Porky’s Pulpit: An Essay on the Origins of My Addiction

Posted on March 24, 2010 by Porky LeSwine

My name is Porky LeSwine and I am a barbeholic.

The barbecue version of the food pyramid.

Early Symptoms
Like most addictions, it all started out innocently enough. I grew up in Orange County not far up the road from Allen & Son. My folks took me there from time to time. Back then it was just a couple of times a year habit. I liked barbecue from the start but didn’t think much about it in between those occasional meals. It’s a couple decades later and I’ve now eaten enough barbecue that my cholesterol level can be measured from 100 yards away. How did I, an innocent kid who grew up eating just the occasional BBQ plate, turn into a bona fide barbecue junkie?

After continuing my occasional BBQ routine through high school I soon left North Carolina to attend college in Missouri. There are good ribs in St. Louis but nothing quite like NC barbecue, so I found myself fitting in a visit or two to Allen’s every time I returned home. Soon I was stopping at Allen’s on the way home before even arriving at my parents’ house. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? Still, I remained just an occasional visitor to the Temple of Divine Swine, not a member of the congregation. 

Diagnosis
After college I worked a job that sent me on several day trips to Lexington, where I interviewed people about their experiences with… well, that doesn’t matter. What matters is that I started my interviews by asking people where I should go for lunch. I was amazed at how varied and passionate their responses were. It seemed like everyone had an opinion and they took pride in sending me off the beaten path to the “little place down the road a bit.”

I knew Lexington was barbecue Mecca (or maybe Medina for those of you partial to the ‘cue served in the Eastern part of the state ), but I was shocked to discover that Lexington had over 20 barbecue joints for 20,000 people. At one joint for every 1,000 people, there may be more barbecue options per person in Lexington than there are physicians or churches. But who needs a physician when a chopped tray a day keeps the doctor away? And who needs church Continue reading →

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VP “Biden” His Time at Bullock’s

Posted on March 22, 2010 by Porky LeSwine

What do Irish rock stars and the Vice President of the United States have in common?  Both eat mediocre barbecue when visiting North Carolina. 

Back in October, we learned that U2 chowed down on Clyde Cooper’s barbecue after a show in Raleigh (they had eaten Bullock’s on a past visit).  And now comes news that Joe Biden dined at Bullock’s on a recent visit to Durham.  Although I am not a huge fan of Bullock’s, I am pleased to see from pictures of the meal that it appears the Veep, Durham Mayor Bill Bell and others ordered “family style.”  If only Democrats and Republicans could sit down and share a family style meal, maybe we’d get some decent legislation passed once in awhile.  Instead, we end up with legislation that is more watered down than bad iced tea.  Speaking of tea, no word on whether Delaware’s favorite son Biden knew to refrain from ordering his unsweetened…

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Do Magical Elves Love BBQ?

Posted on March 19, 2010 by Porky LeSwine

See below for an unpaid (unfortunately) advertorial, which is excerpted from an email I received earlier this week.  (The content is not directly barbecue-related but I hope it interests some of you.)  Then keep reading for my snide remarks. 

I’m writing from Emmy-nominated production company, Magical Elves (Project Runway and Top Chef).  We are casting a new show for NBC called America’s Next Great Restaurant (wt) – a competition show where the next great restaurant concept could make a big splash.  We are seeking foodies, entrepreneurs, restaurateurs, those with a creative business sense but also people with no food biz experience who simply have a great idea.  As someone whose content gets in front of a lot of these types, we are hoping you might find this interesting enough to let your readers know about.  

We will actually be holding an open casting call in Raleigh! So we would love to meet everyone in person and hear their concept first hand. We will be at:

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA
Monday, March 22
Chipotle
6102 Falls of Neuse Rd.
Raleigh, North Carolina 27609
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

More information can be found at: www.NBC.com/casting, with a click through to our site with the application on it.

Rest assured that I’ve been working day-and-night to dream up the greatest barbecue-concept restaurant.  Here’s my idea… wait for it… 

My concept is a bit radical, but I’ll share it anyway.  Imagine a quaint, unpretentious restaurant–let’s call it a “joint”!–that cooks whole hogs or pork shoulders slow and low over wood coals. The pork would be served with a deceptively simple vinegar-based sauce that highlights the succulent pork’s smoke-kissed flavor without overwhelming it.  Sides would include dishes like hush puppies, slaw and Brunswick stew.  And the iced tea would be, get this, sweet.  This “barbecue joint” would emphasize quality and would not try to be everything to everybody. Now that’s an idea! 

