Pellet Fan
All Things Considered => General Discussion--Food Related => Topic started by: Kristin Meredith on August 16, 2018, 02:02:11 PM
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Seeing the requests for bbq places to eat around the country got me to thinking -- how do you compare your que to folks who do it for a living?
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I'm hit and miss. I've made bbq that is sometimes better and sometimes not as good as restaurants I've been to. I have never gotten ribs right, but I keep trying. My first attempt at a brisket was tasty, but had absolutely no smoke flavor. I'm doing another one this weekend with a smoke tube, so hopefully things go better this time around.
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I said 50% because we don't eat much BBQ out and honestly don't eat a whole lot of it at home anymore.
We do ribs, butts and a brisket here and there for parties etc. but not anymore as a staple.
We just do different things with them anymore it seems, at least lately anyway.
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I'm with Gator Dave and said 50%. When mine is better, it's amazing, but with my previous grill, I've been fairly inconsistent. I'm learning more "fun facts," though. For one, I find that the "floppier" the brisket is raw, the more tender it'll tend to be once cooked.
Now that I have a pellet grill, I'm hoping my ribs will be a different class. My Visions Kamado tended to creep up in temperature, and when I once put a probe in there on "smoke" mode, the probe read about 20 degrees higher than the unit's analog thermometer front and center. So it's anyone's guess what temp I was cooking at.
I find that my pellet grill doesn't deviate from the set temp, not even by a degree or two. Now; the only time the indicator changes is when I open the lid.
This will help me to arrive at a more consistent product, and I'm looking forward to the journey.
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I like to think mine is the best but in reality I'm just use to my bbq.
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I said better than ANY BBQ restaurant that I have visited, but that's primarily because I don't go out for BBQ very often. I don't visit many BBQ restaurants because I have found most BBQ restaurants here in MN to be average at best. I do visit them occasionally because I enjoy BBQ and sometimes I don't have time to make it myself. Or, sometimes I have friends/acquaintances/coworkers almost beg me to go to a place because they love it and are sure I will too. Most times, one menu item can be very good, but when you take in the whole meal, it just isn't as good as it could be.
In addition, I'm sure it's very difficult to cook BBQ and sides in large quantities to feed a restaurant, and keep the quality up. Having food sit under a heat lamp, or in a low oven waiting for someone to place an order for it, has got to take its toll on the quality. Where I can cook what I need and put it on our plates fresh out of the smoker. Can't get much better than that!
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Seems that most responders believe their que is better than most restaurants. This is as it should be for a Pelletfan! :pig:
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I have had what I would consider BBQ at one or two places however I would not say any are better then mine. :clap:
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As the saying goes: There is nothing like home cooking. For the most part I find eating out expensive and most important, not as good in most cases - BBQ or not.
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I said better than 90%. I don't go out for Q very often. If I am in a new city I'll give it a try but as CJ said - there is nothing like home cooking
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I voted 90 because that’s what the wife and kids would say. I know I’m not a fabulous cook by any means, but my BBQ is fresher, more consistent and tuned to our tastes after years of practice. I’ve had some fabulous BBQ in a restaurant, but also had more expensive rotten meals in BBQ joints than any other type of restaurant. I would say by a mile, but ordering steaks out is something I’ll only do at a couple local joints anymore for the same reasons.
I get so disappointed when I order a $25 combo of brisket and ribs and get dry brisket that’s been sitting in a warmer forever and ribs that still have silver skins and are slathered in a sauce that doesn’t fancy me. So, we usually only do BBQ restaurants if we are dining with others that want it...and when we do, I’m usually in the same boat as others above and are judging their sides and sauces more than the meat.
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At most places I have visited the BBQ tastes rushed and not as smoky or as flavorful as my home cooking. When traveling, I have been to a few that were really good. I only go out to take a break from cooking, but don't expect much of a wow factor when I do. My last steak was at Ruth Chris and I must say it was pretty good, but I thought it was overpriced. However, it was much better than my Longhorn steakhouse experience so I will probably go back there on rare occasions if I want steak away from home.
