It’s amazing how one word can encompass so many facets of an entire meat-eating tradition. At its core, barbecue means cooking meat over the hot smoke of a fire. From there, it can refer to anything from the process by which the meat is cooked to the type of wood used in the fire.

For today’s poll, we’re focusing on what most of us associate chiefly with barbecue: the sauce.

What’s your favorite style of barbecue sauce, So Good readers? Below are some of the main options, separate out by area of the US they’re associate with and a description. If your favorite isn’t there, choose “Other” and explain in the comments!

H/T to Here There and Everywhere for the picture and Serious Eats for the barbecue sauce styles.

In the world of politics, people have long memories. This is an unfortunate fact for faux-presidential candidate Rick Perry, who is a master of making himself look like a first-rate boob.

Whether it be calling climate science a “contrived phony mess,” suggesting that Texas might secede from the US (which it legally can’t), or killing a rogue coyote with a laser-sighted pistol while exercising in his neighborhood (jogging holster, anyone?), “Rick Perry” and “good judgment” have never appeared in the same sentence.

Therefore, when I heard about a remark regarding barbecue that Perry belched out back in 1992 that has popped back on the radar – and opened an old wound in the swing-state of North Carolina – I took notice.

You see, they take BBQ seriously in the Tar Heel state.

As the story goes, upon tasting an eastern NC-based restaurant’s BBQ, Perry said, “I’ve had road kill that tasted better than that.”  (You can still hear the collective gasp pushing out over the Outer Banks.)

As the self-appointed embodiment of Texas, Rick Perry thinks that the only true form of BBQ come from beef.  Conversely, North Carolinians like their BBQ to come from pork.  Having lived in both locales, I can frankly say that Rick Perry lives up to his reputation, not only in picking the wrong smoked meat, but also for making his thoughts audible. For when you question NC BBQ, you question the hearts and minds of the state.

I know the beef vs. pork issue can be disputed (although it shouldn’t), but not Perry’s overall track record.  If only this candidate was as humble and unadulterated as tender, juicy, vinegar-based pulled pork, he might have a horse in this race – and frankly, that might be all he has to chew on back at his ponderosa when the country starts to take notice, that is, if he runs out of road kill.

What side of the fence are you on?  Beef BBQ? Pork?

The 80-pound pig was placed in the smoker at 2 am on Saturday morning, in order to be ready to serve around 7:30 pm Saturday night. If you’ve never seen an entire pig being smoked, it really is quite a sight. In our fast food culture, Americans often are so disconnected from the food chain that we forget those burger patties, ribs and chicken wings we eat come from an actual whole, live animal. Working with an entire animal instead of just buying unidentifiable cuts of meat can help remind those of us as meat eater that we are still part of a larger food chain. While there is something a bit odd about eating an animal while the head sits on a cutting board a few feet away, it also makes you thankful for the bounty of animals the world has provided us with, and re-emphasizes the appeal of wasting not – using all parts of the animal and buying through local butchers.

My friend who was celebrating his birthday is originally from Virginia, about 3 hours outside DC. At the party someone made a light-hearted remark to me that is probably much closer to the truth than the usual whimsical stereotype: if you grew up in rural Virginia your whole life, you’re probably gonna  have a friend with a smoker. Stereotypes be true in this case, and the whole mass of birthday party attendees benefited.

Thanks to Mason & Kara for a terrific spread of food (the pulled pork was nice and tender, the mac ‘n cheese was amazing!) and thanks to my friend Dave for the above photo he snapped while helped to cook the pig.

The new bone-in ribs, which have been tested in various markets and use the chain’s new batch broilers that are now in nearly all domestic Burger King units, are priced at $7.99 as a six-piece combo meal in Dallas and $7.49 in Chicago. An eight-piece ribs meal is available in both markets for $8.99. The meals include French fries and a drink.

I think this is a rather striking move from the chain.   You normally go into a fast food joint and spend seven dollars at the most on your selection.  Like most of its competitors, Burger King has lowered its prices to draw in penny-pinching customers.  BK hopes you’ll notice the ribs and impulsively throw away eight dollars for some meat and potatoes.  I don’t buy it for a second but I appreciate its cojones.  When the average price of ribs in America is $11.68 per half-rack, it seems to be solid bang for your buck economics.

Factors I think Burger King missed when considering ribs:

1. Are ribs car-friendly? No, no and no.  You could throw me in a car with three rolls of paper towels and I’ll find a way to smear my windshield with barbecue sauce.  It is not a possibility, it is fact.  I’d have to cover every surface of my vehicle with napkins to pull this off.
2. When I think of ribs, do I think of Burger King? Nope, I’m thinking either soul food shacks or quality steak houses.  There are a couple bars whose ribs I trust, but a fast food chain?  I’d rather spend the extra money for quality beef, better atmosphere and homemade sauce than save a couple bucks eating in a Burger King.
3. The red herring effect. The old bait and switch.  This ruse has many names, but I’m not sure it will work in Burger King’s favor IN THIS ECONOMY.  Ugh.  I look forward to the days I don’t have to write those words.  I don’t know about you, but I’d rather spend three dollars on a burger and fries and save the other five for the electricity bill.

