The Hickory Hawg

When I went down to JB’s Smokeshack last week I saw where the Hickory Hawg was located. I have been meaning to make a trip there as well, so today I headed there after a 5 hour Stretch of a Nagios install and configuration at the office. I’ll admit it, I’m a snob when it comes to food. I sometimes prejudge things and while I’m usually right occasionally I’m proven wrong. When I saw that the Hawg was in a small strip mall I was a little concerned with the implications of cooking BBQ in these conditions. I have eaten at a few strip mall BBQ joints before and they’ve never really been great. When I got out of the car some of the reservations went away immediately. I could definetly smell the smoke.

My Saturday night Steak-Frites

The wife was out Saturday night at a bachelorette party, I was alone with the dogs and the Panthers’ first preseason game was on….. what should I eat? Duh, Steak-frites (modified). It’s a simple meal and not very technical, but damn is it good.

JB’s Smokeshack

Oh BBQ god’s, I must have done something good because you’ve led me to a wonderful example of how to do BBQ right. JB’s Smokeshack on Johns Island (near Charleston, SC) is just damn good. I had their que at a party a while back and I remember it being good, but to really check it out I needed to visit their restaurant. As soon as I walked in I pretty much knew it was going to be good. After my recent less that stellar experience at Jed’s BBQ in Greensboro I was happy to see their motto “The flavor is in the meat, sauce on the side”. There were two giant Tea dispensers right at the counter, a buffet with a number of southern sides, numerous newpaper and magazine articles praising the place, and a hand written menu on the wall. There were a few folks eating there ranging from a white couple in their 80’s to a few younger African-American kids. I tend to find that the more diverse the customers the better the que, this proved true once again.

Heritage pigs.

From Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook

“Is there any better, more noble, more magical animal than the pig? Not from a cook’s perspective there isn’t. Virtually every single part of a pig can be made into something delicious. Pork makes just about everything taste better, and no beast offers more variety, more possibilities, more traditional, time-tested recipes per ounce than the humble piggy.

Here, more than anywhere else, it is necessary to jettison right now any squeamishness or preconceptions about what you can and cannot eat. Unless you are an observant Jew, Muslim, or Hindu, there is no reason at all not to throw yourself with abandon into the veritable magical mystery tour that is pork. From nose to tail , from beard to butt, it’s all good, all useful, a walking, snorting, squealing specialty store of valuable and versatile ingredients. Turn whatever ideas you might have about “the other white meat” right on their head, because the lean, white, relatively fat-free chops and roasts the pork industry would like you to think are the best parts are in fact the limiting and uninteresting. It is a severe Food Crime when the major pork producers breed pigs for leanness, as all chefs know that the fattier stuff is by far the best and most useful.

The pig’s tail , slow roasted, then breaded and fried; or used in soup; or salted, cured, and stewed, is good good good. It’s legs and shoulders become gorgeously cured hams of countless cultures: Parma (prosciutto), Smithfield, Bayonne, jamonne blanc, the incredible and life-changing Spanish patas negras…Salt pork, fatback, smoked hock, and poitrine (belly), whether fresh , semi-cured, or cured (as with bacon), were essential ingredients in many ancient cultures, and in many ways, the history of interplay between salt and pork is the history of the world. Few things are not made better with the addition of a fat, smokey lardon of bacon.”

Amen brother.

Heritage pigs are specialty breeds that haven’t been tainted by the gigantic pork industry. Bourdain has a good point about the mass produced piggies. They really are boring and dry compared to the way hogs are supposed to be. Heritage breeds are fattier, tastier, better marbled and just damn all around good. The farms that are starting to raise (or have been raising) these breeds are doing more than just selling a superior hog, they are helping to keep these breeds alive. In the 30’s there were 15 breeds of pig that were raised, 6 of those breeds are now extinct. Creating a market for these breeds ensures that they won’t be lost. Give one of these farms a shout and order up some pork or you may be lucky enough to have a local farm that is raising these wonderful beasts. Either way support heritage breeds of pig and any other livestock. You’ll be happy with your choice.

Heritage Foods – Sells heritage breeds of pork, lamb, beef, bison, chicken, turkey as well as many other really fantastic products.

Local Harvest – has links to local producers of everything from pork to honey to pistachios

Heritage Pork International – Specializes in Berkshire ham, sausage and bacon.

Northwest Pork – Heritage pork producers selling primal cuts, sausages, smoked products

Flying Pigs Farm – Raising Large Blacks, Gloucestershire Old Spots, and Tamworths breeds and selling all sorts of cuts and pork products.

Caw Caw Creek Pastured Pork – South Carolina based “Heirloom” pork producer

Spring House Meats – Asheville, NC area farm, raising Beef, Lamb, Pork and Chickens and other natural products.

Heritage Breed Conservancy – a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation working to conserve historic and endangered breeds of livestock and poultry

Mothership BBQ

Well I’m going to be a little more focused on posting on all things pork now that I’ve finally finished building my house. While cruising around the porkosphere I came across the Mothership BBQ blog. While I haven’t been to the restaurant, the blog is about the trials and tribulations of a BBQ restaurant owner and it is well worth visiting and revisiting.

If I am in Nashville anytime soon, I’m there.

Anthony Bourdain

Best quote of the week. Anthony Bourdain on No Reservations, his show on the travel channel, in puerto Rico.

“Most people get off on watching porn, I get off on watching men chop pork”

Anyone who loves pork / food needs to watch his show and get his books. His Brasserie cookbook Les Halles named after his restaraunt in New York is fantastic.

My Failed BBQ attempts.

While out on the road this past week I tried to hit three different BBQ resteraunts flailing miserably at each attmept.

Sweatman’s BBQ in Holly Hill, SC – Closed for vacation Supposed to a must visit stop for any BBQ enthusiast

McCabe’s Bar-B-Q – As per a recomendation from a friend and from a recent article in the Charleston City Paper

Allen and Son’s – Chapel Hill, NC – hit it between lunch and dinner. I’ve been here many times. My Grandfather’s favorite BBQ joint and well worth a visit.

Finally after some quick searching on the internet by my wife with her handy cellular wireless card we ended up at some place called Jed’s BBQ in Greensboro, NC. While not the worse BBQ I’ve ever had it was by far the most boring. We each got a sandwhich and a side of slaw (one coleslaw and one BBQ slaw), one side of fries and one of hush puppies.

Even though I swear I saw a smoker in the kitchen the pork had zero dicernable smoke flavor. The pork was cooked pretty well but was just boring. The cole slaw was basic and nothing to write home about and the BBQ slaw was reflective of their sauce, salty and not very flavorful.

The fries were your typical krinkle cut frozen numbers. The hush puppies may be the only thing that was ok. While they lacked the sweetness that most really good pups have they were still enjoyable.

Needless to say I was disapointed. If I had just been patient enough to take a detour to Lexington all in the world would have been right (well at least the BBQ would have been).