Sarcasm aside, this honestly sounds like a great opportunity for local restaurant types so spread the word.  Returning to sarcasm, does anyone else find it ironic that the casting call for a show about innovative restaurant concepts is being held at Chipotle?  No disrespect to the chain that offers such culinary innovations as the Burrito Bowl, but really?!

Filed under: Hog Happenings | Tagged: , | Leave a comment »

BBQ&A: Lolis Eric Elie, Writer and Filmmaker

Posted on March 17, 2010 by Porky LeSwine

America's least successful vegetarian?

[Note: Follow this link–Elie BBQ&A–for an easier to read .pdf version of the interview.] When it comes to barbecue, Lolis Eric Elie has a checkered past.  It’s not that he wrote a three times weekly column for The Times-Picayune of New Orleans from 1995 to 2009.  Or that he is on the staff of the new David Simon series, Treme, which debuts on HBO in April and has nothing to do with ‘cue.  It’s certainly not that he has edited and authored two essential books about barbecue, Corn Bread Nation Vol. 2: The United States of Barbecue and Smokestack Lightning, respectively.  Nor that he has produced two documentary films, including Smokestack Lightning: A Day in the Life of Barbecue.  None of these parts of Elie’s bio concern me.  His checkered past?  He once admitted to going through a vegetarian phase.   

Despite his past vegetable transgressions, Elie’s extensive barbecue background makes him the perfect subject for an interview.  In the spirit of carnivores everywhere, Elie was kind enough to chew the fat with me on a variety of subjects.  In the below interview, we discuss the “disturbing trend” of North Carolina barbecue joints switching to gas/electric cooking, why–ahem–New York barbecue has its advantages, and the newspaper industry’s slow “suicide,” among other topics.  Dig in…  

BBQ Jew: I understand you were raised in Louisiana.  When and how did a po’ boy-, beignet- and gumbo-eating New Orleaner like yourself discover barbecue?  Seriously, Louisiana isn’t widely known for its BBQ, so what was your introduction to barbecue and how did you decide it was worth writing a book about?
Lolis Eric Elie: I was on the road with Frank Stewart, the photographer, and we were working for Wynton Marsalis. Frank grew up in Memphis and Chicago and he came up with the idea of doing a book on barbecue. Growing up in Louisiana, I had some great backyard barbecue. But there were certainly no commercial establishments to rival the best of Memphis or Kansas City.   Our initial book proposal was a pretty light romp through the world of barbecue that would compare and contrasts the various styles. After a week in Memphis, researching the sample chapter, I knew that barbecue could be the focus of a serious book about American culture.    

BBQ Jew: Since Smokestack Lightning was first published in 1996, barbecue has gained far more mainstream attention across the U.S. and beyond.  In fact, it’s probably one of the hottest American food trends, from the lowly McRib on up to fine dining establishments.  How do you feel about barbecue’s newfound status?
LEL: The growth of barbecue is a mixed blessing. If the big money restauranteurs did not find it worth investing in, the art form might all but die. Mom and Pop restaurants are dying in droves for a variety of reasons. But the emergence of barbecue in, say, a media capital like New York helps keep us on the radar of the major media in a way that we couldn’t be if, for example, Dreamland in Tuscaloosa, AL was the capital of the barbecue world. 

   
And, I tell you something else. While we might argue about the quality of barbecue in New York (I’ll say it’s good and getting better by leaps and bounds) one thing it has head and shoulders above everywhere else. They actually cook their side dishes and use fresh ingredients while most folks in barbecue country are opening up cans.It’s always been funny to me to hear a guy go on for hours about how he uses only a certain kind of wood and how nobody but his oldest son knows his sauce recipe. What he won’t tell you is that Campbell’s Soup Co. and Sysco have the recipes for everything else he serves. Continue reading →

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Struttin’ with Some Barbecue

Posted on March 15, 2010 by Porky LeSwine

If you like barbecue and jazz (both southern delicacies for sure, though I prefer the former), you should familiarize yourself with the song, “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue.”  It was first composed and recorded by none other than Louis “Brunswick Stewy” Armstrong.  According to Allmusic.com, “Struttin'” has been recorded by dozens of artists since Armstrong’s original version under, appropriately enough, both the original “Barbecue” and alternative “Barbeque” spellings.  A version has even been recorded under the name “Struttin’ with Some Korean Barbeque.”