Youngish Upstart Paul with his Iron Boot Smoker

What’s interesting is how I found it. I opened up my fantasy sports page and was met with with these GIANT banner adds on the left and right side of my screen. On the left is Lee Ann, and on the right we meet Myron, who is covered in BBQ sauce and apparently wiping more sauce all over his silken snow white beard. It is truly a graphic shot. Lee Ann is carrying an axe and wearing a bowling shirt. I would be terrified to meet either of them in a darkened alley, which is apparently TLC’s aim with this show.

If you watch the video, you’ll meet the contestants. I call them contestants because they’re playing for money and prestige, baby. Competitor Tuffy tells us why he’s not afraid of his fellow Pitmasters.

I’ve been cussed out by French chefs. Think I’m afraid of a bunch of yokels standing around the hibachi?

This is classic on two levels. He makes fun of hicks (a seemingly decent portion of his audience) and champions (sort of) the French (alienating another key portion of his audience).  Is Tuffy trying too hard to be the reality TV villain here?

I’m not against good barbeque being highlighted by a television show, I’m just sick of television’s “Tough Guy Reality Show” presentations.  The tattoo shows are enough, thanks.  Now you have to name a show “Pawn Stars” and advertise it like they’re a biker gang?  Wasn’t there already a reality show about bike workshops?  What?!   There have already been three of those?!

I look forward to one year later, when Food Network has a show called “Smoked” hosted by Guy Fieri, and Bravo has a show called “Sauce Kingdom” hosted by George Foreman and some model lady, both featuring BBQ competitions.  Watching this stuff would be murder.  I enjoy eating barbeque.  I respect the process as well.  Do I need to watch an aggro-fest reality show where people cook for money to get my fill of barbeque?  No.

I have a short message for reality television: Nobody likes you.  Go eat worms.

(Click on bracket to see a larger, easier to read version)

There are no rules and no criteria other than to answer the question: “What is the #1 meat?” You can base your vote on taste, cost, convenience, prestige, flavor…anything you want.  Just like the NCAA tournament, when a team from the East coast will randomly get sent into the Western bracket, there are a couple minor exceptions with our regions.  For example, Rabbit has been placed in the Poultry Region and the “Red” Meat Region contains a few reddish meats that technically aren’t actually red meat (Lamb, Veal, Venison).

Obviously March is the time of year when people do brackets for everything – and So Good is no exception. I don’t know if something like Meat Madness has been done before, but this is certainly the debut offering of such a tournament on So Good.  There are similar brackets going on right now, such as Washingtonian’s Burger Bracket to determine the best burger in DC.

On Wednesday we will begin voting on our first round match-ups. Two first round match-ups a day for 8 days, then we move on to the second round.  Finally, thanks must be given to one of my readers, Jenelle, who suggested this idea to me 4-5 months ago.  I’ve patiently been sitting on the idea until the NCAA tournament arrived (which was really tough because I LOVE the idea of  a Meat Madness bracket!).

Click “Read More” to see each Region up close and read a little analysis of some of the early match-ups we have to look forward to.

We have four regions, “Red” Meat Region, Poultry Region, Pork Region and Seafood Region. Let’s take a look at each one.

First up, the “Red” Meat region.  Steak (1), Lamb (2), Ground Beef (3) and Veal (4) are the top 4 seeds in this bracket, and I think there is no doubt that Steak and Ground Beef are forces to be reckoned with.  Will Lamb be able to protect its #2 seed? Or will Corned Beef present a threat in the midst of Lent?  Veal and Buffalo could be an interesting first round match-up as well.

The Poultry region presents us with a wide-range of tasty birds – plus Rabbit.  The top four seeds are Chicken (1), Turkey (2), Duck (3) and Rabbit (4).  Will the more widely used and readily available Chicken and Turkey prove impossible to stop? Or will advocates emerge for more tasty alternatives?

The Pork Region sees a bevy of 8 different meats all coming from the same animal.  The top 4 seeds are Bacon (1), Sausage (2), Prosciutto (3) and Ham (4).  Yes, I am aware that Prosciutto IS Ham, but we are going by the English definition here.  According to Wikipedia, “in English the word is almost always used for an aged, dry-cured, spiced Italian ham that is usually sliced thin and served uncooked.”  Bacon has proven to be the darling of the food blogosphere in the past year, but this bracket is stacked from top to bottom. Potential upsets abound with extremely strong lower seeds in Pulled Pork (5), Pepperoni (6) and Ribs (7).

The Seafood Region is just that – seafood.  The top 4 seeds are Lobster (1), Scallops (2), Salmon (3) and Tuna (4).  Like the Pork Region, this region has depth – Crab (6) and Shrimp (5) look like potential first round sleepers, and Clams (8) and Mussels (7) both certainly have their supporters.

