Not that we’re anywhere close to being qualified enough to evaluate books but more so as a public service announcement we will periodically discuss barbecue and barbecue-related books.
Monk: If John Shelton Reed writes a book on barbecue, I’m reading it. Because he writes about the subject so intelligently and (not to mention wittily) from both a historical as well as a cultural viewpoint, his insights always make me think and often chuckle.
“Holy Smoke: The Big Book of NC Barbecue” was co-written by Reed, his since-passed wife Dale Volberg Reed, and William McKinney and is likely my favorite book on the subject (certainly the case when it comes to North Carolina barbecue). His “Barbecue” book for UNC Press’ Savor the South Series is more than just a barbecue recipe book. And any freelance work from him that comes across my Google Alerts I read immediately.
In addition to being an accomplished author, John Shelton Reed is the co-founder (along with Dan Levine) and “Eminence Grease” of The Campaign for Real Barbecue, also known as True ‘Cue. There, he advocates for wood-smoked barbecue (sometimes ruffling the feathers of folks like Carey Bringle of Peg Leg Porker). Again, I’m a huge fan.
With that buildup, “On Barbecue” is his latest book and is a collection of his barbecue writings over the years (by far is his most written-about subject), which includes book reviews, freelance articles, some True ‘Cue newsletter writings, and an excerpt from “Holy Smoke.” Our friend John Tanner wrote up the book nicely over on his blog but I’ll add to the praise chorus as well.
In it, Reed is able to connect his previous works into a cohesive narrative across a fairly quick read. From the true origins of barbecue (both the practice and the word itself) to the current state of it to the invasion of gassers into barbecue restaurants to the nuances of barbecue in the state of North Carolina, I read the 157 pages in a couple of sittings but could have easily read in just one. And what a great cover.
I was graciously provided a copy of the book by Reed in exchange for an honest review (which you’ve just read) but the honest truth is that I would have purchased it with my own money no matter what. I urge you barbecue fans out there to purchase it at your nearest independent bookstore and give it a read.
Monk: In a podcast accompanying the recent post on The 10 Best Pellet Smokers and Grills You Can Buy in 2021 by Gear Patrol’s home and drinks editor Will Price, he discusses the benefits of pellet grills and smokers as well as his picks with Nick Caruso. Though I have to say, I’m a bit skeptical on the grilling/smoking credentials of someone who lives in Brooklyn. Not because of the Brooklyn of it all, but because he won’t have a true backyard for testing out these grills. In any case, take his recommendations with that in mind.
Description: Pellet grills have been around only since the mid-Eighties and feature precision computer controls: a super low-effort alternative to charcoal and gas grills.
Episode Navigation: 01:25 – What Is a Pellet Grill and Smoker, and What Are “Pellets?” 03:40 – The Complex Components That Make Pellet Grills So Simple to Use 07:30 – Why Pellet Grills Are the Most Precise of Grilling Options 09:15 – Pellets Aren’t a Big Hassle, and These Are Set-It-and-Forget-It Devices 13:00 – Why Pellet Grills Are Also Smokers, and What They Cook Best 20:00 – Comparing Pellet Grills to Other Types 21:50 – Traeger, and the Genesis of Pellet Grills 23:15 – The Ecological Impact of Pellet Cooking 26:40 – The Surprisingly Low Prices of Pellet Grills 29:30 – A Rundown of Our Top Three Pellet Grill Picks 44:05 – What Is Will Grilling With This Summer?
Monk: In a bit of a change of pace, I’m going to try my hand at TV recapping for the second season of BBQ Brawl, which airs for *checks notes* 10 episodes *gulp* on Monday nights at 9pm ET on Food Network. 10 episodes? Well let’s see how this goes…
Note: I’ve corrected the episode numbers on this and all other recaps after getting tripped up whether the super-sized premiere was considered one or two episodes. Nonetheless, we should be good to go now.
After a bit of trash talk between the team captains, we are reminded that Team Eddie is down to one contestant and now gets to steal a competitor from either Team Bobby or Team Michael to join Christopher. Eddie chooses Brittani from Team Michael, who he says “has been on fire” the past few weeks. Michael bemoans losing such a strong competitor.
Eddie then chooses the next Advantage Challenge: grilled oysters. He is a Houston resident and thus is feeling confident going in for this captains challenge, but Bobby also feels comfortable with grilled oysters. Michael perhaps less so.
Eddie’s New Orleans-style chargrilled oysters with lump crab meat beats out Michael’s Asian-influenced oysters with Cleveland caviar (pickled mustard seeds) and Bobby’s grilled oyster with smoked shrimp and compound butter. So his confidence going in works out for him, and he gets his team an advantage in the seafood challenge of having the ability to steal mystery ingredients from other teams Dirty Santa-style. He takes the king crab legs from Team Michael, leaving them with the octopus. Team Bobby gets to keep their salmon.
