I linked to a great profile of Bryan Furman of B’s Cracklin’ Barbeque in Wednesday’s Linkdown, and here is the accompanying video from Bon Appétit. I met him at Memphis in May and he was gracious enough to speak with me for a few minutes in the hot Memphis sun and couldn’t be nicer. Bryan is already a star on the rise when it comes to barbecue and this makes me think it’s only going to get bigger from here on out. Keep an eye on Bryan Furman for sure.
The story of Billy Durney’s path to opening Hometown Bar-B-Que in Red Hook and how he fed a community in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy even before the doors of his restaurant officially opened. Both Speedy and I loved Hometown few years back, but I didn’t know this fantastic story until this video.
When Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast, all the hard work and heart Billy Durney put toward building his dream restaurant came to an unexpected halt. But that didn’t stop this bodyguard-turned-pitmaster from pulling through for his Brooklyn community. He lifted his hometown’s spirits with damn good barbecue, and in turn, they inspired his greatest pursuit yet.
Unfortunately I didn’t make it to any barbecue restaurants in Memphis eventhough Payne’s, Central, German Commissary, Bar-B-Que Shop all would have been worthy excursions from the festival. Here’s a taste of what I missed.
The birthplace of Southern barbecue as we know it is almost impossible to nail down; cities from across America’s “barbecue belt” are responsible for different flavor profiles and techniques that have grown and shaped the cuisine’s history. Today, we visit Memphis for an inside look at the smoky, meaty dishes coming out of Tennessee.
In doing some research on my first Memphis in May Barbecue Contest, I came across this well done video from vlogger Seonkyoung Longest that gives a great idea of what I can expect at the festival.
We went all the way to Memphis TN for the world championship BBQ Cooking Contest!! Watch how our team Squeal Street did for their first big time competing with other BBQ-ers! Special thanks to Gary who invited us to this amazing BBQ festival, and all the members of Squeal Street BBQ for having us!!! Robert ‘Bones’ Maloney, Carol Lott, Mike Talley, Bob Vichie, Shane ‘Bad Shane’ Paris, Leigh Richardson, Chad Elder, Brad Pee, Arron Krunszyinsky, Allen Welch, Bryan Duffel, Sophie Duffel, Joe Carey, Carl Haberly, Robbie Britt, Shane ‘Good Shane’ Morrell, John Webber, Steve Glidewell, Michael Patrick, David Scott Walker, Terry Jenkins, Colin Bergstorm, Whitney Bergstorm, Adam Keeler, Felicia Moore, Boo & Gary Gardo!!