BEST
adjective, superl. of good with better as compar.
1. of the highest quality, excellence, or standing:
the best work; the best students.
2. most advantageous, suitable, or desirable:
the best way.
"What's the BEST way to ____________?" "What's the BEST BBQ food out there?"
We hear those questions a lot around here. Sometimes it's from folks that are new to the hobby, and other times it's from folks that have been doing this stuff for a while, but they want to try something new and aren't sure how to go about it. As humans, we tend to want to do things the "best" way there is.
I've been pondering this for a while and I've determined a few things during some of my recent travels. I've finally sat down compiled my notes to share with all of the good folks on SMF. Actually it was too windy to go fishing, so I didn't have much else to do. :biggrin:
The "best" way to do something, or the "best" of something depends upon who you ask.
When I went to Wisconsin I was told that the best cheese in the world could be bought in Sheboygan, but as I drove through Marathon, Wisconsin I saw a sign in front of a cheese shop that stated; "Voted Best Cheese in Wisconsin". So I went inside and bought some. It tasted like cheese, and since it was the first cheese I had eaten in Wisconsin, I can say it was the best I had thus far. But it wasn't the best I had ever eaten.
In North Carolina I asked a guy where to get some good BBQ, he told me the best place to get it would be at Carl's Q Shack out on the highway, and the best thing on the menu was the pulled pork sandwich. Well, it wasn't... At least it wasn't to me, you see, in NC, they put coleslaw on a PP sandwich, and I don't like it that way, but to them, that's the best way!
While I was in Ohio, I was told by an Ohio gent that the best BBQ he had ever eaten was in Texas, because "all you Texas boys use mesquite wood to smoke with". Well, I don't use it much, and I don't think it's the best wood for smoking. He was convinced that he'd never have great BBQ again unless he went back to Texas, because it was the best.
One of my peers in Atlanta invited me over for a BBQ one weekend with her family while I was in town on business, and she told me that her husband made the best pork ribs that I would ever eat! Now, the following may make some of you choke on or spill something, so read on with caution, and try not to say any bad words... When I got there, she took me into the kitchen to introduce me to her husband, who just happened to be pulling 3 racks of ribs out of an electric turkey roaster. Yes, they had been in there all morning, drowning in BBQ sauce "to get tender enough to put on the grill". They weren't the best, but most everyone there raved about them...
"Spatchcocking a chicken is the best was to smoke it". We hear, and read, that a lot. Well, it's a very good way to do it, but is it the best? Myself and others like to hang a whole chicken in a ham bag and smoke it until it's done, and I've had people tell me that it was the best they had ever eaten. Is mine the best, well, depends on who you ask. These folks don't care about bite through skin, so it was fine for them. Those that like a crisp skin probably wouldn't think my way of smoking was the best.
"The best way to smoke a brisket is hot and fast, fat side up, but first you have to slather it with extra virgin olive oil, and then "sprinkle" your dry rub on it. Then, when you hit the stall, you need to wrap that sucker in foil or it'll dry out!" Well, I like to slather with yellow mustard, get the rub on there however it needs to go on (without making too much of a mess) and then smoke it low and slow, and I seldom foil it. Which way is best? Well, who's doing it?
Now, my opinion, the best of something is what you and yours like. The best way is how you enjoy doing it when you get good results. My "best" way may make you wonder if I'm sane, while your best way may be the "best" idea I've heard in a long time...
Now, one thing I am certain is the BEST, is the good folks we have here at SMF! I've made some really good friends here, and I think the knowledge base is amazing. However, if you ask someone that frequents another smoking site, they may not agree...
So, what's "BEST"? Well, it depends on who you ask...
adjective, superl. of good with better as compar.
1. of the highest quality, excellence, or standing:
the best work; the best students.
2. most advantageous, suitable, or desirable:
the best way.
"What's the BEST way to ____________?" "What's the BEST BBQ food out there?"
We hear those questions a lot around here. Sometimes it's from folks that are new to the hobby, and other times it's from folks that have been doing this stuff for a while, but they want to try something new and aren't sure how to go about it. As humans, we tend to want to do things the "best" way there is.
I've been pondering this for a while and I've determined a few things during some of my recent travels. I've finally sat down compiled my notes to share with all of the good folks on SMF. Actually it was too windy to go fishing, so I didn't have much else to do. :biggrin:
The "best" way to do something, or the "best" of something depends upon who you ask.
When I went to Wisconsin I was told that the best cheese in the world could be bought in Sheboygan, but as I drove through Marathon, Wisconsin I saw a sign in front of a cheese shop that stated; "Voted Best Cheese in Wisconsin". So I went inside and bought some. It tasted like cheese, and since it was the first cheese I had eaten in Wisconsin, I can say it was the best I had thus far. But it wasn't the best I had ever eaten.
In North Carolina I asked a guy where to get some good BBQ, he told me the best place to get it would be at Carl's Q Shack out on the highway, and the best thing on the menu was the pulled pork sandwich. Well, it wasn't... At least it wasn't to me, you see, in NC, they put coleslaw on a PP sandwich, and I don't like it that way, but to them, that's the best way!
While I was in Ohio, I was told by an Ohio gent that the best BBQ he had ever eaten was in Texas, because "all you Texas boys use mesquite wood to smoke with". Well, I don't use it much, and I don't think it's the best wood for smoking. He was convinced that he'd never have great BBQ again unless he went back to Texas, because it was the best.
One of my peers in Atlanta invited me over for a BBQ one weekend with her family while I was in town on business, and she told me that her husband made the best pork ribs that I would ever eat! Now, the following may make some of you choke on or spill something, so read on with caution, and try not to say any bad words... When I got there, she took me into the kitchen to introduce me to her husband, who just happened to be pulling 3 racks of ribs out of an electric turkey roaster. Yes, they had been in there all morning, drowning in BBQ sauce "to get tender enough to put on the grill". They weren't the best, but most everyone there raved about them...
"Spatchcocking a chicken is the best was to smoke it". We hear, and read, that a lot. Well, it's a very good way to do it, but is it the best? Myself and others like to hang a whole chicken in a ham bag and smoke it until it's done, and I've had people tell me that it was the best they had ever eaten. Is mine the best, well, depends on who you ask. These folks don't care about bite through skin, so it was fine for them. Those that like a crisp skin probably wouldn't think my way of smoking was the best.
"The best way to smoke a brisket is hot and fast, fat side up, but first you have to slather it with extra virgin olive oil, and then "sprinkle" your dry rub on it. Then, when you hit the stall, you need to wrap that sucker in foil or it'll dry out!" Well, I like to slather with yellow mustard, get the rub on there however it needs to go on (without making too much of a mess) and then smoke it low and slow, and I seldom foil it. Which way is best? Well, who's doing it?
Now, my opinion, the best of something is what you and yours like. The best way is how you enjoy doing it when you get good results. My "best" way may make you wonder if I'm sane, while your best way may be the "best" idea I've heard in a long time...
Now, one thing I am certain is the BEST, is the good folks we have here at SMF! I've made some really good friends here, and I think the knowledge base is amazing. However, if you ask someone that frequents another smoking site, they may not agree...
So, what's "BEST"? Well, it depends on who you ask...
