I'm in a weird mood today, so read at your own risk.
Cooking is like making music: It's a temporal art form, in that every performance can only ever exist that one time you experience it. In a way, this is a depressing thought. We will never taste a meal made a hundred, a thousand years ago. All we have are firsthand accounts and our own best approximations of what that meal should have tasted like, based on ancient crumbling recipes and served with steroid enhanced meat and genetically engineered crops. We can never taste that first performance of the sandwich, or stew, or seared scallop.
On the other hand, this is part of what makes food truly special: Every time you sit down to a meal, you are experiencing the only exact version of that meal that will ever exist. I believe that this property can be how the enjoyment of great food is such a unifying experience for everyone. The knowledge that, together, you are experiencing something that never existed before and will never exist again can make anyone smile at least a little.
The other day, I made pork ribs on a charcoal grill. They weren't perfect; it was my first attempt at making ribs over coal. Certainly I should have left them on a bit longer to render the fat some more, and I probably should have included brown sugar in the spice rub. Nevertheless, I thought they were well smoked, tasty, and beautiful. I made R take a profile shot of them, just because it was the first time I had ever seen a pink ring on something I made.
That first time you make something, when you're still focused on all the things you managed to do successfully rather than what you need to improve on, is an impossible feeling to capture or describe. Now, I could probably go out right now and cook a rack twice as tasty and pretty, but no matter what I do they will never be last Sunday's ribs. -J
I want my baby back, baby back, baby back, ribs. Don't go to Chili's for authentic BBQ. Seriously. J and I have been making fun of BBQ sauce ever since watching an episode of Restaurant Impossible where a Southern BBQ joint was using bottled BBQ sauce with a dash of allspice and squeeze of bottled lemon juice for tang. We've been on the hunt for good BBQ ever since and have found bliss at Brunswick BBQ & Brew in Brunswick, NY. It's our go to place when the meat cravings set in and we're happy to make the trek from Albany.
Tucked in what seems to be the middle of nowhere, this place is hands down one of the best authentic BBQ joints in the Capital Region. Step out of the car and you are greeted by the sweet smell of smoked meat in the air. Ahhh, makes you salivate. It's hard to pick one menu item but a good starter is the BBQ Appetizer Sampler. You get a bit of everything: bbq wings, ribs, and piggly wigglys aka pulled pork sliders. All the meats are smoked to perfection and the depth of flavor can only be achieved by properly smoking low and slow and not just quick grilling meat. You can see that classic pink ring on the meat that they always talk about on the BBQ tv specials.
J's go to platter is the tender and juicy beef brisket. You get an array of sides with the plates. Our favorites are the baked beans and sweet potato fries. But J's favorite staple is the corn bread with honey butter. The butter is like crack. Fluffy cornbread is the perfect vehicle for this sweet and salty buttah. He would eat a tub of honey butter if he could, but I'd like my fiance not to die of a heart attack.
Brunswick BBQ isn't just about the meat but the pizza as well! They have a brick oven pizza that makes for the most perfect charred crust. The dough is crispy yet has a good chew to it and one of the best slices is the Brunswick BBQ Signature pizza with homemade, sweet Kansas City Sauce, cheddar cheese, and that yummy smoky pulled pork. The Margherita Pizza is just as good too, especially with prosciutto.
Make a point to stop on by Brunswick BBQ, it's also a great pit stop to or from Grafton State Park or The Peace Pagoda. You will find blissful peace in this BBQ joint as soon as you taste it! -R
