Dear BBQ Jew: Notes from a Virginian

Posted on August 9, 2010 by Porky LeSwine

We recently received a letter (okay, just an email) from reader Robbie Robinson of Virginia, and think you might enjoy his comments on a recent barbecue pilgrimmage to the Old North State.  Robbie shares his thoughts on some local joints and also reveals his weight loss secret: the BBQ Atkins diet.  Below is a slightly edited version of Robbie’s correspondence, printed with his permission.

BBQ Jew,

Many, many thanks for your website.  NC BBQ research is a dirty job but we know you are out there for us, leading us into temptation and away from the evil of non-wood cooked BBQ.  I just returned from a few weeks in Chapel Hill but only made it to 11 joints due to circumstances [Editor’s note: only 11?].

I do not understand the raves for Allen and Son (north of Chapel Hill). It has everything going for it,but I have made two visits in the last 60 days and found the pork uninteresting. Nice big moist tender pieces,but no smokey flavor and not much other flavor. Sauce only average. Also,I am on BBQ Atkins diet and Allen and Sons was the only place of 11 that would not make me a low carb plate. They were pleasant but firm, no substitutions. [Editor’s note: I will defend Allen’s until the day I die so will blame your poor judgment on being deprived of essential nutrients–specifically, hush puppies–due to adhering to the BBQ Atkins diet.]

The waitress at Short Sugar’s took it as a personal challenge to make  sure Continue reading →

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It’s Swine Time for Israel

Posted on July 7, 2010 by The Rib Rabbi

Using pigs for medical research as a front for being able to raise and eat the state-outlawed-swine: Only in Israel!

In a fascinating article that manages to interweave Judaism, pork chops, Marxism, colorectal cancer, and a collection of decorative pigs, the BBC looks at a kibbutz that raises swine (for research! Yeah…that’s the ticket!).

OK, the medical experiments may not be, strictly speaking, an excuse to raise and eat swine. But somewhere in your heart of hearts, Kibbutz Lahav members, we both know where your primary motivation lies. To which I say: Well done!

Next stop on the Barbecue Trail??


Life’s hard. And I’m sure it’s even harder with the threat of mortar attacks never far off. Why not enjoy the divine swine??

As photographed, the kibbutz’ main hog cooker is Ofer Doron is partial to the pork chop. Trust us, Ofer, if you make some barbecue and do it right, you’ll have that pork ban lifted in no time. And it would probably earn him the chance to fill BBQ Jew’s long-vacant Israel Correspondent slot. Give us a shout if you think you’re up to the task, Ofer.

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iPad Barbecue: Where There’s Smoke, There’s Pixels

Posted on July 5, 2010 by Porky LeSwine

Here’s hoping your July 4th cookout was less pathetic than this tech geeky one.  I guess there really is an app for everything, but I think your hog-tech gadget budget would be better spent on this pork-based iPhone stylus.

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Friday Fountain Fun

Posted on June 25, 2010 by Porky LeSwine

Check this link out, a fountain full of barbecue sauce–not the good, thin vinegar stuff we prefer here in NC (inset) but pretty darn cool anyway.  Thanks to burgeoningfoodie for telling me about it.  Oh, and since this post is only three sentences long you should have plenty of time to read the post from Wednesday about the Museum of North Carolina Barbecue.  I’m thinking maybe the museum needs a fountain… (four sentences, sorry).

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Ooh…That Smell!

Posted on June 4, 2010 by The Rib Rabbi

image by obswhatsinstore.blogspot.com

While Triangle residents have battled against digital billboards, the Charlotte-area now has a slighly more interactive kind of roadside sign: A scented one. 

Drivers in Mooresville, near Charlotte, are currently getting a whiff of hickory and steak, thanks to a Bloom supermarket billboard promoting a new kind of beef. With fans wafting its aromas 30 to 50 yards down to the roadside, sign maker ScentAir Technologies just might be onto something.

The news has even gone national and international. Of course, they have the wrong kind of meat.  

We here at BBQ Jew can’t help wondering what it would look like if this technology were applied to the sacred swine. For instance, as cars approached the hypothetical NC Barbecue Museum, a scented sign could signal your arrival.  

Then again, we’re prone to think that real wood-smoked barbecue needs no aromatic assistance. But, I’d enjoy having a ‘cue scent piped into my home (you can keep the billboard). And I’d even settle for barbecue poutpourri.

—

And yes, this post’s title is our first, but hopefully not last, Skynyrd reference.

Filed under: 'Cue Culture, Miscellaneous, Rabbi's Rants/Raves | 1 Comment »

Changes to the Site

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Porky LeSwine

The editors of BBQJew.com would like to alert you to some recent changes to this site.  Most importantly, in response to overwhelming popular demand (thanks for your input, mom), we’ve added a new section called “The Joints.”  This section–click the tab at the middle top of the page–includes short descriptions of all the barbecue joints we’ve visited in NC, which should make it easier to browse for restaurant reviews.  Links to full reviews are provided where available. 

Other updates to the site include newly reorganized categories displayed in the right sidebar, simplified tags used for posts (left sidebar), and… well, that’s about it.  We hope the recent changes make the site more intuitive to navigate, but feel free to drop us a line if there are other changes or features you’d like.

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The Onion on Pulled Pork

Posted on March 26, 2010 by Porky LeSwine

“Shaq Misses Entire Second Half with Pulled Pork Sandwich”

That’s the headline from a recent article in the satirical newspaper The Onion.  See the hilarious accompanying photo and full article here.

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Better Than Swine Fever

Posted on March 12, 2010 by Porky LeSwine

I'm working under the assumption that the pig is dribbling and not mounting the ball.

 We interrupt your regularly scheduled pork programming to wish you a happy March Madness.  

If there is one thing we at BBQJew.com love more than barbecue, it’s college hoops.  Lucky for us, the ACC Tournament is underway so life is good.  Or bad, if the team you root for has already lost or wears baby blue… or, in rare cases, fits both categories.  (Editor’s note: The Rib Rabbi is a Tar Heels fan but I, being a gentleman as well as a lifelong Blue Devils fan, will say nothing disparaging about his team.) 

This year the ACC Tournament has returned to the Greensboro Coliseum, where all reasonable people agree the tourney should be held every year.  After all, you can walk across the street from the Coliseum to Stamey’s and get a BBQ fix in between games.  What a town!

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The Origins of Pulled Pork

Posted on March 5, 2010 by Porky LeSwine

This cartoon by Leigh Rubin is worth a chuckle.

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Tom and Jerry in “Barbecue Brawl”

Posted on February 24, 2010 by Porky LeSwine

Okay, admittedly there is a pretty tenuous connection between this vintage Tom & Jerry cartoon and North Carolina barbecue.  And though the short is called “Barbecue Brawl,” “Cook Out Brawl” would be more appropriate.  There is no pig and certainly no slow cooking taking place.  Still, what’s not to love about Tom & Jerry?  Plus, it’s a relief to see Tom & Jerry cooking with charcoal instead of using a gas grill…

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