Lake Dogs
Quintessential Chatty Farker
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.
+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.