Outside the Beltway

Barbecue

James Joyner
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Marshall Manson confesses to being a “barbecue snob,” specifically an aficionado of pulled pork barbecue prepared in a vinegar-based sauce, Carolina style.

Having acquired my taste for it in Texas and then having come to barbecue maturity in Alabama, I’m much more liberal in my habits. As long as it’s prepared properly, I’ll eat beef or pork, with or without sauce. Preferably, with some ranch style beans and cornbread on the side. About the only approved manner of barbecue preparation I shun is the North Carolina abomination of topping it with cole slaw. Then again, I don’t like cole slaw.

On this, however, Marshall and I are in absolute agreement:

Some people seem to like to eat their barbecue on a hamburger bun. I can’t abide this nonsense. Why would you want to fill yourself up on a nasty, tasteless, puffy bun when you could eat more barbecue?

Amen.

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10 responses to “Barbecue”

  1. Sean Hackbarth Avatar
    Sean Hackbarth

    In defense of the hamburger bun (or white bread) if you have lots of sauce its yummy to soak it up with the bread. And a BBQ sandwich is nice if you won’t want to make too much of a mess.

    I don’t eat enough BBQ, but my preference are ribs, beef or pork, dripping with tangy, sweet sauce. I want to tear the smoky meat off the bone then lick my fingers.

    I had Carolina-style sauce once but when I imagine BBQ I imagine sweet and tangy. That’s not to say I won’t give it another shot if someone’s willing to buy me lunch. 😉

  2. Mark Avatar
    Mark

    I second Sean’s dipping of bread (not necessarily a bun, though) in a good BBQ sauce.

    I also would never put cole slaw on top of BBQ. On the side, yes, but on it, no.

  3. Sean Hackbarth Avatar
    Sean Hackbarth

    As for the coleslaw, I think I had it on top of a variation of the Reuben sandwich. It’s better on the side because it will fall out all over the place.

  4. Tlaloc Avatar
    Tlaloc

    Some people seem to like to eat their barbecue on a hamburger bun. I can’t abide this nonsense. Why would you want to fill yourself up on a nasty, tasteless, puffy bun when you could eat more barbecue?

    Because as americans we tend to eat far too much meat already. It’s pretty unhealthy.

  5. JKB Avatar
    JKB

    And this is why the terrorist will lose. Imagine what would happen if the Islamist said that we had to give up our pork barbecue for peace? There are somethings you just don’t say to a Southerner.

    Now just this weekend I had a couple of Carolina style sandwiches at the local festival, on a bun, with slaw. It was a real good weekend. True a pile of pork on a plate with slaw on the side is the best way but real difficult to eat while navigating the crowd.

    But I’m not partial unless they drown the meat. It takes me forever to cross Texas as there is a good barbecue place about every 10 miles on I-10.

  6. charles austin Avatar
    charles austin

    I like all kinds of barbeque, but I am partial to pulled pork from a pig cooked in a pit with a vinegary, peppery sauce, and yes, cole slaw, ’cause that’s what I grew up with.

    Mr. T, you are endlessly fascinating. You could recommend that folks get a tastier bun, but instead you seem to endorse a sort of hair shirt for the tongue. Since I went on a low carb diet, gave up bread and started eating a lot more meat I’ve lost 25 pounds. The really weird thing is, I am probably eating more vegetables more often now as well. If my cholesterol is lower when I have it measured next month, then the metamorphosis will be complete. Anyway, if you don’t want to eat meat, well, don’t. Leaves more for me. As even John Travalta once said while acting, “pork chops taste good, bacon tastes good.” Barbeque too.

  7. Tlaloc Avatar
    Tlaloc

    Mr. T, you are endlessly fascinating.

    I think so too! 🙂

    You could recommend that folks get a tastier bun, but instead you seem to endorse a sort of hair shirt for the tongue.

    I don’t remember anyone saying the bun tasted bad, merely that they’d choose meat over bread every time. Personally I rather like the taste of many breads. I also like many meats (although pork is low on my personal preferences) but I try to eat a fairly balanced diet.

    Since I went on a low carb diet, gave up bread and started eating a lot more meat I’ve lost 25 pounds.

    I am curious about low carb diets, still i think you’re better off with a more rounded diet.

  8. John Burgess Avatar
    John Burgess

    While I grew up with Detroit-style ribs, my preference is for Carolina-style. The coleslaw is fine–if it’s good coleslaw–and has to be between two buns if it’s a sandwich. Otherwise, on the side does perfectly well.

    I suppose one could add flagellation to the hair shirt and have BBQ tofu. But you know, there comes a point when it just gets silly beyond words. And when people insist that the silly is better for me, well then it gets to the point where I want to force-feed BBQ turds down somebody’s throat. Or BBQ the nanny who’s doing the preaching.

  9. TJIT Avatar
    TJIT

    Tlaloc you said

    Because as americans we tend to eat far too much meat already. It’s pretty unhealthy.

    I’m of the opinion that the problem is not the meat the problem is the side dishes and all of the convenience foods a lot of americans eat these days.

    When a person looks at how Americans actually eat a few anomolies start to show up. Things like the amount of salad dressing they use to make their “healthy” salads taste good to them. Said salads soon have more calories and less nutrition then a good portion of BBQ brisket.

    And new trends keep coming up. The amount of calories Starbucks and their lattes create every day is probably not a trivial amount. Twenty years ago that source of dietary calories did not even exist.

  10. TJIT Avatar
    TJIT

    Back on topic.

    Slice brisket with sauce on the side. Add potato salad (with big chunks of potato not a puree) and Cole slaw (with sugar,vinegar,salt and pepper dressing)and you have a mighty tasty meal.

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