It has been a long time...

Last year was really messed up for me and my loved ones. Between the economy, my wife's grandfather passing, one of my best friends going to prison, and many other things, I did not have time to do much that I wanted to do, BBQ. This year seams to be starting off in a better way. Lets hope that it continues like this, and I can bring you many more Vlogs and Blogs on the great subject of BBQ!

The topic that brings me in to type is this: What is BBQ?

Consider this, you get a call from a pal of yours and they ask you, "Hey Kieth, why don't you, the Misses and the four ankle biters come over to my my house and have some BBQ? Heck! Even bring your smelly dog too!"

What is Kieth getting his loved ones into?
How well does he know this person inviting him to partake in some "So-Called" BBQ?
What kind of BBQ equipment does this person have to create this "BBQ" mystery?
Will it be cooked over Propane?
Will it be cooked over Coal?
Will it be slow cooked using hard woods?
Is there going to be BBQ Sauce?
Is there going to be A-1?
Will there be enough paper towels?
Are we going to need to hose the kids off before we allow them back inside the house?

Well, let's be honest, most of these questions are not completely important if you are going to go to a friends house. The meal is free! Why should you complain! Ingrate!

Now, if you are going to go to a restaurant and get some BBQ, you might want to ask some of these questions.

The other day I went to a BBQ establishment that is new to my location in Santa Clarita, CA. It was a rainy Friday and my friend Dave and I ran through a torrential downpour from my car to the restaurant named, "Dickey's BBQ Pit." When I got inside, the first thing I did was take in a deep breath. To my surprise, it did not smell like anything. I might as well have been walking into an operating room. Does this seem odd to you? Well it did for me. The outside sign said "BBQ Pit."

Well...where was this pit?

For those of you who are still confused, a pit is a place where either wood or charcoal is burning in order to heat and flavor the meat, sweet delicious salty meat.

So if this place had one of those...it should have smelled like some type of wood or charcoal...right? Right! But it didn't...and that was not going to stop me. I was there...I was hungry...and I had to give them a try.

I ordered myself a Southern Pulled Pork Sandwich, some Mac and Cheese and a regular soda.
It was reasonable for under $10.
The Mac and Cheese was pretty good, not bad for a chain restaurant.
The Sandwich, even though substantial in size, it was very lack luster. The meat was tender and the bun held well together during the consumption. But the meat was missing something I call flavor. So I had to resort to the sauce. Walking up to the condiment stand, I noticed that the vats of BBQ sauce were plugged in! I have to admit that warm BBQ sauce is a great thing to have! And in a PUMP? Heck! I want one!

After dowsing the meat with the sauce, it was then edible. but it still left me wondering...how did they cook their meat? How come there was no flavor to be had in this pork except for some hot BBQ sauce? I watched some of the cooks open up what appeared to be a convection oven and remove a big piece of meat. This made me one very sad panda.

How can it be BBQ if it comes from an oven? Where was this Pit?

How can they call their place Dickey's BBQ Pit?

Cause it is just a name.
And for as long as we live in America we can name our restaurants anything we want, as long as we don't steal the name from someone else.

Will I ever go back?

Probably not.

Was it terrible?

No.

Was it a disappointment?

Hell yeah.


So what really does it mean to be real BBQ?

This is the answer that I hear time and time again, "Low and Slow."
What does this mean? It is actually quite simple. BBQ is the act of smoking meat for a long period of time at a low temperature. Most people smoke from 195 to 225 degrees Fahrenheit(90.5-107.2 Celsius). The minimum time that I use is from 4-5 hours. The longest I have BBQ'd was for 14 hours.

Then, what would I call Dickey's? Should it be called BBQ?
Even a Burger King "Whopper" would be closer to BBQ than this place. They Charbroil their meat patties. Hmmmmmmmmm...Charbroiled!

But Dickey's uses BBQ Sauce...doesn't that count?
Well it could. But I have been to places where they are BBQ...and there is no Sauce.

Would you call the McRib BBQ?
I know I wont...Ehhhh-Vur!

So if we wont call the McRib BBQ, why should we call this place BBQ?
Well, we really shouldn't.

What about steaks? Don't we BBQ steaks?
How about chicken? BBQ chicken is the best right?

Well guess what?

They are grilled.

Yeah...they are.

Why are you arguing with me?


Anyways...

Is there anything wrong with eating grilled meat?

HELL NO!

I love to grill meat! Who doesn't like looking at those grill marks on steak?

But, if you want to call it BBQ...it's okay to say. I wont make fun of you (At least to your face).
Most people don't know the real meaning of it anyway. But if you ever go to Kansas City, Texas, or the Carolina's they are less forgiving than the rest of us, so watch your ass.

Remember this:

Enjoy your food whether it is grilled or smoked. But more importantly, enjoy it with friends and family. It tastes better sharing with them!

Looking forward to sharing more recipes and techniques with you for the rest of the year!

-Dave