venting about burnt ends and commercialism

[kryinggame]

First off, this is just me venting...

I've posted several times how disappointed I've been with my brisket. In my opinion, it's never been spot on.

I'm here in Charlotte, N.C., which is not known for brisket but pulled pork.

So, over the weekend, my better half and I went to a BBQ joint, that's listed as a "top restaurant."  On t.v. cooking show's, I've heard this particular restaurant mentioned and I've read great reviews about it.  It's actually listed within the Charlotte top 25 restaurants.  Friday night, due to all of the yuppies, we waited nearly 45 minutes for a table.  The menu listed burned ends for $15.99 and the waitress boasted  about how great they are.  I ordered it along with a side of mac & cheese and baked beans.

My mouth was watering for some authentic Q and sides.

15 minutes later, I got a plate that looked like s..t.  There were about 10 cubes of huge burned ends, loaded with fat and heavily basted in what tasted like worcestershire and a tomato based sauce.  It wasn't horrible but it was completely far from great.  The love of my life took a bite and made the nastiness facial expression.  Then asked me, if this is what my passion is all about.  The mac & cheese and baked beans were absolutely horrible--without a doubt, the worst I've every had in my 39 years.

Quite honestly, the burned ends were so bad that I couldn't finish the plate.  It amazes me that people are willing to pay good money for crap.  Then, I realized, in my opinion, the average person doesn't really know what good BBQ should taste like.  This place was written up in numerous magazines and as a result has a great reputation of authentic BBQ; however, in what I perceived as my many flaws, my product will kick the crap out of this commercialized product.

My point for this long post is, any one can make BBQ; however, not everyone can make good BBQ.  There are a lot of newbies on here who ask a lot of questions, that's good.  This forum is a great resource to learn how to perfect your product. I'm now of the opinion that the average weekend, backyard BBQ'er with a few years of experience and a membership to this forum can  embarrass the commercial guy. 

I really think that due to the resurgence of the popularity of BBQ, folks have gotten away from the basics of what makes BBQ great.  They're more interested in doing fast cooking and covering up with sauce and false advertisements of what good BBQ is all about.

Anyway, I'm off of the soapbox...

 

[palladini]

I am with you on that.  A new restaurant opened in our town, a BBQ joint, so off we go. I order the ribs.  All I said to the waitress, I make better ribs at home, after eating them and she came by and asked how everything was.  She replied, that I was not the first to say that.

                

                   

 

[dirtsailor2003]

For years we had 1 BBQ JOINT in town and since day one they have advertised being voted #1 in "Central Oregon". Not hard to do when you're the only joint in town! They have good BBQ, but not Great BBQ. We now have 3. I tried the second one once and will never step foot in there again. The third I haven't tried yet, but have heard good things. I will check them out soon. I'd still much rather have the privilege to try the BBQ of everyone here!

Home cooked is much better. A commercial enterprise has to make money and therefore must mass produce to survive and the sometimes in the process the the final product suffers.

 

[stickyfingers]

I so know what you're saying. My wife and have been trying various BBQ places around our area and we both keep saying "got them beat". Although they're good....they'er nothing special....just saying.

 

[jeff 1]

We are all spoiled from our own Q and we strive to always make it better! Almost no BBQ joint or steak house can please my family even my 2 year old knows the difference.

 

[damon555]

Just about every BBQ joint I've ever been to has been garbage compared to my home made Q....But that wasn't always the case. I had to learn how to do it right.

But keep in mind that cooking for the masses and having enough product to last through the day without getting nasty is no easy task.

 

[goingcamping]

We know longer eat out at BBQ joints...not because they're all bad (some are actually quite good!) but rather why pay someone else to do what I love to do? My Q (IMHO) is as good as any local BBQ joint and better than most. It's way cheaper for us to cook for a large group of friends than it is to just take the family out.

I'm know others on SMF feel the same way?! Smoking/Qing is a hobby that pays dividends.

~bRett

 

[mneeley490]

I am so with you guys on this!  Granted, the PNW isn't known as a BBQ Mecca, but still. I always tell the wife that I want to check out the competition, but it's getting harder to pony up the dough for what is almost always lousy BBQ. At one place, I had to discretely spit out some pulled pork into a napkin. It tasted fishy! Incredible!

My friends are always after me to open my own joint, but I think making BBQ for a living would just take the fun out of it. (Not to mention the startup costs and gov't hoops to jump thru.)

 

[shtrdave]

We like to try out BBQ places, and my tastes are wide, but don't bring me chicken or ribs cooked over a wood fire, grilled basically and then put a big ladle of sauce on it and say there you go. We have one BBQ place where the food is very good in my opinion, the owner is a nice guy, it is just a drive through joint with a picnic table or two outside. We have driven 30ish miles to a place everyone raves about, it was the fore-mentioned grilled not slow smoked with a heavy sauce covering it, was not impressed, did stop there again because we were driving by and I am not one to not give places a second or third chance, asked for sauce on the side, the food was much better but still nothing better than what could be done on a gas or charcoal grill at home. 
 

