Varmint

The grocery stores have taken over the meat industry, resulting in a decline in the number of professional butchers. In Raleigh, I don't know of a single true butcher -- they're all meat cutters who know more about plastic wrap and styrofoam trays than meat. There are a couple of professionals here and there in the region, but they're definitely a dying breed. Where have you gone, Sam the Butcher??? And what can we, as consumers, do to change this???

I heard that Scott Howell's steakhouse project was tubed, which was confirmed a couple of weeks ago in this article that I somehow missed. The Raleigh QShack should open by month's end, which is about two months later than originally planned, making it right on time for typical restaurant openings.

The best barbecue in the Carolinas was served at my pig pickin' on October 11. Scroll down this page for some decent pictures of what I produced. As far as restaurants are concerned, I'd say that Wilbers in Goldsboro and Mitchell's in Wilson do a pretty decent job of eastern style barbecue. However, few joints really take the time that is necessary to get the whole hog right. I find that even Ed Mitchell oversauces his pig. Some of the best spots are places that really aren't even restaurants, but are places run out of the back of peoples' homes during the weekends. I recently went on a venture in search of relatively unknown western-style barbecue joints (Click here for the thread). Each of these places were in the top quarter of all the joints I ever visited, and a couple were absolutely exceptional. Vinegar was not a major part of the barbecues' flavor. Edit to add: I'm so glad that my 3000th post was about barbecue!!!

Dr. Pepper Or Moxie, or Cheerwine. Sweet tea. Nuff said.

Merely eating barbecue is no badge of honor. One must work hard to seek out the definitive spots, the places that best represent the regional style. The NC State Fair ain't that.

Good question. Perhaps it was to cut down on the gaminess of the critters they originally ate. A possum without vinegar is . . . well . . . just a possum, and a nasty one at that. If your NC barbecue eating experience is based on what you consumed at the State Fair, you have much to learn, Grasshopper! That's about the worst place to learn.

At the NC State Fair of all places, one of the large exhibit halls had an attendant in the men's room. He had a big sign out requesting tips, but seeing he was impeding the traffic flow, particularly for those of us with several children in tow, I sure as hell wasn't going to tip him. He offered absolutely zero service and just got in the way.

It has been nearly 22 hours since the last report. Whassupwiddat?

As will often be the case, I failed to do the assignment. If I had a dog, I'd say my dog ate my assignment, but I don't have one, so I won't say it. My participation may be vicarious, but I'll do my best to try something from time to time.

This may be the first tommy post where I don't have a smart ass comment. Thanks for the report, and I look forward to what follows.

Ah, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Weren't those steaks the size of a large computer screen? They were about half an inch thick, but god, they were expansive!!!

Methinks you misunderstand North Carolina barbecue. First, in my opinion, the finest and purest form of NC barbecue is Eastern style, which is whole hog, cooked at a temperature of no greater than 225-250 degrees over hardwood. The meat is pulled from the pig, chopped coarsely, some ultra-crunchy skin is chopped and cut in, and then lightly sauced with a vinegar-based concoction. The meat is not "immersed" in any sauce. The meat is not pulverized into catfood. The vinegar should barely be noticeable, if at all. What you taste is pork, with a gentle smoke flavor. There's a slight exogenous flavor to it, but is that any different than the spice rub that was applied to the brisket or ribs before smoking? Come visit. I'll show you that you've been horribly misled.

Thank you!!!!! You certainly get it!! Of course, there's actually 3 varieties of Carolina barbecue: 2 North Carolina varieties (Eastern and Western/Lexington) and the South Carolina mustard-based variety. North Carolina barbecue then violates one of your tenets in that the sauce is mixed in with the meat itself. Its purpose is to complement and accentuate, rather than mask, the flavor of the pork, which may be the discerning feature. Bad NC barbecue tastes of vinegar, not pork. Ick.

Mr. Cutlets- Many of our users don't live in New York, Chicago, or any other major metropolitan area where finding lucious prime beef is a simple venture. Instead, the steak known in these parts comes from Outback Steakhouse and its brethren chains. What's your take on these ubiquitous steak houses, why are they as successful as they are, and how would a patron maximize their value? Thanks!

Mr. Cutlets- No question, just one word, to which I'd like nothing less than a 5 paragraph response: BARBECUE. Proceed, please. and thanks for joining us!!

Fajitas! King mackerel, marinated in grapefruit, lime, cilantro and jalapeno. Cubed and quick seared. Chicken marinated in tequila, lime, poblano, salt. Flank steak rubbed with chipotle, cilantro, lime, salt. Seared and served bloody rare. Grilled onions, peppers Homemade guacamole Homemade roasted tomato, roasted tomatillo, and roasted garlic salsa. For dessert, I took a Whole Foods chocolate angel food cake, cut it into 12 pieces, reassembled it, "frosted" it with chocolate whipped cream, and topped with tons of strawberries.

Thanks, Zeb. I believe this place is owned by the same guy who owns the Papa Lou's burger joints. He used to own a bunch of Miami Subs franchises before they all went belly up, and he's found a pretty good niche.

Elyse = Pie

So where is it that you live???

You were invited to the last pig pickin'!!!! Everyone on eGullet was invited. Unfortunately, I wouldn't hold your breath for another one.

9, 8, 4, and 3. Part of the issue is maintaining my own sanity and sense of order while they run amock!

Thanks for your great session. One issue I have when I cook with my children is how I manage to keep all 4 L'il Varmints simultaneously engaged during the process. They all want to do everything, but that's not possible. Any experience with tasking many children of different ages and skills?

Thrak, priceless food stories is what eGullet is all about!! Share them with all of us!

They ship to me. I can take it from there . . . Best, Jim Just what I need: an enabler! First of all, realize that the owner of CWC is Chrish Peel, who is a Stanford Law grad. Thus, he's a sharp man who understands the current status of the wine shipping laws. The CWC website currently indicates that they're willing to ship anywhere, but title transfer occurs in NC. Something tells me, but I'd like to confirm, that Chrish is not opposed to being another test case in the quagmire of wine shipping litigation. Nevertheless, give them a call -- they're shipping policies may have dramatically changed in the past couple of years.

Dude, I applaud you for your restraint in waiting 3+ hours after you started this thread to post that awesome menu. You show-off, you!!!