Countdown To New BBQ Pitmasters ~ Carolina Style Pork

[Garrett]

Originally Posted by DubfromGA

Show biz is show biz.

I can tell you with absolute certainty that Skylight Inn consistently serves the best BBQ I've ever eaten. Period.

If you ever find yourself near Greenvile-Ayden, NC, you owe it to yourself to stop by. The flat cornbread, sweet slaw and their BBQ with crunchy skin pieces chopped in is incredible.

I do agree about Skylight and the quality of thier BBQ. I just wish he would have stuck with what he knew and cooked for the judges and not hisself.

[CarolinaQue]

I almost fell outa my chair when I heard Tuffy say that a whole shoulder at 225* takes around 5 hours to cook! Huh???

[Wampus]

Originally Posted by Garrett

I'm done with this damn show. They couldn't find a team to represent a region if they stepped on them. Duck fat and NC BBQ??? WTF. I've lived here 15 mins from Charlotte my hole 32 yrs and have never heard of Saucemans.


Now, thanks for lettin me vent a little.

I see comments like this every week. I don't get it.

There were 3 teams. They all cooked the same meats. There were 3 judges, who tasted and scored those meats based on agreed upon and consistent criteria.

I get that duck fat is out of the box, but there was a lot more than just that particular piece of meat in the box too. As with any competition, sometimes the guys that take risks or do things a little differently win. Sometimes they don't. Tonight, that guy did.

The show is called BBQ Pitmasters, not Famous BBQ Restaurants Cooking Contest. (although this season has pretty much had all restauranteurs on it)


I know it's a show and that they don't always get it exactly right, but cable TV is still better because it's on.


I say congrats to Saucemans! It's killer that the "new guy" was able to cook with the big boys.

[thirdeye]

Since he couldn't seem to barbecue or roast the belly bacon, I could have swallowed this whole thing a lot better if he had fried the bacon in lard, instead of quack fat.... (I use lard for special basting on the cooker,.. it does deliver a porky flavor 'cause it comes from a pig!!!)

[Fo Sizzle My Nizzle]

Maybe the judges don't know what they're talkin about. I mean what kind of credentials do they have?!?

[Wampus]

Originally Posted by thirdeye

Since he couldn't seem to barbecue or roast the belly bacon, I could have swallowed this whole thing a lot better if he had fried the bacon in lard, instead of quack fat.... (I use lard for special basting on the cooker,.. it does deliver a porky flavor 'cause it comes from a pig!!!)

But he did BBQ the belly, didn't he? He did the ribs and then he did the belly meat 3 different ways and only one of those was with the duck fat. One was salt cured and then sliced and fried and the other was just rubbed and smoked, right?

[Boshizzle]

Originally Posted by thirdeye

Since he couldn't seem to barbecue or roast the belly bacon, I could have swallowed this whole thing a lot better if he had fried the bacon in lard, instead of quack fat.... (I use lard for special basting on the cooker,.. it does deliver a porky flavor 'cause it comes from a pig!!!)

Braised in lard, that's what I was thinking would be more appropriate.

[Wampus]

All I know is that Brian Polcyn wrote in his book Charcuterie something about how duck fat is the ultimate in flavor and that cooking anything in it is the perfect and ultimate thing. Seems it worked out for Saucemans anyway.

Authentic to NC? I have no idea really, but apparently he had the better BBQ that day, at least according to Myron, Tuffy and Aaron.

[Boshizzle]

One other disappointing point, the winning team cooked on an offset pit. NC BBQ is cooked directly over coals.

[Wampus]

Originally Posted by Boshizzle

NC BBQ isn't on the top of my list, actually. It's too mushy and just not all that great, IMO. That being siad, I still like it. So, this episode is particularly interesting.

I will never forget the first time I enjoyed Eastern NC BBQ. The gal waiting on me asked me if I wanted some "dee-up" (dip). I had no idea what she was talking about and her accent only made it worse. I asked several times "dee-up?" trying to figure out what she was saying. Finally, she shaked the sauce bottle in front of my face exclaiming "Dee-up! Dee-up!"

Great times, there!

Dee-up!

[Boshizzle]

Oh, the winner of the "NC" style BBQ comp also used chili powder and cocoa in his rub. That is not NC style BBQ in any way shape or form.

[thirdeye]

Originally Posted by Wampus

But he did BBQ the belly, didn't he? He did the ribs and then he did the belly meat 3 different ways and only one of those was with the duck fat. One was salt cured and then sliced and fried and the other was just rubbed and smoked, right?

Oops, I do recall seeing someone pack some belly in salt, so maybe it did hit the pit for a while. The Gal also went to the skillet with hers, but it looked pretty raw when she was slicing it.

[MS2SB]

I didn't watch the show, but pork belly braised in duck fat is a fairly traditional technique for confit. Not really BBQ, but not something that would be considerably outside of the box.

[Wampus]

Originally Posted by thirdeye

Oops, I do recall seeing someone pack some belly in salt, so maybe it did hit the pit for a while. The Gal also went to the skillet with hers, but it looked pretty raw when she was slicing it.

No, I believe that the guy who won did that AND just rubbed and smoked some too, in addition to doing the duck fat sear and the ribs. I'm saying that he did do a more traditional pork belly smoke. He just added some other stuff too. I thought it spoke to his versatility and knowlege of the belly.

[CarolinaQue]

If this was strictly a traditional NC BBQ contest, they wouldn't have been given just the pork belly in the first place. The whole shoulder...absolutely, but not a belly off of the pig.

I say good for Sauceman's on a win thinking out side the box. Let's face it, BBQ isn't what it once was and these show's are just an extension of the changing times.