Voting on first round match-ups will begin on Wednesday.  Use the comments on this post to predict potential first round upsets, your pick to win the title, or any debates over seeding.  Let the Meat Madness begin!

Last Saturday I had a friend in town from NYC, and wanted to give her a real taste of the Lone Star State. We went over to a friend’s house for a good old Texas smoked meat fest. By the time we got to my buddy’s house, the preparations were well underway. On the smoker was a nine pound pork shoulder and two birds.

See smoker (a salty veteran on the BBQ circuit):

My buddy cooked the shoulder (aka Boston butt) with mesquite wood between 275 to 300 degrees for close to eight hours. The birds went on for the last three. The night before they went on the smoker, he put his special rub on the meat, and put a bunch of rosemary inside the birds right before smoke-time.

When the meat came off, it smelled heavenly, and was unbelievably tender and moist – in short, delicious. Accompanying this delight was potato salad, cole slaw, plenty of sauce – hot and BBQ, along with sliced pickles, diced onion and plain white bread – all Texas traditions.

Here’s the only shot I could get of the bird and butt. The hungry crowd went after it like piranhas, even the New York folks. I only wish the picture conveyed a smell…

The world is filled with crazy food combinations. Burgers with Krispy Kreme donuts for buns. Deep fried Mars bars. Cherry Chocolate soda. In this day and age, almost nothing is off limits. If food item A is delicious, and food item B is delicious, someone is going to try combining the two, for better or worse. Which makes it so baffling to me that, as far as I can tell, no one has ever attempted to make or sell a pulled pork cheese steak. A quick Google search confirms this.

We have chicken cheese steaks, so why not a pulled pork cheese steak? Pulled pork is delicious, and melted cheese is delicious, so why not? I know what the haters will say, that putting cheese on pulled pork would ruin an already classic food, that cheese doesn’t go with BBQ etc. etc. Doubters, all of you.

The geniuses of the world are always called crazy until people come to understand the genius of their creations. “Hey look at me, I’m Ben Franklin, and I’m going to fly a kite and capture a magical force called electricity!” Sounds crazy doesn’t it? Turns out? Genius.

Do you not think people said the same thing about deep frying Oreos? Or using donuts as buns for a burger? That must have sounded like INSANITY the first time it was mentioned. It all sounds crazy until you make it work. And I’m telling you right now readers, a pulled pork cheese steak can WORK.

Sure, there are some kinks to work out. Like what kind of cheese? I’m thinking white cheddar, but am open to other ideas. And what else goes on it? I’m thinking just some grilled onions (coleslaw and cheese together does not sound promising). But couldn’t you also order the cheese steak “all the way” which would include baked beans and/or coleslaw ON the sandwich? I haven’t totally pinned it down.

I think one important factor, is that rather than the pulled pork coming out of a pan and being placed on the bread, it would be thrown on the grill with cheese and onions…I think a couple minutes on the grill could give the pulled pork a slight charring and maybe a little extra flavor.

That being said, I think the basic idea is about as awesome as it gets. Pulled pork is delicious. Cheese steaks are delicious…the time has come to create the world’s next great sandwich. Ladies and gentlemen, I submit, for your consideration: The Pulled Pork Cheese Steak.

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Pulled Pork picture via jenyu.net.

“The story of a fire obsessed guy, living in Brooklyn, with a dream of producing award winning, competition busting, real Barbeque. Come live the dream as I compete around the country in the KCBS Championship Barbecue circuit.”

Check it out, it’s a fun read.

It was a fun barbecue. The hosts also smoked 8 pounds of beef brisket, and the side dishes were delicious. I brought a pesto pasta salad with cherry tomatos, mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, onions and black olives. Other side dishes included sweet potato salad with a chili-lime dressing, potato salad, and chocolate chip bars for dessert.

But back to the point…Turducken, for about 7 or 8 years now, has been on my “must-do-before you die” list, sandwiched right in-between “get married” and “see Europe.”

For those of you unfamiliar with Turducken, it is a de-boned turkey stuffed with a de-boned duck, which itself is stuffed with a small de-boned chicken. Usually there is some sort of stuffing between each layer. In the case of the Turducken we had, it was a cornbread stuffing with cajun sausage.

Instead of cooking it in the oven, they cooked it in their outdoor smoker with hickory woodchips for about 6 hours. Needless to say, the Turducken did not disappoint. The turkey was tender and soft, the skin flavorful, the duck and chicken were both as juicy as can be, and the stuffing did a great job absorbing a lot of the smoky flavor.

After recovering from the Turducken, we moved on to the brisket, which had been cooked in the smoker for 8 hours. It was at this moment I realized something: Have you ever heard anyone say, “yeah we cooked it for 7 hours…it ended up tasting terrible”? No. You never have. And I mean NEVER. Unless the food in question is burned, it is inherently understood that anything you cook between 5 and 10 hours is going to be F-ing delicious.

Anyone else have any good labor day weekend barbecue experiences?