I have set my standard too high (despite how low that still is!) for volume service places to satisfy. "If you want it done right,you have to do it yourself"
Sorry but I had to vent...
I was running late to work, so I didnt pack a lunch like usual, figured I would just go with some co-workers. It always does me good to get out of the shop once in a while anyways. A group is going to the time clock to punch out, so I invite myself along, and no one objects. They dont have a plan, so we start driving towards the resteraunt strip down the street and will just wing it for whatever sounds good on an impulse...bad idea.
about 2/3 of the group in the van decides that a local bbq chain (Dick!@s, so as to not actually name the place!) spot would be where we will eat. We go in and order up. Now I grew up in a resteraunt/catering world, since my dad owned buisnesses in both. I know you cant smoke meat to order for lunch etc and some things just have to be made ahead of time for obvious reasons. This place didnt even smell like smoke, or any other carbon producing chemical reactions had EVER occured in there. I ordered a nice safe sliced beef sandwich, should be the staple of any bbq joint. there was NO smoke ring on any of the pices I got, nor on the hunk of brisket he was cutting off of. The baked beans were obviously a resteraunt supply companys canned product, straight to serving dish. I could go on but you get the idea. I figure I can drown it in sauce if its too bland, maybe it will be ok. The meat was grissely, greasy and outright tough. Each bite had me squeezing my fingers thru the bun to hold the rest of the slice in. the actual taste was like a london broil that had been cooked by itself in a broiler way too fast, nothing like a smoked brisket should be. All my co workers thought I was being too critical and ate away like nothing was wrong. They must have gotten thier food from another line or something, because mine was barel edible at best, mostly becasue it cost me almost $10 for a sandwhich, 2 sides and a glass of tea, and I wasnt wasting anything that cost me that much.
All I could think about was even when it isnt my best one, how much better my brisket is and how much $$ I spent on that hog feed they were pedaling as bbq. How many people eat that crap and dont know the difference/have never had proper piece of meat from a smoker? I went by the store on the way home to get a brisket and smoke one up this weekend to make amends (and apologize to my smoker for cheating on her!) and realized how I spent almost as much as that brisket for less than 8oz of meat and a bun. I now remember why I dont eat out at so called "bbq joints" anymore, I have set my standard too high (despite how low that still is!) for volume service places to satisfy. "If you want it done right,you have to do it yourself"
Sorry but I had to vent...