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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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BBQ in the News: March 2010

Posted on March 10, 2010 by Porky LeSwine

A few recent news items that are worth a mention but not a full post:

The Greensboro News & Record mentions the results of a survey ranking the Triad low on how its residents feel about their own well-being.  “Maybe it’s time to drown our sorrows in more barbecue,” offers the article.  Sage advice.

Maurice’s Gourmet Barbeque, the South Carolina restaurant chain known equally for its ‘cue and its owner’s racist views, has decided to remove the Confederate flag from outside most of its locations.  According to this article from WLTX 19, owner (and former gubernatorial candidate) Maurice Bessinger “says a bad economy has forced him to take down some of those flags” and that the flags cost too much to maintain.  An odd explanation to say the least.  Bessinger decided to place Confederate flags outside his restaurants roughly a decade ago when South Carolina lawmakers decided to remove the stars and bars from the capitol dome.

A University of Pittsburgh study concludes that the ancient people of Carthage did not barbecue their babies after all.

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One Word: Livermush

Posted on March 8, 2010 by Porky LeSwine

Livermush: Click the image to read about it!

If you frequent barbecue joints in Lexington, Salisbury or other parts of the state where the barbecue tradition is closely linked to German settlers,  sooner or later you are likely to run into something called livermush.  Although it sounds like a Dr. Seuss-invented food, livermush is very real.  Heck, it exists on Wikipedia so it must be real.  Also, I’ve seen it in person so I can personally attest to its existence.  Full disclosure: I have yet to work up the nerve to taste livermush, largely because it is, according to Wikipedia, “composed of pig liver, head parts, and cornmeal.”  It’s the vagueness of “head parts” that has me quaking in my boots.  I am also a bit nervous of the food because it is served both at breakfast (often with grape jelly) and at lunch (with mustard).  Odd. 

Actually, I am planning to eat livermush some day soon.  Truth be told, I only noticed livermush on BBQ menus very recently.  Apparently my usual laser-like focus on the barbecue portion of menus has limited my awareness of certain items.  See a nice picture of a livermush sandwich at the foodie blog Pretty by the Bay, run by a North Carolina ex-patriate who now lives in San Francisco.  Next time I get the chance, I will order livermush and report back to you.  In the meantime, do any of you readers have anything to say about livermush?

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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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Hunting for ‘Cue in Chile

Posted on March 3, 2010 by The Rib Rabbi

We BBQ Jews are not ones for idleness.  While Porky was on his Canadian billboard photo safari, I headed to Chile to research meat consumption. As with my Turkey letdown, there’s bad culinary news for visitors to the South American nation: they’re not particularly fond of chili.

But, Chileans do love their lamb. In fact, they prefer it to pork, which may explain why it’s such a skinny country (Hey now!)

While in Chile, I was lucky enough to get invited to a catered barbecue cookout attached to a farm tour. Since I was traveling with a group of chefs, the organizers stepped up their culinary game.

And so…this was what we saw upon arrival:

Damn! (in a good way)

Now…after the initial twinge of regret that these weren’t hogs cooking “a la parilla,” I took a step back and thanked my lucky carnivorous star. Yet, when I ventured over to the open fire to gawk at the lamb, I saw something that really made me think of you ‘cue hounds:

Hunt’s.

I had to laugh at the juxtaposition (and I swear I didn’t move the bottle to set up the above photo). On the one hand, they were cooking lamb (for about 6 hours) in that arduous, time-consuming, legit way familiar to anyone who’s made or maybe even eaten NC ‘cue. And then they were grilling pork ribs smothered in the corniest, corn syrup-iest of sauces.

Upon seeing that bottle, I made up my mind to forego the ribs altogether. But who was I kidding. I mean…have you seen my nom de blog?

P.S. — Give $ to Chile! Help earthquake victims get back to eating lamb like this.

Filed under: Rabbi's Rants/Raves | 1 Comment »

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