Week 25 - Andrew - Barbecue

Monday

Ok. People coming over on Sunday. I’m going to make ribs. I have people over, this is going to be great. So I’ll get the ribs, and simmer them for two hours, take them out when the meat is tender - brush them with sauce and stick them on the grill. That’s how I half heard they make it in Chicago. Let me Google it quickly to check temperatures and cooking times.

Tuesday

Yesterday’s Googling threw up some interesting ideas. If i simmer the ribs, all i’m really doing is making stock, and taking the flavour out of the meat. I should be cooking them low and slow. Slow-roasting in the oven. Simmering the ribs is for chumps and cheap Chicago restaurants. That’s a shame, I thought that restaurant was quite good - really enjoyed those ribs. Anyway, the slow roasting is the best bet. I’ll just grab some barbecue sauce from the shops. I wonder if there are any recommendations online.

Wednesday

You guys - do you know about barbecue sauce? There are a lot of barbecue sauces. Did you know there are very different types of barbecue? The most popular types are Memphis, Kansas City and South Carolina. One is dry, one is sugary and one is vinegary. Which type is Chef BBQ sauce? That’s all they had in Tesco? Which is the right one to have? Vinegary? That doesn’t sound nice! Let me quickly check the internet to see what will work best.

Thursday

OK. Only amateurs use store bought barbecue sauce. The bbq forum i was reading last night went into some detail on this subject. I need to get some liquid smoke on the way home from work. I’m not sure i’ve ever seen that. Also - molasses. What is a molass? do they come in a bag? I’ll see if I can pick them up online

Friday

WHAT WAS I THINKING? Liquid Smoke? Also slow roasting? Am I trying to punish my guests for coming over? Amazingribs.org (it’s a non-profit) steered me right. Thankfully, I can fix this easily. I just need a smoker. I can smoke some chillis today, and then start smoking the ribs at 2am on Sunday morning. I’ll have a look online to see if there is anything else.

Saturday

I have not slept in 36 hours. I have ordered a smoker from Amazon. I paid extra for 24 hour delivery. Homebase do not have mesquite. Smoking with any other type of wood is a waste of good pork. That’s what the forums have told me. I also can’t find fresh chipotle chilli peppers. I have to brine my ribs. Do you know what brining is? I do. It’s keeping it in a bag of salt water. for hours. Which is different from my original plan by virtue of temperature. Once I brine it, I have to rub spices into it! THAT’S A THING! I’m going to quickly make sure I have the spice rub. Jesus. That’s twelve hours brining, an hour to trim & do the rub,  then six hours cooking, then an hours resting. Am I in the future?

Sunday

Fuck it. Burgers. I'll see if there's a good recipe online.

Week 25 - Laura - Barbecue

I know barbecuing is a slow process, but the time it takes to cook the food at Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texas is nothing compared to the wait for it.

Austinites seem to be cool with (barbe)queuing for what I’ve been told is the best eatery of its kind in Texas, America or perhaps even the world. For five days I watched the line for the restaurant that opens from 11am until 2pm form from about 7.30am. Legendary it might be, but despite it having a reputation for the best brisket in the city, I just couldn’t make myself join that queue.

Franklin Barbecue is on East 11th Street in Austin, a seven minute walk from where I stayed on San Bernard Street.

Or a 15 minute round trip, with one minute in the middle spent marvelling at the hardliners happy to set up camp - even on workdays -  in the hope of being one of the lucky ones who actually get to eat, albeit a few hours down the line.

A two minute walk away we found Hillside Farmacy.

I was immediately drawn to its seating options, in that it had some available. Its decor (with some lovely original pharmacy cabinets - a nod to its past days as a neighbourhood pharmacy) was great. It had a variety of delicious mixed drinks, served in on trend jam jars, and a happy hour that lasted for two hours every day. It had what I like to think of as a Goldilocks menu - with neither too much nor too little on it, it was just right. Open from 9am until 10pm on some days, and 11pm on others, everything from breakfast to a late, lazy dinner was an option, and we ate there maybe three times during our five day stay in Austin.

I’m a big fan of restaurants. Once the food is good I’m happy with everything from a cheap Chinese to a Michelin star menu. The pleasant surroundings, the great food I’ve had nothing to do with preparing, the fact that the delicious food is brought to me after no more effort on my part than choosing it from the menu...what’s not to love?

Queuing for it, that’s what. Eating out for me is a treat. Queuing, on the other hand, is not. I queued for my school lunch. I’ve given up queuing to buy tickets. Lots of diners these days seem to be happy to accept, even embrace, queuing as part of the restaurant experience.

I might be missing out on some great food, but bringing a deck chair and snacks just to make it to the restaurant door? I'd sooner buy a smoker and give brisket a go myself.