Dish of the Month (DoTM) -- JULY 2016 -- BBQ/GRILLED MEATS

What do you mean by “off days”? Not as good? Inedible?

Also, don’t confuse getting there at the very end of service after the barbecue has been ready for 3 hours with an “off day.”

Sure, bud. That’s why there’s great barbecue everywhere.

:-1:

why are we arguing?

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Why is the sky blue?

Why does the sun shine?

Why does the heart break?

Why don’t we all get back to restaurants or backyards that exist in LA? :slight_smile:

Gracias.

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No. I’m trying to understand what you mean by an “off day” because people’s expectations are different, and why you’re singling out barbecue as a food where there are “off days”, and what’s your point. So, what’s your point?

If the first meal you have at any place is the best, then everything after that could be an “off day.” And, based on your definition of “not as good”, then everyone and every food establishment would have an “off day”, not just barbecue, if it’s not as good as you expect. Right?

BBQ is somewhat inconsistent by its nature, especially when it comes to whole, large muscles, like brisket, pork butts, and even large ribs; it’s not a 1/4 pound patty of ground beef. Each piece of meat is different. People are also cooking with wood, which can vary significantly. So, that’s why I asked what you meant by an “off day” because there’s almost always going to be some variation. Barbecue may be different almost every time you cook or eat, even at a single place.

But, that doesn’t mean that every time it’s different, it’s an “off day” to me even if it’s not as good as a previous time. You can’t see what’s inside brisket until you cook it and cut it. If one piece of meat doesn’t taste as good, but it’s perfectly cooked, that’s not an “off day” to me. You can’t blame the cook or restaurant for the variation in meat quality. (As an example, I almost exclusively use USDA Prime briskets. But, I’ve had similar size and weight Choice grade briskets that resulted in a better product.)

So, I consider an “off day” as something outside of normal variation of that person’s usual standard, like was the meat oversmoked, was the seasoning or amount of seasoning incorrect, was the meat over-rendered or under-rendered, was the meat not tender enough, or falling apart, was it dry, etc. I generally judge barbecue as needing to meet certain general characteristics/standards as far as tenderness, doneness, and each characteristic being within a certain acceptable range because nearly every piece of meat is different. Just because it’s not as good as the time it was the best, or even as good as last time, doesn’t equal an “off day” to me.

And, within my definition, I can say that some BBQ people have not had “off days.” Adam Perry Lang hasn’t had an off day of the times I’ve had his BBQ in LA. I had Danny Edward’s BBQ twice in three days in Kansas; no off day. But, there’s no way to determine if someone on an off day unless you go days or weeks in a row, or catch someone on an “off day,” or someone says they have an “off day.” Then again, maybe the barbecue just isn’t that good and what you thought an “off day” was the best that that person could do (or you went late when the BBQ had been held for hours). I could say that about a few places in LA; what I considered an “off day” was how they made barbecue. I have also confused an “off day” with declining quality, e.g. Bludso’s in Compton.

So, perhaps, every barbecuer has an “off day” by your standard, or by their own standard. I’ll just say that I’ve had barbecue several times from several people, competition cooks included, year after year that never met my criteria of an “off day.”

mhlee
your response was too long for me to read.
sorry.

um…no.

Proving Fermat’s last theorem is complicated. BBQ is much simpler.

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…linus!

Carne asada sandwich: marinated BBQed flap meat, chipotle mayo, avocado, and pickled onions courtesy of my dear mama.

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Yeah! Now you’re talkin’ my language. Marinated Flap Meat is perfect on the grill.

Argh!!! Partner cooked up some carne asada yesterday (for fajitas) from the SaMo Bristol Farms location, and I forgot to take pics (I’m blaming the heat). It wasn’t going to get me any OG points, but it was still pretty damn tasty…

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Went to Torihei on Thursday. I forgot to take many photos, but I snapped a few of the yakitori we tried.
Chicken meatball (always a favorite):


Beef tongue (tender with great flavor):

Bacon wrapped asparagus (too much mustard drizzle…not my favorite):

Not pictured, but consumed: shiitake mushroom, chicken & green onion, smelt, and sausage yakitori. My favorite dish of the evening was not grilled, but their natto and radish salad with barely-cooked egg. Just wonderful if you are a natto lover.

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Oh, snap, I just realized the DoTM thread has been pinned up here the whole time lol! I have some catching up to do…

Yeah, you gotta steam the pastrami. Failing to do so is the number one mistake people make imo.

Holy crap, @Nemroz! That’s like a Noah’s Ark of grilled meat!

Really? I’ve had bbq from Lang that was less than stellar. He’s a talented chef, but everyone has off days.

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ermagod, I went to Barrel & Ashes for a revisit after this. And by went I mean ordered a half rack via UberEats. I order delivery/pickup from B&A all the time, at a late hour, and the product is usually decent.

But this time was total what the fuck - at least the mac & cheese they accidentally threw in was better than I remembered it. They need a new sausage provider though, not nearly as good as their competitors IMO.

Conclusion: I’ll give B&A another visit after this, but as of last week Max City >>>>>> B&A for pork ribs.

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BBQ & Politics :flag_us:
Bludso’s La Brea - We got lucky tonight… Kinda’. It was early in the evening and the meat was freshly cooked. But as with Bludso’s, it was hit or miss.

Brisket was very tender. Chicken is always good. But the ribs! They are always uneven - one tender, two chewy. The chicken link was tasty, hot w/jalapeños inside. The whole meal was pretty spicy. The sauce was good. The biggest complaint is the salt… Why? Why? Their food has good flavor. There is no need for all the salt. Honorable mention - the beans & spicy greens were delicious tonight. Also included, but not pictured were potato salad & coleslaw.

I don’t often give price unless asked or warranted, like a good or bad value. Well, unless you get the trays for a group - which are good value, but have gone up - everything for dinner is al la carte. This meal was $64+ :smirk:.

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The wife wanted a repeat of Ribs USA. They have the magic trifecta: acceptable taste, relatively cheap, and they deliver. Thus, these beef ribs are definitely greater than the sum of its parts if you want delivery.

Corn on the cob is terrible though, even KFC is better.

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Rolled and tied tri-tip done Santa Maria style. Was feeling lazy so I didn’t fire up the smoker but did the initial cool cook on the unheated area of the grill - thus the unsightly grey ring (shudder). Nevertheless it was delicious!

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[quote=“ebethsdad, post:167, topic:3662”]
Nevertheless it was delicious!
[/quote]It looks it!!! :kissing_closed_eyes:.

The meat platters Maple Block serves at lunch are great. I get the one with two meats and two sides for $18, and I make sandwiches using the brioche buns from Whole Foods that @ebethsdad peeped me to.

Here’s the sausage link with vinegar potato salad:

And here’s the fatty brisket with braised greens:

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