I don't know what great BBQ is

Gore said:

This is a really tough one. I've known people who've been exposed to BBQ for years, even members on this site who've been cooking for years (no names) and eating for years who've never actually had great BBQ. Unfortunately, there's a lot of bad BBQ, some good BBQ, and very little great BBQ out there. All I can say is that when you eat it, you know it. When people say things like, "I don't know what the big deal is about ...," then you know that they've never had it made right. In my experience, everything has a sweet spot. Trying to find it is the mission and different things work for different people. That's part of why we're here.

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+1 above.

I'm not saying you cant get great BBQ different from how I did, but I certainly fit right in the mold that Gore described above. I'd had PLENTY of bad BBQ, plenty mediocre BBQ, and some good BBQ, but that was rare. The best BBQ that I'd ever had was at a few select restaurants that do a pretty good job. I had not known (and did not know) truly fantastic BBQ. It was when I began judging sanctioned competitions that I really got to get fan-farking-tastic slap-ya-mama almost-better-than-fantastic-sex BBQ.

Mind you, not all competition BBQ is this way, but it was the first time (and the only time) I'd had Q that farkin' good. I learned to make ribs that taste and are as tender as the MiM winner that year. Now, like on Saturday, when people hear that I'm cooking, they come out of the woodwork. What was 6-8 people over is within a few days and only by word of mouth probably 30 people. Looks like I'll be cooking 2 cases of baby backs, not just 1 case...

Literally, I've had women whisper in my ear: "these ribs are orgasmic"

Chicks dig BBQ. So, rather than purchasing and cooking $140 worth of ribs, I'm looking at more like $280-300... ****

;-) I guess when I meet my maker, at least I'll be remembered......

My point, be it very long winded, is that there IS BBQ out there that is so awesome that you wonder about all things in life. It can be that dawg-gone'd good. Seek it. Restaurants can be very very good, but it's unlikely to be anything like that freshly pulled Q straight off the butt, or those ribs only moments off the smoker. Frankly, go get it this good, you'll either have to hang out closely with someone who can and does this, or you'll need to learn to do it yourself.

Some really great replies.... :thumb:

Here on the left coast, it doesn't get any better. Actually, I have no doubt its much worse. I thought I was BBQ'ing ribs when I was basting them in beer in the oven and then finishing on the grill with bottled sauce. As I knew it could be better, I began to research. www.amazingribs.com was a great boost. Didn't take long to build a UDS after that. I've created some really good BBQ since then.

Yet, it is troubling to me when I hear someone talking about about Great BBQ ribs that where boiled and are falling off the bone. It's not their fault, they just don't know better. I am now on a journey to educate Californians on what the difference is between BBQ and grilling. I am starting small with family and friends, who claim they will never order ribs again in a chain restaurant. Where will it end? Will I be successful? I don't know and honestly, I don't really care. I have no illusion of saving the world...but I will continue to make real BBQ and hope that someday it will be truely great.

Good luck to you in YOUR travels!

Lake Dogs said:

Literally, I've had women whisper in my ear: "these ribs are orgasmic"

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I'm on my way.

Gore said:

This is a really tough one. I've known people who've been exposed to BBQ for years, even members on this site who've been cooking for years (no names) and eating for years who've never actually had great BBQ. Unfortunately, there's a lot of bad BBQ, some good BBQ, and very little great BBQ out there. All I can say is that when you eat it, you know it. When people say things like, "I don't know what the big deal is about ...," then you know that they've never had it made right. In my experience, everything has a sweet spot. Trying to find it is the mission and different things work for different people. That's part of why we're here.

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Come on Gore! Man-up and give us some names!?!!? Jasonjax?

To the OP: Pssst... don't tell anyone ... BUT .....




GREAT Q is the Q **YOU** and your FAMILY and friends LOVE ... that's it end of story. Finito.

If you want to start competing, well that's another subject, but I stand by my statement above. Learn from this place, experiment, taste test, make changes ... find YOUR Q and you have arrived.

WvQ said:

It's kinda like being the fastest runner on the block or the hometown baseball hero, you might think your great, everyone else in your town might think your great, but the first time you race an Olympic athlete or try out for the majors you realize you got a lot more work to do. I think what I need is a weekend or a week to do my own BBQ pilgrimage heading down south, then I'll know what most people consider Great BBQ. I guess for me that's a trip down the hillbilly highway into Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina. Might be interesting when that time comes to ask on here where I should stop on my route, heck maybe people here should just plan my trip.

