In some parts of the world men sit around a water pipe sharing a smoke
of tobacco. There are those who put various other herbs in those
communal pipes and smoke those. My personal preference when it comes to
smoking is to smoke pork, chicken , brisket , hot sausage and baby
back ribs. A wonderful experience for all concerned with doing it right.
Then eating the great results it produces. On my recent trip to Queens, New York I spent a lot of time at a well
known smokehouse, Three Brothers BBQ. Right smack in the middle of the
one of the more famous streets in the town called Bayside, Bell Boulevard. It
was a memorable experience of good down to earth, done right, smoked
BBQ.
The smell of the real thing held me speechless for a moment each time I
walked through the door. There is a bench out front under one of the
large trees that survived an unlikely tornado. It ripped through the
area a few years back surprising everyone. I think most people sit
there seriously being delirious about the smoky aroma that emits from
old stainless steel covered door. It is the smell of smoked BBQ done
with the loving touch of a wonderfully concocted secret rub only they
know how to do.
Cases filled with pulled pork, pulled chicken, chopped brisket, and baby
backed ribs were familiar to me. But there was something new and
different. Standing straight and tall like soldiers at morning muster
were smoked pork shanks, “Osso Bucco“ style. Wow, that caught my eye
real quick and I had to try one. I too became seriously delirious, as I
savored the creation. Of course it came with homemade sides that never fail to
entice you to want to try them all. From the creamed spinach to the
sweet potato mash southern style. But for the first time I ignored them.
I was almost annoyed that they took up space on the plate. I paid
tribute to the chef and the pork shanks by standing and saluting in
military style. Out of that kitchen and smoker come some real excellent
fare. But this was really different and worth the trip to Queens. Even
if you come all the way from paradise to get there.
When
the deep purple falls over sleepy garden walls. And the sun begins to
linger with the stars. In the mist of a memory. You wander back to me.
Eating BBQ on a park bench I can see those wet lips smeared with the
wonderful taste only great BBQ can produce. Eyes closing during and
after you took your bite. I could never understand how you never lost a
morsel to your blouse. Was it a BBQ eating technique. Well mastered
with time. That helped you eat every last piece of BBQ on your paper
plate. Or, just because I smoked it. It matters not.
BBQ is the food of love for some. For others it is simply something they
can’t live without. For many it is both. What ever the reason we
think both are valid to crave the bounty of the smoker. Rubbed and
smoked BBQ on a roll. Or, New York style on a hero. “How about some
ribs”, is the call I like to hear. That is what I like to devour most
and I do devour to the extreme. Just can’t get enough of that well
seasoned rub and BBQ sauce. Always remember the secret is in the rub.
Here is a tip for all you folks that are new to BBQ. If you have to use a
lot of sauce it ain’t good BBQ. Remember the secret is in the rub. That
is what I tried to convince that young lass as I she gave me a great
big kiss of thanks and ran back to her daddy at the church social.
Waving me a deep purple good bye.
Have you ever found yourself saying that after eating lousy BBQ? It usually happens when exposed to the par boiled, roasted with liberal amounts of liquid
smoke, voila, smoked BBQ…nah, I don’t think so...more like make-believe
BBQ. Many have tried and just as many have failed to attract a good
solid clientele with BBQ that does not meet a true lover of great
smoked BBQ's minimum requirements. Smoking low and slow and a great rub
using the “rub a dub dub rule“ they use at a place called 3BROS BBQ in Queens N.Y.
Fact is that good smoked pork butt, bacon, chicken and brisket need
time, the loving care and attention of those who have made it a
life’s work. That may sound a bit like a wild proclamation. And if it does to you, It means you did not have an opportunity to
sample great BBQ. Well if you would like that opportunity then go where
the BBQ is best. North of the Mason Dixon line, great BBQ can be hard to find. If you live in and around NYC there are
several places I could recommend. One of which is the before mentioned 3BROS BBQ located
right in the middle of Queens. I should have had a V8 will never
enter your mind again. Unless of course you have a real honest to goodness hangover.
It
was a moon lit night in the middle of everywhere. Full, fat and
beautiful. At one point you could see a woman chasing a man with a
rolling pin animated across its scintillating face. I think perhaps it
was result of Bud and shooters. Not important what the motivator was. Of what we thought we saw. It reminded us all of the packaging of the
Old Dutch Cleanser. A product similar to Ajax. I think it could be
attributed to the euphoria only wonderful pulled pork, ribs, chicken,
brisket BBQ style can bring into being.
Standing around and doing what we do best. Smoking BBQ, then eating it.
Great stuff that pulled pork. Makes you want to howl at the moon. Funny,
that is exactly what we started to do. All of a sudden there was a
rising crescendo of shrill and then melodious howls. Ringing out loud
and clear. It started to resemble the words ba ba quooooooo Oh man
that was a trip. Better than the loop de loop at the county fair on a
hot July night in Georgia. That’s the night the lights went out in
Georgia. That’s the night they killed an innocent man. You know his
last meal was BBQ.
Imagine that. BBQ for a last meal. I guess he wanted to make sure he
would go to heaven. If not after, then before he had an interview with
St. Peter at those gates. Winning...
Roll on Big Momma...you are the mother of the road. I like the sound of
wheels on the highway. Big heavy semi with chrome wheels and a cab that
looks like you can live in it. With 2 kids a dog and a parakeet.
Gleaming in the sunlight of a rising eastern sun. It is more brilliant
than a diamond in a billy goats butt. Looks as good too. If you like
goat butt that is? As for myself, I prefer pork butt. Smoked and pulled
with some good ol’ BBQ sauce. The best I ever got was a preparation
formulated and created a Butcher Shop right there in Queens New York. It
is called a BBQ addition here because the taste and secret is in the
rub. When it comes to pork butt, brisket and chicken, the rub is what
does it. The sauce is an after thought.
Spices blended together in the right proportions is what it is all
about. Not just any spices. Spices that are found far and wide. From
the Islands of the West Indies to the shores of Asia. The science of
smoking requires the best spices picked and dried at just the right
time. Putting them together to get a great smoked BBQ product is only
half the fun. The other half is eating it with family and friends. That’s why the sauce is just a kicker. It starts everything off and
pulls the flavor of the BBQ that is deep within the surface of the meat. OK I am telling you more than you can digest at this moment.
I am quickly reminded that you don’t have to know if you don’t see it
being to your culinary advantage. After all the BBQ guys do it for you.
All you have to do is eat and enjoy. How about a hard lemonade with
that BBQ...So roll on Big Momma you got to get those pork butts and
ribs to town.
You know as well as I do that cooking BBQ over an open pit is not new.
Every culture does it and it usually runs parallel with an occasion like
a “party”. It most cases when, “the party gets to goin” when the
brisket and ribs are in the smoker and almost done. In my case and the
bunch I hang around with down here “gets to goin” we have a party
without a name or reason. It don’t matter because we got style. And we
got BBQ. That’s all we need . Oh yes, a few iced glasses of hard
lemonade and some frosty brews, kind of puts every thing in perspective.
We got ourselves a new and avid aficionado of BBQ . He just joined the
crew. Louie the Barber from Lindenhurst N.Y. Yeah, can you believe the
guy had been down here 20 years and never had BBQ. Well, we were all glad
to introduce him to it. It was our extreme pleasure and boy was it a
pleasure for the smoking mullet crew. Now, Louie took to BBQ so well
that he called his daughter to come on down and have a taste. The
fellas were especially courteous when she got down to chow down on some
feasty meaty and well rubbed ribs. Done up with those new spices we
imported from the mail order seed catalog. They are so potent that you
only have to use a bit as much as before. When she started to come in
sight I could see that this was going to be a treat to our eyes. Just as
much as BBQ is tasty. Stella was a knock out. So much so that I heard
one of the now interested on lookers exclaim, “Baby got her blue jeans
on“. It was like an alarm or warning that said, “don’t look you can be
transfixed and vexed”. I could see how that was possible and I didn’t
look or glance her way the whole day. Older and wiser is the phrase of
choice for that decision.
Two more satisfied customers addicted to BBQ. That is the idea. I just
go along promoting great BBQ. I do it out of love for the smoked
delicacy and my commitment to great BBQ and home style potato salad.
That is my work and I take it seriously. So watch it. “Cause I am
watching you...Sweetie."
Failure to “exflapalate “on an existing idea is in the world of the entrepreneur. Not so long ago a certain small time news personality and
community activist laid claim to a Harlem delicacy. Fried chicken
between two waffles covered with maple syrup. Or a reasonable
substitute. A couple of fellas from this neck of the woods wanted to run
the N.Y. Marathon. Getting up to New York early they had a hankering
for fried chicken and barbeque. Oh yeah, they had heard that the place to
get it is Harlem. They were going to prove it was so by eating,
tasting and having a good time with some nice company they were sure
that they would find.
It was culture shock. This place called Harlem was bristling with
chicken and ribs joints in the cracks and spaces that would accommodate
doing a great barbeque and fried chicken trade, feeding their brothers
and sisters with extraordinary soul food and BBQ. Sitting down they
were confronted with a dish that is served and eaten at anytime but
usually in the early morning hours. Fried chicken piled high on one
side of a pair of waffles. Put the top on and pour hot syrup over
it. You can add some double smoked bacon of the top of it all and close
it up and get ready to be in heaven and feel like a rebel. Biting into
that smoked BBQ bacon is what you want to do for the rest of your life.
You can even substitute smoked Canadian bacon for no extra charge.
Why a waffle? Why not a flap jack piled high with fried chicken and
turned over like an omelet. Or filled with smoked barbeque doused in
sweet BBQ sauce or just be a purist and have it just spiced with their
seasoned secret rub. Believe it or not it took off like a rocket with
flames coming out the rear jets. That is what happens when you
exflapalate on an existing idea.