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We make several trips a month to BBQ places through the summer, winter time not much to choose from. Nothing to do an 1.5 to 2 hour drive to try a place we have never been to. A lot of it is trailers, not much in the sit down BBQ places around, unless you count a picnic table or two off to the side.
Some is good some it really good and some we just try to get the taste out of our mouths and forget we even know about the place.
I do like to go to a place where I can get a some of everything, ribs, chicken, and brisket if they have it.
I used to go to one place, he did open pit cooking, and some of the food was good some was so so, but the husband and wife team that ran it were really nice people, and it was nothing to go there and be there for 2 hours eating and just talking to them. For me it is the folks that run the place and what type of people they are that says if I will be back, sometimes far more than the quality of the food, and some the food it great and you don't really get the chance to know the folks cooing it.
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I voted 50% only because I am still learning the ropes. The best part is we very rarely go to a chain BBQ or order BBQ in restaurants because I know my Q is at least as good as those and most part better. I do go to real BBQ joints when travelling and some are better than what I make, and others not.
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As the saying goes: There is nothing like home cooking. For the most part I find eating out expensive and most important, not as good in most cases - BBQ or not.
Totally agree. Unless I am traveling and there is a Michelin rated restaurant in the area I have found most meals do not live up to my expectations. I am not saying the food is bad it is just not as good as I can make it and at half the price. Even at our local restaurants the average price for dinner (salad, hamburgers dessert and a drink) for my wife and I is around forty dollars including tip Last night I cooked a 26 oz dry aged porterhouse and a 16 oz ribeye both prime beef. That meal would have cost me well over a hundred dollars and more with drinks and wine. At home it probably cost me maybe 60 or 70 dollars for the beef. So my recommendation cook at home when you can with the best ingredients you can find and enjoy :cool:
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I’m in the 50% crowd. I have chicken and pork chops down pretty solid. Ribs I’m working on. Once I stopped wrapping them I don’t over cook them anymore and they are getting quite nummy.
I think it also depends on the place I visit. There’s a couple Mom and pop places around me that I can’t touch. Just wonderful food. Corporate restrauants, well, MEH! They serve meat with sauce but Im Not sure about the low and slow part that makes it BBQ.
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I'm a 50%er.
My ribs are better than any I've had in any restaurant, at least more to our liking.
Brisket on the other hand, most good BBQ places smoke me on that (pun intended).
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I opted for 90% of places I have been to. The problem is that when I find one of the 10% they soon seem to disappear from the marketplace. Makes me wonder if those places doing good Q can't survive because good Q is a "Labor" of love, and the others survive because they shortcut their so called BBQ. Then again maybe my tastes in Q are sQed.
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. . . . Then again maybe my tastes in Q are sQed.
LOL I saw what you did right there. :clap:
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Yes, I do.
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I checked th 50% boxfor several reasons. Many BBQ places I’ve visited had problems with their meat being over or under cooked. However, just as many have had spices and sauces that made the meat very good. I usually don’t have problems with texture but tend not to use a ton of spices.
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I live in the UK. There are actually a number of very fine BBQ restaurants here, but the majority of places that claim to have BBQ are either selling pre-prepared food they have bought in, or stuff that has never seen a grill.
I would say that the following stuff I do is better than most establishments I have visited here: Burgers, Chicken, Steaks, Pulled Pork. I'm still working on my Brisket.
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My answer is "sometimes" with "some things". My answer and explanations pertain only to the meat.
Pulled Pork (simply called BBQ in North Carolina)
Eastern Carolina BBQ - Restaurants are better. The thing with this style is that it's chopped whole hog and of course vinegar sauce. I can't replicate that style with butts. But this style is probably my favorite (1A). I grew up with it and live in the region.
Lexington (NC) Style BBQ - Restaurants are better. smoked (lightly imo) pork shoulders typically with only salt & pepper, chopped and/or sliced with a thin vinegar sauce with a significant tomato/ketchup component. This style is my 1B favorite for pork. I've tried to replicate it but mine is always smokier, which is tasty, but not the same.
General Pulled Pork from butts/shoulders (what you may find in most parts of the country these days) - mine is better every time. I attribute that to knowing my preferences for smokiness, wood, seasonings, sauce, and freshness..IE: I pull, I eat.
Ribs
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I think my best ribs are better than the other "bests", but I don't consistently make them better than several rib joints I come across.
Chicken
Mine is better. Frankly, I think all smoked or BBQ'd chicken is better when it's homemade, regardless who makes it.
Sausage
Restaurants are better. I just haven't nailed a good sausage recipe from scratch compared to most restaurants that do that.
Brisket
Most states...mine is better. In North Carolina...mine is better than any restaurant I've come across from the mountains to the coast. I guess it's a culinary culture issue. Most truly local places (where the chefs are native) just don't get it with brisket. Some places with transplant chefs do a better job. But freshness/juiciness is always tricky with brisket.
However, I've yet to make brisket better than any of the handful of places where I've had it in Texas. A nicely smoked Texas brisket is my gold standard of BBQ.
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They do like their vinegar in NC. I moved to Fayetteville and it was the first time I experienced coleslaw put on chopped BBQ sandwiches. I did like the coleslaw on top, but am not a vinegar fan. Wasn't a big fan of chopped either, but not a huge deal.
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I will put my sausage up against just about anyones and say it is better. But there are so many different regional flavors that come into play, many could make the same comment.
I see one site I visit calls waht I would call Sweet Italian, Sicilian. And their Sweet Italian has no hit of Annis, or Fennel or Star Annis, a must for Sweet Italian for me...
Another thing...I know folks that like sausage in their meatloaf, me too! Problem is, I want a Hot Italian, they want a Jimmy Dean Breakfast...Makes no sense to me..I digest! Many ways to skin a cat!
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Ribs I would say mine are better than 90% and the rest about better than 50%. Every now and then you can mess up anything or the meat may not be satisfactory before you cook. Some of the worst however, have been at the BBQ comps, at least the ones the public get to taste. We have a big Bixby Rotary comp here and maybe 75 or more competitors. After the judging, there are lots of ribs, brisket, PP and chicken served for the $10 sample plates. Sometimes a chore to find some really good bbq. Most of the professional competitors do not provide q to the public. They just win and move on.
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I voted 90 because that’s what the wife and kids would say. I know I’m not a fabulous cook by any means, but my BBQ is fresher, more consistent and tuned to our tastes after years of practice. I’ve had some fabulous BBQ in a restaurant, but also had more expensive rotten meals in BBQ joints than any other type of restaurant. I would say by a mile, but ordering steaks out is something I’ll only do at a couple local joints anymore for the same reasons.
I get so disappointed when I order a $25 combo of brisket and ribs and get dry brisket that’s been sitting in a warmer forever and ribs that still have silver skins and are slathered in a sauce that doesn’t fancy me. So, we usually only do BBQ restaurants if we are dining with others that want it...and when we do, I’m usually in the same boat as others above and are judging their sides and sauces more than the meat.
I agree With Glitchy, our cooking at home has been 'refined' to our tastes.
It so often when we try other 'BBQ' it is saturated in sauce, either dry or under done, chunks of fat or gristle, belching creosote after taste, or something else not to our tastes..
Once in a while, we stumble across a jewel of a restaurant and have an excellent meal, we like to let them know how well we liked their food and try to visit their establishment when we are in their area again.. The not so good ones - just never go back.