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If you make it to South East Virginia Pierce's BBQ in Williamsburg, VA is an institution around this area. They have been open since 1971 and they put out some great pulled pork.

There are some other good bbq joints around but none that have been open for longer than 10 years.

if you head down to NC look me up hell we can set around drink some beer and try to make some great bbq

arent you in the SMOKY moiuntains?

maybe if you can learn about bbq i bet you are in the right place bremthman

IMHO good bbq starts when the meat does not need a sauce on it to be edible. When you eat a plain piece of meat from a smoker that is moist, tender and flavorful on its own right, then you have started your venture away from the "bbq" that your neighbors enjoy to truly good q. From there you can start to understand what great bbq would be in that it would take those qualities of meat (flavor, tenderness, moistness, etc.) to the ultimate level. For the novice, I would say the best route to experience good q is putting a boston butt on the smoker and following what you can learn here. Pulled pork off my UDS has been my guide to knowing what a cut of meat can truly be transformed into when given the sweet kiss of good smoke and heat and time. Great que undoubtedly comes from quers who have mastered those concepts among others.

Sounds like it's time for a career change and open up a BBQ house....

I have no idea how I misspelled mountain. I have been a season ticket holder for years and make the 11 hour drive to games every home weekend.

Morgantown just got a great new bbq joint orginally from Alabama. Martins bbq. The same wvu grad exec that was instrumental in expanding jim n nicks is helping him.

Martins also got a stadium contract and will be served at the football games.

I beg to differ, you DO know what great BBQ is; its what your family (first), your friends (second) and you (third) think is great! OK, you are the control here, as you continue to experiment and improve you will be the one to know when it gets "even more greater" (made that up) but as long as those folks you cook for are happy you are doing it right! I'm done preachin.

I grew up in southern ca and our "bbq's" were the boil/sauced ribs and at the time i thought that was the thing!! Moved to NC and experienced true Q and now even to me the restaurant bbq is hit and miss i have a couple tried and true places. the last 3-4 years i have been getting into the real sitting back hanging out 6-10 hr smokes to make some good Q. When i started my own smoking i had no idea the difference between a butt and a ham :shock: i know i know..... in the last yr i think i have finally figured out the smoking thing and now having several people beggin me just about every weekend to bring them a smoked butt. its all about practice, dont let a failure stop you, you will have fails...... and its all about good times and good food...... i dont have a fancy smoker that cost me 1000's of dollars i have a char griller propane/charcoal and weber kettle cooker you get at lowes, and it has put out some of the best bbq i have and some of my friends have ever had.

Get out in the country. Lots of visible rigs under carports. UDS, Offsets, Eggs, Webers.

I hadn't noticed all of them till I joined this site.

Heck there are three Offsets larger than mine within 1/4 mile of my house.

As for as taste, it don't take long to realize you can make better BBQ than lots of restaurants with BBQ on their signs.

If its any trade off you do have pepperoni buns in wva that I've never had better or seen elsewhere. At least you have a site dedicated to bbq here to help! Slight hi-jack over.....

I think the way a lot of the others do...there's (more) bad, (a lot) good, and (some) great. In the end, if you, your family and friends like it...then it's good. I've had some awesome BBQ, but I grew up being kinda confused on what BBQ should be. Growing up in southern OK, I had a lot of TX Q...but then I moved up to NE OK and most of the places here are KC style. I didn't really have any idea how to cook it...until I came to the brethren. Now my wife, brother and friends ask me weekly to make them ribs or a butt...or three. I figured out it's not the style...just what you like. For all I know it could be some horrible crap, but I sure do dig it when everbody wants me to cook for them on my weekends off. In the end, it's all about making it into what you want it to be.

Bamabuzzard said:

"Great BBQ" is all about preference and we all know preferences are subjective. When it comes to taste there's really no standard for great tasting bbq because the beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

As crazy as it sounds there are a lot of people who think Chili's baby back ribs are "great bbq". Even after they've tasted what we (the Brethren) would call "Real BBQ". A lot of it is what you've grown accustomed to eating.

For me personally I cannot understand how someone can take a perfectly good smoked slab of ribs and CAKE K.C. Masterpiece bbq sauce on it and call that "great bbq". But they do. I see it all the time. So what you're searching for is really a moving target. The "greatness" of the bbq will many times depend on you and your taste buds.

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Bingo :thumb:

Last night was a company event that was catered. When I got there, there was an aroma of BBQ in the air. Got to the table and found pulled pork drowning in BBQ sauce. :twitch: