Big, bad, best
Who's afraid of a big, bad, barbecue fight? Not John Lindner, who picks one in this week's Shallow Thought Wednesday post. LV
Amateur barbecue, however it’s spelt, is the art of spending the whole day drinking beer, achieving charred meat, and getting others to consider that a job well done.
It’s a cooking process the stamina for which I neither have nor want. Barbecuing, like deer hunting, has its charms. I get both practices. At times I have even wished to participate in the rituals, but, when it comes right down to it, only for the beer and camaraderie. My ilk is also a major fan of the 19th hole and the ski lodge fireplace.
Nor am I particularly goo-goo over barbecue’s end product; that is, the charred meat; as opposed to the sodden barbecuista.
But barbecue done well is a wonderful thing—when the mood for sticky fingers strikes.
It was this mood and an urging of curiosity that led me to check out Big Bad Wolf’s House of Barbecue.
My review: It’s perfect. Cool little shack. Better buds than mine have given it a 4. Nuff said.
Because it’s so obviously good, BBW’s got me thinking about the designation “the best.”
How is it we determine “the best”?
Is there only one instance of “the best” or is “the best” a category? Is BBW “the best” or merely one of “the best”?
After moments of wracking my brain, an unoriginal thought occurred to me: “the best” is not a designation but a gauntlet. It incites the one thing we are all good at: disputation.
Photo by Michael Lorenzo, courtesy Stock Xchng
Comments
What, the Three Wolf Moon graphic was copyrighted?
Posted by: El Generalissimo | March 24, 2010 12:02 PM
NO, DUDE, THAT PICTURE IS TOO INSANELY AWESOME FOR US A BLOG LIKE THIS!!! IT BELONGS IN PLACES LIKE "HOW TO KICK A GHOST'S ASS" AND "DUDE WHO CAN MAKE WOMEN PREGNANT JUST BY LOOKING AT THEM," THAT SORT OF PLACE!!!
Posted by: YEAH!!! | March 24, 2010 12:13 PM
Agreed.
Best ribs I've had north of NC and the variety of sauces are amazing. I am not saying Andy Nelson's are bad, but these suckers are fall-off-the bone and with a perfect rub on them.
Good brisket too.
Posted by: baltimoregal | March 24, 2010 4:19 PM
Many folks seem to equate "best barbecue" with "closest barbecue to the 'que I had as a child/in college/etc." I grew up in 'cue-less New Jersey, but prefer North Carolina barbecue over all others. North Carolina natives have praised BBW
Posted by: David Sattler | March 25, 2010 1:04 PM
I think the pig at Big Bad Wolf is good but not great. The star there is the beef ribs. I have no idea why beef ribs aren't more popular.
Posted by: Robert of Cross Keys | March 26, 2010 10:42 AM
Robert, I think it depends where you are from/style of BBQ you like. I grew up in the south loving NC BBQ so I love BBW's pork ribs. Beef ribs are really a Texas thing and the sauce that usually comes with them is entirely different.
Posted by: baltimoregal | March 26, 2010 3:03 PM