Not that we are BBQ snobs or perfect by any means - just 'meat and taters' kind of people, but hanging around here (and a few other haunts) has opened our tastes, and we like what we like, not what some 'liquid smoke' and a some time rookie 'Pitmaster' calls BBQ. (some are very good - quite a few are fly by night)
We have been to far too many 'catered' events with some 'Pitmaster' BBQ, just to quietly dispose of the plates with the supposed 'Q', enjoy some of the standard side dishes and try to wash the bad taste from the pallet with the corresponding beverage at the event..
While we are always open to something new, our family favorites are tried and true.. :clap:
(always looking for another 'family favorite' to add to the list!)
... :bbq:
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To be modest I voted 50%. I'm pretty good at what I do & rarely eat out @ a BBQ joint because of the quality of mine & the cost of theirs. Nice to try someone else's once in a while.
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A lot is based on your location. In MI, there are very few places that have really good bbq. Most places are good at one of two things but not all around.
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I'm hit and miss. I've made bbq that is sometimes better and sometimes not as good as restaurants I've been to. I have never gotten ribs right, but I keep trying. My first attempt at a brisket was tasty, but had absolutely no smoke flavor. I'm doing another one this weekend with a smoke tube, so hopefully things go better this time around.
I am on my third or fourth year with my Rec Tec and I have figured out a few things. Start low and end high. Use cold meat and smoke at very low temps (say 190 or what your pit will put out). The reason for this is pellets are very good, efficient heat source. They do not smoke well unless they are burned at lower temps. So, once you have several hours of smoke, crank it up to 250 and let the meat cook. For ribs I do 2.5 hrs low and 2.5 to 3 hrs high (I do not wrap). For larger cuts, several hours to bring it up to 150 to 160 and then wrap to final temp while raising the temp.
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For the money... my BBQ is always better....But there are places that I just can't compete with...Here is a link to what I believe to be the best restaurant in the world... Fantastic food, just too pricey to go there often.
http://www.zingermansroadhouse.com/menus/
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Yeah, $17 Cheeseburgers are above my pay grade! And they never seems as good as 5 Guys or In n Out!
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I agree...usually it's not that good. However at this restaurant it is that good. Just a casual dining room. But man the food!
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$32 for some fried catfish that's not even filleted, and some grits...Come on now. I don't think I could really enjoy the place myself. I'll just take your word for it.
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Bryans BBQ from the street looks like the real deal to me.
Any experts recognize a big pit from this link view?
See if you can hit "+" to zoom in.
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.0405199,-81.3245476,3a,15y,91.6h,88.96t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s4aeG0qXBT0xNJMrNQtlJTg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D4aeG0qXBT0xNJMrNQtlJTg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D80.69108%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656
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I said 90% simply because I find there are two kinds of BBQ joints that I don't like and unfortunately a lot fall into these two buckets.
The first bucket is steamed mush BBQ at chain places where they make what the masses want (e.g. Famous Daves).
The second type are joints like I ate at in KC recently where they almost go the other direction and often the food is overly fatty (hey fat is flavor so tons of fat! right!?), not cooked to a decent level of tenderness etc. At the place in question the brisket was tough as xxxx. I had to saw at it with a knife. The ribs were "undercooked" in my opinion as the fat was super tough and not rendered, they didn't remove the membrane etc. For both the brisket and the ribs the seasoning was good, the meat just wasn't cooked well IMO. This was a place that's not a chain and had 4.8 rating on Yelp with ~400 reviews. I think it is hard to do large volumes and put out a consistent product.
The third bucket are legit places that do it right and I've been to a few but they just seem few and far between.
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I take pride in putting out a good meal at home and there is more appreciation for it. Now we have a BBQ sit down restaurant, there sausage is always good, Brisket and pulled pork are hit and miss, but you can tell it comes out of a kitchen, not made with love, just a guy getting a pay check. We have a food truck, a guy from texas Monty's BBQ, hes the real deal over a wood fired smoker, selling out of old camper, people cringe when I take them there, I have never had a bad meal, once you eat it you are hooked. He has a passion for it and is feeding his family off making good food.