Had a day off and we took a drive about 50 mile because I wanted to go to a place I found on the net, very nice locally owned place, food was good had good flavor, the GF loved the little cornbreads. We ate and went to get some stuff to bring along home and the owner was in the kitchen we or I spoke to him for quite some time, had a cookshack for his brisket and pulled pork a something different for his chicken and ribs. A very nice clean place with wonderful staff, he told us that people will stop and ask when he opened they drive by there almost daily and never noticed the place, a shame because they were missing some good food from friendly people.

I agree it has to be tough to have enough product ready to serve and the use of the microwave is almost a given today especially at the smaller places. Also I think it is hard to make product that is universally accepted by the public, face it the general public that doesn't do any type of slow smoked bbq at home has far different expectations then we do and their tastes are different also as are ours here.

I am fortunate to have the local guy that makes really good stuff, uses the Southern Pride gas/wood cookers. Also lucky to have some tools and different cookers and knowledge to make our own great food, and even my mistakes are usually edible.

 

[jirodriguez]

I have ruined BBQ resteraunts for my entire family - my kids will flat out tell the wait staff that "my dad makes better BBQ, you should take lessons from him".... lol.

 I'ts hard for the kids to take the "Sshhh!" that follows very serious since I am trying not to grin and chuckle.

I figure I can make a better product at less than half the price, and have lots of left overs, so why pay somebody else when it gives me a reason to light a fire and drink a beer!

 

[eman]

If i ever open a slow smoked meat joint i will be the smoked meat nazi.

Cook a bunch and sell a bunch. when i run out close the doors.

 You didn't get any today? Get here earlier tomorrow!

 Try to get a handle on average number of folks and cook for that number .

 leave em wanting more!

 

[bbqbrett]

I have been to several BBQ places with some friends and they told me my Q was better. 

    Made me feel pretty good to hear it.  I will admit I definitely need to work on my side dishes. I will still try new places that open and occasionally even go back more than once.  I just don't do it as much as I used to before I started smoking on my own.

 

[pgsmoker64]

 
I have ruined BBQ resteraunts for my entire family - m

My kids will flat out tell the wait staff that "my dad makes better BBQ, you should take lessons from him".... lol.

 I'ts hard for the kids to take the "Sshhh!" that follows very serious since I am trying not to grin and chuckle.

I figure I can make a better product at less than half the price, and have lots of left overs, so why pay somebody else when it gives me a reason to light a fire and drink a beer!

Uh-huh!  My youngest constantly compares my que to any BBQ restaurant we visit with the same comment..."Your's is WAY better Dad!"  He actually told the manager of the Red, Hot, and Blue in Williamsburg that my ribs were better, my brisket was better, and my pulled pork was better than anything they had...it kind of embarrassed me and the manager.  But, the guy asked why and Trevor reaches down, pulls off a big hunk of silver skin off the back of his ribs and says, "Well, for one thing we take this crap off the ribs before we cook 'em"...  LOL!  I dang near fell out of my chair with shock and laughter but the kid never cracked a smile!  The manager took the ribs off our bill....  

Man I love that kid!

Bill

 

[migraine]

+1

There's a place in San Diego, Ca. call Phil's

same type as you described.  Lines wrapped around the building.  Food sucked- tasted like burnt grease

Guy Fieri has pimped quite a few joints in my area and I have tried some of them.  So far, with an exception of one, they haven't been worth the time/money.  Of course he has to rave about them, or his show would be canceled.  Who want's to watch a show where everything tastes like crap?

My wife and I have come down to this...we only good out for dinner to places where I/we can't cook even close to as good as theirs.  Mostly ethnic food from places like India and China.  Even that can be a crap shoot, but we still keep trying.

 

[foamheart]

Ok, so its all settled. We'll incorporate, open up nationally with SMF'ers only. We'll be rich, get good Q, and provide a service for mankind. We have plenty of ranchers, butchers and farmers to provide meat and and side ingredients. We have USDA health experts to handle licenses, safety, fees and education.

Whats the buy-in gonna be? We can certainly beat out Mc's McRibs, or Arbys.

 

[pgsmoker64]

 
Ok, so its all settled. We'll incorporate, open up nationally with SMF'ers only. We'll be rich, get good Q, and provide a service for mankind. We have plenty of ranchers, butchers and farmers to provide meat and and side ingredients. We have USDA health experts to handle licenses, safety, fees and education.

Whats the buy-in gonna be? We can certainly beat out Mc's McRibs, or Arbys.

I like the way you think brother!

Bill