BBQgeek

Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc Apple Bacon BBQ Sauce

Thomas Keller is the nation's de facto chef laureate.  His culinary achievements are the stuff of legend, and his flagship restaurant, The French Laundry, has become a foodie mecca and the birthplace of many of our greatest up and coming chefs.  While I have spent much time admiring Thomas' achievements, cookbooks, and protege's, our two worlds have not crossed paths in any significant way.  But then the need for a Mother's Day gift sent me into a local Williams Sonoma, and I stumbled upon what you see pictured left.  Ad Hocis one of Thomas' more laid back restaurants in the Napa Valley.  It's family style.  No menu.  Simple food created with the same loving care as the pretty plates he creates at The French Laundry. So, it figures that he would bring a BBQ sauce to market under that label vs. The French Laundry BBQ sauce.  I picked up the jar and took a peek at the price. $16 for thirteen ounces of BBQ sauce.  Down here in the South, we'd say that Mr. Keller is awful proud of his sauce.  Our Northern brethren might be a little less genteel and a little more to the point.  That's a lot of scratch for some jacked up ketchup, Thomas.  I realized I was holding in my hands what was, for me, the most expensive bottle of BBQ sauce in the World. We're talking over a dollar an ounce, good people.

So, I bought the sauce and began tainting my mental jury before I could even get out of the parking lot.  See, I've made more than a few gallons of BBQ sauce from scratch in my day.  In fact, it was a bit of an obsession for a few years.  Along the way, I learned a lot of lessons, and I spread the gospel of fresh-sauce-over-bottled far and wide and made many converts along the way.  I drove home mentally working through my mise en place for the dish of sous vide Smug served over a bed of poached told-you-so that I was planning on sending over via FedeX to little Tommie in Yountville, CA.  Continue reading Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc Apple Bacon BBQ Sauce here....

Community Q named as a Top 10 New Dining Destination in the USA!

MSN.com published a list of the Top 10 New Dining Destinations in the US this morning.  Atlanta's own Community Q was the only restaurant in Georgia to be included on the list.  Other notable restaurants included Collichio & Sons (NYC), and Thomas Keller's Bouchon (Beverly Hills).  Congratulations to David, Stuart, and Jim on such a tremendous achievement. 

Cochon 555 - Atlanta, GA

Pork liver pate with apple jelly from 2010 winner Sean Brock of McCrady's of Charleston, SC at Cochon 555.

Cochon 555, a multi-city, national event celebrating the cultivation of heritage breed hogs, rolled into Atlanta, GA this past Sunday.  It was my second pork-themed event in less than a month.  You may have already read my write up of the Southern Foods Pig Out in the Park.  What can I say?  I'm a lucky guy.  The basic premise of Cochon 555 is to assemble five of the best regional chefs, give them each a 175 lb. heritage breed pig to cook, and let the assembled masses enjoy the fruits of their labors.  Joining these five chefs are five wineries showcasing their wines.  So, the 555 equals 5 hogs, 5 wines, and 5 chefs.  Simple enough.  Atlanta's Cochon 555 took place at the downtown W hotel.  Several hundred foodies, food critics, and bloggers turned out to indulge in everything fine about swine (did I really just make that horrible rhyme?).  I've assembled a simple photo essay with minimal commentary to describe the event for you.  Enjoy.  Continue reading Cochon 555 - Atlanta, GA here....
 

Clyde Cooper's Barbecue - Raleigh, NC

 

For the second time in a month, business took me to Raleigh, NC.  On my last trip, I paid a visit to the Pit to experience Ed Mitchell's vision of upscale barbecue.  This time I decided to try and find a different experience.  I wanted something that really painted a clear picture of traditional Eastern Carolina barbecue.  I did a little Googling and ran across Clyde Cooper's Barbecue, in business since 1938 in downtown Durham.  Online reviews of Coopers were very good.  I also checked with a couple of my Raleigh colleagues and they said it was very good stuff.  One colleague even remarked he remembered eating there as a kid and loving it.  After finishing up my morning business meeting, I made a quick run into downtown Raleigh with three of my coworkers to sneak in a quick lunch before hopping back on my flight back to Atlanta.  Coopers really impressed me that day with  some great food and an authentic experience.  Continue reading Clyde Cooper's Barbecue here....

Judge's Table - Southern Foods' Pig Out In the Park

Pictured from left to right are a few of the chefs, as well as one judge, that participated in Southern Foods' Pig Out in the Park - Jose Hernandez and Matt Swickerath (Valenza), Shane Touhy (Dogwood), Allan Benton (Benton's Hams), Stephen Herman and Guillermo Hernandez (Haven)

Twelve chefs from some of Atlanta's best restaurants gathered yesterday at the Park Tavern in Piedmont Park to participate in Southern Foods' Pig Out in the Park, a food industry showcase featuring a pork cookoff.  The participating restaurants included Holeman and Finch, 4th and Swift, Haven, Rathbun's, Dogwood, Valenza, JCT kitchen, Serpas True Food, Speakeasy, Parker's on Ponce, Two Urban Licks, and Miltons.  The pork cookoff was judged by Allan Benton, David Roberts, and me.  Allan is famous throughout the American culinary world for crafting some of the highest quality artisinal country hams in the world at his smokehouse in Tennessee, Benton's Hams.  David Roberts is a the chef and partner in Atlanta's most recent barbecue darling, Community Q.  Me?  I run a little BBQ blog, and I'm still trying to figure out how I managed to be lucky enough to land a seat at the judges table.  Chefs, line cooks, service professionals, and restaurant owners all stopped by the Park Tavern to sample all manner of foodstuffs from some of Southern Foods top line vendors, as well as taste dishes from all twelve of the competing restaurants.  Continue reading Judge's Table - Southern Foods' Pig Out in the Park here....

The Pit - Raleigh, NC

 

Business took me to Durham, NC this past week, but it was my love of great BBQ that took me to downtown Raleigh to visit Ed Mitchell's retaurant, The Pit.   Ed is one of the true superstars of the BBQ world.  He has been featured many times on TV, including the Today show and Throwdown with Bobby Flay (in which he beat Bobby in a spare rib contest).  Ed is not only famous for his traditional NC style BBQ but also for his belief in cooking with local and sustainable vegetables and meat.  Ed has organized a co-op of local hog farmers that raises free range hogs (I was told they eat better than most humans) which he then uses for the BBQ in his restaurant.  He also sources his vegetables in the same manner.  In addition to fantastic BBQ and vegetables, the wine and beer selections are better than most high end restaurants I've visited.  I've spent a lot of time in this blog talking about the idea of taking BBQ to the next level and presenting it in a quasi-fine dining format.  Unquestionably, The Pit is the closest I have come to seeing that idea manifested.  Continue reading The Pit - Raleigh, NC here...

Yeah, Yeah

Yes.  I've been bad.  Very bad.  No posts since...last year.  3 years into this blogging thing I have enough experience to know that these are the fallow months.  No light and cold temperatures are not exactly inspirational when you are a BBQ guy.  I'm past the guilt.  Trust me when I tell you I have your best interests in mind when I don't publish just for the sake of publishing.  That said, Fate has shined upon me and you and stoked the fire this fine evening.  Business brought me to Durham, NC, but my BBQ mania took me to The Pit in Raleigh, NC.  I've got a humdinger of a post coming for you as soon as I get off the road this weekend.  This blasted work laptop won't let me download this evening's photos and share the way I'd like to...so, you will have to wait.  But, I'll give you a tease.  How about smoked bourbon and cola?  How about friendly local chocolatiers (Star and Sam) offering a taste of Ed Mitchell's delicious smoked wings from the Pit simply because they love them and want to share in the joy (and they love them so much they ordered 300 for their wedding in May!)  Tune in this weekend for the full report.

Community Q Sneak Peak

David Roberts (in the blue apron) hangs out with the Cains and various friends at the soft opening of Community Q.

I was lucky enough to get to bring my family to the very first service at Community Q in Decatur, GA.  An intimate crowd was treated to delicous sampler plates of barbecued pork, beef, and chicken as well as cole slaw, potato salad, french fries, and the world's greatest mac-and-cheese.   I've been eating David Robert's BBQ for years now, and I can tell you that my meal todaywas fantastic - smokey, juicy, and just plain delicious.  After a couple more friends and family style events, Community Q intends to open this Tuesday or Wednesday, November 17 or 18th.    Feel free to check back here for an official announcement.  Please enjoy a few photographs and plan to put Community Q on your list of things to do.

   
 

When I'm not BBQ'ing

....here's what I'm cooking.  Pan roasted halibut, veal demi glace, mushrooms and thyme, glazed baby carrots, frisee.  Thanks to Stephen, Scott, Matt, and David for teaching me how it is done.
 

Barker's Red Hots - Marietta, GA

 In researching this article, I broke the first rule of food photography.  I ate the food before I took the requisite sexy food shot.  It was just one bite, and I felt terrible about it.  But can you blame me?  Look at those dogs!  Charred on the outside and smothered in chili or original hot relish.  Barker's Red Hots in Marietta, GA is, without a doubt, the best hot dog in all of Atlanta - bar none.  Barker's secret is that the owner, Glenn, grills off his dogs over ripping hot Royal Oak charcoal - blistering, and charring the outside while coaxing it into something otherworldly.  But the hot dog isn't the only thing that's incredible at Barker's.  Pretty much everything on the menu is cooked to perfection and complements each other really well.  Onion rings, fries, loganberry juice.  Barker's offers a slice of the Northeast boardwalk via Buffalo, NY right here in the heart of suburban Atlanta.  We may not have any great NY style deli's in this town, but at least we've got Barker's and that's good enough for me.  Continue reading Barker's Red Hots here.......