March 17, 2007
BBQ! Where to get it?
Tony Gattuso on Q.
Ok folks…. I’ve not been here that long but I’m sure there must be a hole in the wall place around town or close by that has good BBQ! I’ll start the argument….. Dry rub or wet…. Carolina vinegar or tomato based sauce…?
Where’s the Best Q in or around†Petersburg!!!???
Iím answering my own post but I hope to connect with others who understand the draw of good BBQ.
Being that my favorite (Buzz and Nedís) is so far away in Richmond, and also that itís cheaper to feed my addiction by making my own, I had to clean up the smoker yesterday in preparation for the first BBQ session of the season.
As I write this, the Brinkman is outside loaded with lump charcoal and a pork butt, two pork loins, a chicken and a London broil.
Speaking of lump charcoal… Anyone who knows a good source in the area please post it here. I just loaded the BBQ with ìRoyal Oakî lump charcoal and found a piece that looked like something youíd trim your house with. For those who donít know, lump charcoal looks like the wood that you put in your fireplace only it is coal. The manufacturer burns hardwood and then puts out the fire at the coal stage. These are not your little pressed briquettes that you get from Kingsford. Those things have fillers and chemicals that will give an off-taste to your BBQ should you use them. In a perfect world Iíd be using nothing but fruit wood charcoal but we must make concessions to convenience.
Iím pushing the envelope temperature wise. Itís a little blustery and chilly today but I canít wait for some Q and thereís nothing better than the home-made type (we can all fight about what KIND of Q and how to make it but thatís another topic). The smoker is up to temp and the only thing better would be if it were a tad warmer outside and I had friends over to stand around it with a few libations while we told lies about our various exploits.
Soon enoughÖ summer’s comingÖÖ
My favorite: a little shack on the north side of Hwy. 54, about half a block west of Rt. 1, in Ashland. Very far, but very yum.