It’s Good To Live in the South...

...where barbecue and the art of smoking are time-honoured traditions.


What better way to begin a blustery Saturday morning?



The saucin' liquid- really, just a blend of Pigman's "Hot" Barbecue Sauce, Dave's Insanity Hot Sauce, and apple cider vinegar- was mixed up, and ready to go, just as the coals hissed to temperature.

A few hours passed, and each plump little butt was judiciously basted.

Meanwhile, I gathered the ingredients for a piquant and properly Virginian side of no-mayo coleslaw.




As the shadows lengthened, the winds shifted, and what had been a blustery March morning turned into an afternoon of howling Northern winds.
The smoker's temperature plummeted dangerously, and DucCat was suddenly in motion, starting two chimney's worth of additional fuel to stoke the fire.




Finally, the temperature stabilized, and with another round of saucin', the smoking continued.

With the setting sun looming, the time had arrived. The butts were pulled, securely wrapped in tin foil, and left for a little rest. The heady aroma of pork and spice was mouthwatering, and it was difficult to resist tearing into one for a little taste.

Restraint rewarded us with meat that split like silk, glimmering with juices, and rouged just right with a magnificent smoke ring.


Chop, chop, chop...
...in short time, 36 pounds of barbecue was dispersed to several containers destined for friends, family, and freezer.



Slaw at the ready, all that was left was the eatin'. With a pile of napkins, and the sweet smell of smoke still in the air, we dug in with relish. True classics never go out of style, y'all!



note: Now, I'm not trying to start anything, but it's my belief that a bun stifles the purity of the barbecue, and I'm nothing if not a purist when it comes to such things. Of course, if you have to go the bun route, at least make sure that its a CWB (cheap white bun)


The Renowned Mr. Brown

"In old Southern slang, "Mr. Brown" is the dark, smoky outside part of barbecued pork, usually the shoulder. This is the traditional cooking style, perfected by generations of pitmasters to give Mr. Brown his deserved renown."
-from Smoke & Spice, by Cheryl and Bill Jamison

1/4 cup freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup paprika
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
2 Tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoonon cayenne

Link to Coleslaw recipe