Making my way through the gloomy road that runs through a dismal swamp my
mind drifts to thoughts of past reunions. Plenty of biscuits and
gravy, fried chicken and the all important BBQ ribs. Baby back is my
choice of smoked barbecue ribs. I just can’t deal with the knuckle. When it
comes to smoking ribs grandma is the best. The secret is hers alone. Don’t
even bother asking. She says once she gives it out no one will need me
anymore. You can’t even narrow it down. “Is it the rub grandma?" Or,
“is it the sauce and what is the base grandma?" Those questions are
answered with a whack of her wooden spoon. Next is her sticking a pulled
pork hero in your face. Yeah, a hero. Grandma was a southern Italian
American raised and born in the south.
I always said that she led two lives. One as a gal with charms that
went with the territory of a teenage southern lass in the 40s. She also
had the aggressive and confident attitude and streets smarts learned
visiting her cousins on the southern tip of Brooklyn. Just Brooklyn
enough to learn the ropes with out getting hurt, yet close enough to the narrows
going into the enormous N.Y. Harbor. That meant she got to smell the sea
each day. Not unlike the coastal town she lived in that was close to
the outer banks yet close to inland trade.
Grandma learned how to grow peas and smoke great BBQ. She learned stick ball on the streets while on summer break from school. She was a quick learner that got better than
the boys at stick ball. Likewise with those who thought they had the
secrets to great BBQ rub and sauce. I hope I can talk some sense
into Grandma. I mean after all I am not asking for her lasagna recipe.
You sometimes will sell your soul. That’s how this BBQ
smoke house joint got started. Used to be you could put out your
vegetables or other farm fresh or canned products for sale . The side of
a well traveled secondary roads suited the trade fine. Apparently
regulations have hit the country roads as well as the suburbs of U.S.
cities. I am sure you all heard about the infringement upon free
enterprise endeavors by our youth trying to sell lemon aid. The innocent
process of the milk and cookie crowd to make a few extra buck was
stopped in its tracks. Police called and product confiscated along with a
strong warning to never do it again.
Turns out the potential Smoke House BBQ joint was born under these
conditions. It is truly an axiom that one door closes and another
opens. These particular Smokin’ BBQ boys found a way to get ‘em to
come a knockin. They found a way to subsidize the cost of their great
smoked BBQ . Pulled pork, pulled chicken and brisket chopped K.C. style
or sliced and trimmed. They had the barbeque smokin’ baby back rib
know how. Handed down, tried and true. What they also had was the north
quarter. Which was quickly filling up with scrap metal and other items.
That would be found on the highways and by-ways of America.
The idea was to give truckers and highway travelers more than just great
smoked BBQ. So that the trip is more attractive. They decided to give
credit points to a customer who brought in junk that could be turned
over and recycled. Before you know it the 5 acres filled up and before long they were
selling the junk and more and more came and brought their junk. The
brothers gave them smoked BBQ to eat at prices they could afford to pay.
The only person that was upset was using the north parcel of property
for junk was mom. “So we built her a big house right in the middle of
it”. The story does not end here. It didn’t take much time before they
started to separate some parts and construct and design creative smokers
for everyone to try smoking at home.
So
I ask you. What have you heard about barbecue? Actually the better
question would be. Have you ever eaten what is identified as real
smoked barbecue? By those who really know. If you have. Did your ever
reach the euphoria that only smoked barbecue can provide? It is
inherent in the well smoked barbecue meats and fish. The secrets of
many generations have tried and failed to duplicate the “well smoked
meats and fish”. It is truly the gold cup and silver is never respected
as anything but, shall we say “less than adequate.
The idea that anyone can duplicate the magic of well smoked barbecue
Especially while participating in a contest is ridiculous. Not only in
concept , but also unfounded in it’s rational . Not a chance is there n’
all the barbecue joints across the world that it would happen. Sure
enough it did not. It was not a surprise for those who knew a little bit
more than a, “donkey and a hole in the ground“. I mean come on what
does it take to see the light. It just doesn’t make sense. I had been
talking to a couple of owners from. Three Brothers Butcher Barbecue. I
queried them on the subject and they responded with the usual “eh” and
the put up their hands at the same time. As with others asked they had
the same reaction as almost all when asked the similar question. The
meaning was clear. Everyone has the right to try. “Look” said Joe the barbecue guy. "It’s simple. You have the right to try to duplicate what we
at the Queens BBQ joint have been able to duplicate because of
good fortune, and the good wishes of the Barbecue Gods." Here, is the
forest where they like to live and hang around. One day they decided to
go on vacation but they wanted to have a 3BROS BBQ Bash on their
return. So we wrested the secret from them. But only to be used and
then returned. Yeah right!
Tom pretended he was twisting the end of an old time villain's mustache. “
There was no way I was going to give it back after I had it”. What
about your promise to return it? I had asked. The answer came out in a
whisper. “They didn’t say when“. “Ha, the old, left the time limit out
of the contract, trick”.
