From the selection of 8 meats I picked the pork butt, brisket, pork ribs and mutton. I eliminated sausage after being told that they just sell Meyer's sausage from Elgin. It's good sausage, but I've had it before. I also passed on the pork short ribs, which aren't a good test of barbeque skill and the turkey and chicken which aren't my favorites. And, of course, I wasn't allowed to have beef ribs. My plate came with two sides and bread. I picked green beans and sweet potatoes.
My plate came out quickly and the meat servings were substantial. In volume it was worth the $11 price for the largest meat selection available. Normally I don't like to put barbeque sauce on my meats, so I set it aside and dug right in and started trying things.
I started off with the brisket, which was not impressive. It had no smoke ring, which is a surprising failing in properly cooked barbeque, plus it was surprisingly tough and dry. Most disappointingly it had a kind of kerosene-like chemical aftertaste which I think might be the product of some sort of liquid smoke style flavoring.
I moved o to the pork butt, which seemed like an easy winner. It's hard to make bad pork butt, but as far as I could tell the meat was roasted rather than really barbequed and it had no flavor to speak of – certainly not the nice smoked flavor I was hoping for. It still wasn't bad, but it was disappointing. On the upside it didn't have the weird chemical aftertaste.
Next I moved on to the pork ribs, which turned out to also be dry and quite tough, and they had been basted in something which again had that chemical aftertaste, but beyond that it seemed not to have imparted any identifiable flavor to the ribs. This aroused my suspicions and I decided to try the barbeque sauce. It was not impressive and clearly contributed to the problems with the meats. Although it was the right color, the sauce was thin and had very little flavor except for a slight sweetness. You can buy better sauce in the supermarket. Since this sauce was clearly used for basting the meats, it explains the general lack of flavor, though not the weird aftertaste.
Article comments
1 - Alan Kurtz
Now, I should have known something was not quite right when, after seating me, the hostess sat down at a corner table to eat a box of Popeye's fried chicken.
Great line, Dave. But I wonder if your review will find its way to the eatery's management? I'd hate to see the hostess get turned into BBQ herself for sending out a bad signal to customers. Maybe she's just doesn't like BBQ. Although the aroma in most BBQ joints is like secondhand smoke. Even if you don't indulge, it makes a lasting impression on your lungs and nasal passages.
2 - Glenn Contrarian
Dave, at last we've found something we can agree on - BBQ!
Now I know that Famous Dave's is not the best BBQ (IMO that particular title belongs to a certain hole-in-the-wall named Mama Rose's in Shaw, MS), but the dearth of good BBQ joints in the Great Northwest is such that I honestly got a tear in my eye when I walked into the Famous Dave's that had just opened in Silverdale, Washington.
Every time I go there I indulge in gluttony...and my gout makes me pay dearly for it the next day (or three).
But more often these days I make my own BBQ sauce, just as sweet and spicy-hot as I like it. Then again, I really don't have a choice if I'm going to live in the PI where the only American BBQ to be found is in bottles of Hunt's (horrors!) at the supermarkets.
3 - Glenn Contrarian
And I know you really don't care to hear the recipe, but here 'tis anyway:
Tomato sauce, brown sugar and/or honey, a bit of Worcestershire sauce, a touch of mustard, freshly ground peppercorns, garlic powder, vinegar, and the heat comes from Sri Racha sauce, a Thai hot sauce that adds significant heat without altering the flavor.
4 - STM
Mmm ... barbecue.
Sorry to hear your latest experience wasn't great, as I've enjoyed reading your occasional series Dave.
Americans do lots of things better than others, and a good barbecue is one of 'em.
I haven't been able to find anything in Oz that even touches the quality of what I've had in good joints in the US. It's a long time ago, and I'm still lookin' ...
Also, I'm cutting and pasting Glenn's barbie sauce. Thanks mate!
5 - JOHN GOODE
I AM MR BONES AND EVERYTHING IN YOUR REVIEW IS NOT ONLY INCORRECT AND DAMAGING;AND BEEN INFORMED MAY BE CAUSE FOR LEGAL ACTION. i USE A SOUTHERN PRIDE SPK500 SMOKER THAT SITS JUST BEHIND THE BAR WITH A $10.000 SMOKE EXTRACTER ATTACHED TO IT AS NOT TO HAVE A SMOKEY ATMOSPHERE.BEEN IN BUSS SINCE 1989 AND HAVE NEVER HAD SUCH COMMENTS MADE UNTILL RECENT ARRIVAL OF EXPERT COOKS TO AUSTIN.USE ONLY POST OAK WOOD HAND CUT BY GARY,MY WOOD MAN SINCE 1989.SINCE I SMOKE MY BRISKET AT 200 DEGREE FROM 8:30PM TO 6;30AM IT IS IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO HAVE A SMOKE RING AND HEAVY SMOKE FLAVOR;BY THE WAY IS THE THING THAT MY MEATS ARE MOST KNOWN FOR AS WELL AS THE TENDERNESS.AS FOR THE SAUCE(SURPRISE!!)I HAVE BEEN USING K.C.MASTERPIECE SAUCE ALL SUMMER AS A TEST WHILE I DEVELOPED MY OWN SAUCE FROM MY ORIGINAL RECIPE WHICH I JUST STARTED USING ON 9-5-10 IN THIS RESTURANT AS REQUESTED BY CUSTOMERS I'VE HAD SINCE 1989 AND RECENT.wE BUY FRESH VEGETABLES DAILY AT 7AM AT RESTURANT DEPOT AND CAN BE VERIFIED.OUR SAUSAGE IS SPECIAL MADE FOR US BY MYERS SAUSAGE AND IS NOT SOLD ANYWHERE ELSE YOU CAN CALL JUANITA TO VERFY CUSTOM BLEND NO PORK.OVERALL YOUR TYPE OF REVIEW DOES DAMAGE TO SMALL INDEPENDENTLY OWNED BUSS;AS AGROUP OF SMALL REST OWNERS TALKED AT RESTURANT DEPOT RECENTLY.I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN THIS VERY NEIGHBORHOOD AND LEARNED FROM THE OLD SMOKE MASTERS IN EAST AUSTIN, THE NOBLES, REV. SHAW, REV.HOWARD THE REAL SAM, SAM CAMPBELL.IN FACT, SAT A MANY SUNDAY NIGHTS WITH STUBBS AT THE OLD TOWNHOUSE HOTEL ON IH35 AND POURED BBQ SAUCE IN OLD WISKEY BOTTLES TO SELL.I PLAN TO CONTINUE DOING BBQ THE WAY THE MASTERS OF EAST TAUGHT BEFORE EVERYONE BEYOND,I HAVE MANY CUSTOMERS MY AGE OF 64 BOTH BLACK AND WHITE THAT COME BECAUSE THEY SAY I HAVE THE ONLY OLD SCHOOL SLOW SMOKED MEATS LEFT AND ASK ME NOT TO CHANGE.I COULD GO OWN FOR DAYS BUT MY SON SAYS;DAD WHY DO THE SAME PEOPLE KEEP COMMING AND NEW ONES EACH DAY.