Mutant Barbecue

[Varmint]

I just came across this article by John T. Edge of the Southern Foodways Alliance: Barbecue Spaghetti This article may have some age on it, but it certainly is interesting. This captures the general theme of the piece:

Soon after, you too will begin ordering a bowl of barbecue spaghetti as an entree, instead of as a side-dish, and you will find yourself in bed, during those precious moments before sleep descends, dreaming of barbecue ravioli.

Spaghetti? In Memphis?

Now I've made a barbecue omelet plenty of times, but this is a bit different.

John T. asked if there are other forms of mutant barbecue out there. Anyone?

[vengroff]

BBQ chicken pizza began showing up all over the place a few years back. I have no idea where it came from or why.

[KNorthrup]

I just read about the spaghetti somewhere else recently and it wasn't a direct quote of the same. I know the Sterns have eaten barbecue salad.

[slkinsey]

Barbeque spaghetti doesn't sound all that weird to me. If it was pulled pork, it would be fairly close to what I might call a smoked pork ragu. What does seem weird to me would be using barbeque sauce as lubrication for the sauce. None of the sweet, spicy, vinegarey or mustardey sauces strike me as anything I'd want to have with pasta. On the other hand, pulled smoked pork, herbs, garlic, tomato, chili flakes and evoo tossed with some penne sounds pretty good to me. Pulled smoked pork with garlic, chili pepper, mustard greens and orecchiette would be way tasty too...

The pasta attached to the picture is criminally oversauced (and is apparently criminally overcooked as well) but that's another topic entirely...

[pogophiles]

Couple of places here serve a barbecue-stuffed potato...

[fifi]

I posted a posole (a kind of stew that contains posole, hominy) recipe that uses leftover BBQ. I got the recipe in Mexico. It is fabulous.

[kpurvis]

There's a place here that does a barbecue salad. It's actually roasted, pulled pork with their Costa Rican style sauce over a green salad. Yes, I've ordered it. And it was weirdly tasty.

(Oops, sorry -- edited to define "here." Charlotte, N.C.)

Edited June 25, 2003 by kpurvis (log)

[mikey]

I had barbecue spaghetti at Interstate Barbecue in Memphis last month. The texture was like day-old Franco-American and the flavor was sort of like barbecue (baked) beans. Nothing I'd ever order on purpose(came as part of a sampler platter).

[Ron Johnson]

I also sampled the barbeque spaghetti at the Interstate . . . once. Actually it is a good idea, just poorly executed.

[Popcorn]

One of my favorite things to make right now is cabbage leaves stuffed with a mixture of smoked beef brisket, raisins, pine nuts, capers, and a little pecorino. slowly braised in tomato sauce.

But I'm a sucker for anything barbecue... I actually like (gasp!) pork barbecue pizza (and barbecued bluefish pizza for that matter).

[fifi]

Popcorn... That sounds good. Could you post a recipe? (But please make the raisins optional. There are a few raisin haters here.)

[Popcorn]

Sure... bear with me, I've never written out a recipe before, let's see,

1 largish green cabbage

Stuffing:

1/2-1 lb of meat (I use the chile rubbed smoked beef brisket from Q-shack in Durham, ymmv)

1/3 C of pine nuts, toasted.

1/4 C Pecorino Romano

1/3 C torn up pieces of bread

1/3 C capers

1/4 C chopped raisins, which are of course optional

as much good olive oil as you can bring yourself to put in, I usually do about 4 T

a few breadcrumbs might need to be added, but keep the mixture relatively loose

Your favorite Tomato sauce (not Puttanesca or arrabiata), enriched with a little heavy cream

Usually I make the stuffing mixture up ahead of time. I shred the meat with my fingers, not too fine and not too regular. Mix in the other stuffing ingredients one at a time, it should be fairly dry until you add the olive oil, and I like to add enough oil to make it loose, and because I love olive oil.

I prepare the cabbage by boiling it, periodically stripping the outer leaves as they soften enough for stuffing. I use all the leaves, not just the outer ones.

Stuff each leaf with a tablespoon or two of stuffing and roll up (like a packet, not like a tortilla)

Put a thin layer of sauce in a dutch oven, followed by a loosely packed layer of cabbage packets, sauce, a little pecorino, cabbage packets, until you use them up.

I (because this is not something I make TOO often) drizzle a little heavy cream over the top of the whole thing before putting it in a slow oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Of course this is just an approximation, I have done it stovetop exclusively, I have done it starting on the stove and ending in the oven...

Ben

[KNorthrup]

Klink's white trash thread reminded me of this one. You know those Jell-O squares that are usually a mix of the powder and fruit juice? That stay in nice neat shapes so kids can eat them with their fingers? The lemon flavour and then bbq sauce instead of juice. Plop a few squares on a lettuce leaf and call it salad. Apparently done at cookouts in some part of the country.

[rozrapp]

I make fried spaghetti, but I've never thought of preparing it barbecue style. Since we live too far away from Memphis to try it there, maybe I'll attempt my own version. I'll bet my husband will love it!

[jhlurie]

Look, are we considering something BBQ simply because it either has BBQ sauce on it or a piece of grilled meat?

[Ron Johnson]

Look, are we considering something BBQ simply because it either has BBQ sauce on it or a piece of grilled meat?

Memphis pulled pork, at least at the Interstate.