Each team has to use their ingredient in each of their dishes in the “Seafood Showdown,” which is an abbreviated 90 minutes long. Turns out the octopus doesn’t bother Michael or this team at all and each of the contestants seem to have a background with it. The other teams look comfortable with their ingredient, so this week it will all come down to execution.
In order of judging:
Team Eddie goes with a crab theme for their platter. Eddie himself grills crab legs and tops with a gremolata. This was a big hit with the judges. Christopher’s plantain tostone with crab guisado (crab and tomato stew) is not as crab forward as judges would have hoped so looks like he won’t be in the running for top dish. Brittani’s grilled crab with sambal and spicy corn is good once the judges are able to combine all ingredients onto a forkful but her beer battered crab nuggets get dinged for not being grilled or smoked. Kind of important when it comes to a barbecue show, notes Rodney Scott.
Team Michael deals with the octopus in a Texas-meets-Mediterranean themed meal. Michael’s burnt flour and squid ink pasta with octopus sauce gets praise from judges for his technique in getting smoke into pasta. Ara’s braised octopus with lardons is on the chewy side, and David’s Spanish octopus stew gets dinged for using some of the same octopus from Ara which results in two different octopus textures in the dish.
Team Bobby’s “salmon three ways on the grill” starts with Bobby’s charred green curry salmon with crispy cowboy rice gets rave reviews from the judges. Bobby clearly was at ease cooking salmon in this challenge. Taylor’s salmon pinwheel with gochujang sauce and stuffed shishito is “very rich” which is “overwhelming” to Brook; never a good thing. Erica’s seafood gumbo lacks flavor and salt even after she got some tips from Bobby mid-cook but Erica hopes that the crispy salmon chicharrons will help save her.
After all meals are judged, there doesn’t seem to be a clear favorite since each team had issues in execution. Team Michael apparently gets graded on a curve for the difficulty of cooking the octopus and is the first safe team. Team Eddie is also safe, and Eddie avoids going back down to one contestant yet again.
That means Team Bobby will lose a teammate, and Taylor makes it two weeks in a row that a contestant goes home for a cream cheese dish (after Lu last week). Erica gets emotional in losing her best friend in the competition but will also have a new teammate soon enough. We’ll find out who Bobby steals next week for an international barbecue challenge.
Bells for Taylor, the Georgian pastry chef.
Christopher Prieto Watch
Not Christopher’s best showing this week, especially on a dish that is so near and dear to his heart. I believe this is the second time he has done plantain tostones, and I don’t think either has gone particularly well. Nevertheless, he moves on to the next week. Christopher and Brittani seemingly get along well enough this week and should continue to be a strong team in the competition.
What was your favorite part of episode 7 of BBQ Brawl season 2? Leave your response in the comments and be sure to check back next week for a recap of episode 8.
Name: Randy’s Bar-B-Q Date: 6/25/21 Address: 750 Wheaton St, Savannah, GA 31401 Order: Large ribs Pricing: $
Monk: The Monk family had occasion to spend a few nights in Savannah recently and ahead of that trip, I performed my customary barbecue research and pickings seemed to be a little slim.
B’s Cracklin’ Barbecue closed their location there late last year as Bryan Furman plans his next move in Atlanta’s westside.
Wiley’s Championship BBQ placed #2 by Southern Living readers in the 2020 poll, but its competition lineage gave me slight pause.
Unfortunately, Savannah hasn’t had a barbecue renaissance like Charleston, a city 2 hours north on Highway 17 that it so often gets compared to.
Finally, I settled upon Randy’s Bar-B-Q via True Cue’s Georgia list and despite their having no real social media presence I dropped off the wife and kids in downtown Savannah and made the short trek a few blocks outside of the eastern edge of historic downtown.
Randy’s is a black-owned barbecue joint run by Randolph Frazier, and they have quite the local following. I arrived to a line of 20-25 people which is apparently not unusual for a lunch crowd.
Unfortunately, they were out of chicken so all I went with a half rack of ribs, which came drenched in their bright orangey/yellow sauce and placed on slices of wheat bread (surely they must have been out of white).
Randy’s Bar-B-Q smokes their meat in smokers just outside of the small cubic brick building that was painted once upon a time by Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) students. This building is rather small and Randy’s is takeout only.
The ribs were well smoked and while the tangy sauce wasn’t my favorite, I recognized that Randy wasn’t catering to my taste but instead that of the community in which Randy’s serves.
Randy’s Bar-B-Q is worth a stop not only because of their smoked meats but also to step outside of your barbecue comfort zone.
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