Wednesday, June 30, 2010

I Don’t Do Messy: BBQ


I know BBQ is a favorite cuisine for many people.  I like the taste of BBQ and I love the smell.  But I can’t get behind the mess.  My husband and I have regularly discussed our mutual agreement that foods that are messy are not high on our list.  We feel you shouldn’t have to work so hard for your food.  Crab legs fall into this category for me as well, though Jake has decided they’re worth the effort for him after he finally figured out the cracking contraption tool and how best to use it.  But BBQ tops the messy list for me.  Not only do you have to eat it with your hands, which obviously makes your hands dirty, but it’s also covered in sauce, which gets on your face, under your fingernails, maybe even in your hair if you have naturally uncontrolled hair like me.  And don’t get me started on the fact that I know my husband’s shirts will inevitably have fun little spots of sauce on them afterwards, which he will fail to tell me about prior to washing. 

A little side note about BBQ:  it’s apparently become the new fancy food treat.  I’ve been to nice restaurants in Kansas City and Cincinnati that serve famous BBQ fare in an upscale environment.  And you pay a pretty penny for it.  This bewilders me more than a little.  Mostly due to the fact that BBQ is messy, as mentioned above.  And isn’t BBQ the standard backyard, graduation party, summer cookout meal?  That means “casual” and “cheap” to me, in every sense.  But apparently I just don’t get what BBQ is all about.  Again, I like it.  And if I don’t have to hold it in my hands and get it all over me, I’m in.  Especially if I don’t have to pay up the sauce-covered nose for it.

2 comments:

  1. 'Traditional' BBQ, is low and slow heat, so a limited amount of space coupled with lengthy cooking times, 'good' BBQ usually isn't cheap in terms of $'s to ounces of meat. Grilling != BBQ

    I think the messy part about BBQ is unfortunate, and largely due to an overuse of sauce by most places. I think _great_ BBQ is meat that tastes utterly delicious without sauce, thus reducing the mess factor significantly.

    In terms of types of meats, I think ribs take the spotlight too much, and I prefer to go for the chopped pork, or brisket, which are more easily consumed using utensils.

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  2. I totally agree with the chopped meat preference!

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