Randy!

Sorry - litmus test might have been too strong a phrase...but I consider the whole package...as I said Rendesvous is famous for their ribs...but I dont want to pay $20 for 1/3 of a good meal... Sorry I cant resist an aggie joke as I am a Razorback!: Why don't the aggies eat BBQ beans? Because they keep falling through the holes in the grill.

Why I deeeeclare...actually sniff, I was opening up my gullet, er, soul to the masses...to throw back the gauntlet sir, I would interject: 1. BBQ list wasnt mine - that list as mentioned came off of the web and was for convenient reference only. References to true BBQ can only be measured by the impartee, him-or-herself as the case may be... 2. Anyone can smoke meat...why everyone knows that the only reason texans only use dry rub is "cuz thay cain't" spell "sauce" (sorry, my 's' won't turn around the right way). 3. I've been to Texan many times on business...one time I ate BBQ 3 times in two days and really pissed off my business companion...and by the way as I recall most of them served beans....in fact Rudy's in Austin has premier beans (pintos). Actually, I do remember a little hole-in-the-wall travelling from Austin back to Dallas and it was in fact ribs and bread. Proof that beans really do exist in Texas BBQ 4. Beans require a knowledge of chemistry. So do hushpuppies for that matter. Anyone with a limb and a match can smoke meat, or for that matter a chromed smoker with mag wheels. 5. When you cook a steak, do you just eat steak? or do you saute your mushrooms in shallots and red wine? or do texans eat mushrooms? 6. I'm a former Razorback, and have cooked at both Coys and Stubby's BBQ in Hot Springs, so I've smoked a few things in my career but as we say (said) in Arkansas...ain't nothin in Texas but steers...oh nevermind. A funny story though - when I was in the aforementioned Texas last I was meeting with a Department Director in a hospital and we got into a (seriously) one hour conversation designing the worlds most perfect BBQ on a blackboards in his office. So while the saleslady I was with had to eat Q for three days..."Q" put about a $45K sale in her pocket. It was clear that "y'all" take it seriously...

I personally like hushpuppies with my Q...my litmus test is the beans...if you make great Q but you can't make beans...well, then you can't make beans...In Georgia, it's commonplace to serve Brunswick Stew, kind of a leftovers pot with BBQ sauce in it. It reminds me of the couple of times I ate at the (insert drumroll here) Rendevous in Memphis, great dryrub ribs, but beans that were way too VanCampsesque. I remember a very small trailer (literally) that I stopped at in Albany GA one time, incredible pulled pork but the real prize was the beans - white beans with a very light holy trinity sauce (mustard, green pepper, brown sugar, ok so it was a quad-nity), with smoky bits of pork through and through. I bought a quart to take back to the hotel in Tifton and ate the whole thing on the way with a spork....driving. Unfortunately, I've been back through and can't find them anymore. One more great place in Macon, GA off I-75 if you're coming from Atlanta to visit the Mouse: Fresh Air BBQ - Very thin vinegar sauce with a tad of sweet (always get the ying wid yor yang) smoky pulled pork... Also found this BBQ list which has many good joints except for two of the best: Sims and McClards in AR. Web BBQ Listing

Here are some other great places...I currently live in Florida, which has great weather and lousy BBQ (unless you consider the Sonny's chain, which at least beats Wisconsin BBQ)...I lived in Arkansas for a time and there are a couple of "must-visit" places there: Sims BBQ - In Little Rock - 3 locations. Their sauce is semi-Carolinian (don't I sound smart) - it is vinegar based, but with enough mustard to give it a yellow ting, and is very light. The cool part that makes my mouth water as I write is the addition of cumin and enough sweetener to give it a ying-yang balance. The sauce is thin enough so that you could probably cook with it without burning. They of course do not and have some incredible pork and even better brisket. Ribs/pork/brisket/beans and white bread. Great beans at that. McClards BBQ in Hot Springs - Quite simply the BBQ mecca in Hot Springs for fifty years. Great pork...the sauce went a little downhill when they started bottling it commercially years ago (now it's a little too vinegary). The ambiance is great - cool luncheonette interior with waitresses who have been there forever. They also have great tamales and make their own french fries. Good beans too.