Earlier today, my boss was decrying the poor quality of the barbecued pork ribs available from the Stage Door Deli downstairs. (Well, duh....) This led into a general conversation around the office about a.) how wonderful barbecue can be; and b.) how impossible it is to find celestial barbecue in New York City...or above the Mason-Dixon Line, in general. (The Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse is the only exception I know. And no, I haven't yet tried Blue Smoke or Biscuit, though I do want to.)

Inspired (and not a little homesick), I started searching around for my very favorite barbecue joints. One page led to another, and I also found a primer to NC barbecue, and best of all, the Carolina Barbecue Creed. An excerpt follows, if you want to click to continue.

We believe in one Pork,
the shoulder, the rump,
there's no better on heaven or earth;
it's tasty with coleslaw and beans.
We believe in only one style,
shredded or chopped,
cooked for 12 hours and eaten with greens.
Eternally begotten from pigs,
hog from hog, pork from pork,
true swine from Lauch Faircloth,
begotten, not made,
with vinegar sauce from your father.

At Bulllocks, all things are made,
for us and for our comestication.
We believe White Swans came down from heaven,
by the power of the Vinegar Spirit;
Then Stameys became incarnate from the mixed sauce,
and peach cobbler.

For our sake, the pig was smoked over hickory,
he suffered death and was buried (in pepper rub).
After a third of a day, the pig rose again
in accordance with the recipes.
He was pulled with a rake and placed on a plate,
and is seated at the right hand of your father.
The Swine has come in glory to sate the living and raise the dead,
and Bullocks family style will have no end, Amen.

Preach it!

Comments

[Cyrano]

Duuude, some other states can do a decent job, but don't pretend like you've tasted barbecue until you've spent a few native days in Tejas.

I think ufez will be with me on this one...

[Vidiot]

Check the link above for the word "very"....City Market in Luling, TX. I've eaten at their Houston branch a few times and made the pilgrimage to Luling itself. We even got to see the Watermelon Thump Queen get crowned, and we celebrated with a superlative plate of brisket and links.

I tend to like pork 'cue better than beef, but if it were all as good as City Market's, I might be persuaded to think otherwise.