Bar B Q: Who's Got The Best?? And Don't Forget The Sauce

[TkoK83Spy]

My spot is the original Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse NY. I NEVER go to the 'Cuse without stopping in there.

That's most interesting because I have some friends that live in New York State close to the Buffalo/Niagara Falls area. The next time I chat with them I'm going to ask them about that one. It is strange because of all the times I've been in Upstate New York I've never really seen a lot of Bar BQ places. I would be most interested to know what kind of wood they use to smoke their meat with?

Do they have a Bar BQ sauce that they sell commercially?

They do sell their sauce and in the North East it is easy to find. If you are in Western NY check it out. The original was in Syracuse followed by one in Rochester. Since then they have sort of blown up and have locations all over the state including Buffalo. I have only been to the Rochester and Syracuse locations. My wife is from Syracuse so I am in that area fairly often.

There are not very many BBQ joints in NY but Dinosaur is good stuff.

Dinosaur has a few different sauces out now that you can buy in local grocery stores. I know last summer I saw a 4 pack of various sauces for sale at Wegmans. Next time you're in the area, I also recommend checking out Limp Lizard in Liverpool. My wife and I have come to favor going there over Dinosaur...as blasphemous as that may sound!

You should let me know next time you're in the area.

[bearfacedkiller]

Ha, been to the Limp Lizard a few times. :)

You got it, I'll hit you up next time I am in the area.

[OldHoosier62]

I like to use different BBQ sauces depending on the meat. But by far my favorite is the KC Style BBQ sauce. It is good almost everywhere. A close second would be Carolina BBQ Sauce, mainly because it goes so well on pulled pork. It really lets the meat and the smoking process performed by the cook shine without getting in the way.

...Oh by the way which brand of Kansas City Bar BQ Sauce were you talking about>> because there are at least a 100 companies that use the name "Kansas City style Bar BQ sauce".

The best local BBQ sauce is a Cincy based one called Montgomery Inn. They do not use liquid smoke (or very little) which makes my choice of wood I use in the smoker the only smoke. No competition from the sauce. If you can recommend a national brand I can find in Indiana I would be excited to try it out. This is a great thread you started. And timely too, as the weather looks good for this weekend. It snowed last weekend but it is almost all melted.

Ever thought about making your own sauce?? I highly recommend Steven Reichlen's BBQ books.... Especially the one dealing with rubs, marinades and sauces. If you have to use sauce then you can at least control what goes into it.

[Crux]

Really? This an actual question being asked?

As a BBQ Champion I can honestly say that I can cook as good or better than all the establishments mentioned. Pork, beef and chicken. From whole hog to shoulders, butts, ribs and even chicken. As for sauce or rub, we've developed the best of both and this was because we were trained by Myron Mixon. If that name doesn't ring a bell he is the MOST winning BBQ competitor in world history.

I currently have 2 smokers, 2 propane assisted charcoal grills and one huge gas grill that hasn't been used in years. It was total **** to assemble it so I hate to part with it. After years of research we (our new team) are ready to buy the ULTIMATE pellet smokers. We plan on buying 3 and re-emerging back into the BBQ circuit. We have a couple of Traegers as backup and have dropped the out of the whole hog category.

Easy peasy! :)

[Hopweaver]

Really? This an actual question being asked?

As a BBQ Champion....

What would be a good smoker? I want to replace my offset smoker this year with something that requires less attention. I currently need to fiddle with the opening on the vent stack or the inlet vent on the charcoal to set my temperature. It always drifts as the coals dwindle. The smoker makes great food, just looking for something easier.

Some guys at work caution against getting an electric smoker. Said theirs did not get hot enough. Unsure about pellets... I'm used to chucking in large chunks of apple wood leftover from two apple trees we cut down. Any advice?

[JD Spydo]

Really? This an actual question being asked?

As a BBQ Champion I can honestly say that I can cook as good or better than all the establishments mentioned. Pork, beef and chicken. From whole hog to shoulders, butts, ribs and even chicken. As for sauce or rub, we've developed the best of both and this was because we were trained by Myron Mixon. If that name doesn't ring a bell he is the MOST winning BBQ competitor in world history.

I currently have 2 smokers, 2 propane assisted charcoal grills and one huge gas grill that hasn't been used in years. It was total **** to assemble it so I hate to part with it. After years of research we (our new team) are ready to buy the ULTIMATE pellet smokers. We plan on buying 3 and re-emerging back into the BBQ circuit. We have a couple of Traegers as backup and have dropped the out of the whole hog category.

Easy peasy! :)

That's most interesting CRUX>> because I have a very good long time friend who is also a competition Bar BQ champion. Here in Kansas City, Missouri each year at the "American Royal" which is known to be the "Superbowl" of rodeo competition and a Barrett-Jackson type exhibition of livestock, horses and other farm type stuff which draws people from all over the North American continent. At the American Royal each year they have what they call "The Word Series of Bar BQ" competition and my friend has won some impressive awards over the years.

I'm sure if any of you here in the USA are aware of the "American Royal" which takes place each autumn here in KC has a huge fan base from all over the country and the Bar BQ competition gets bigger each year. I've actually thought of getting into that myself because I pride myself at being pretty good on a grill and smoker myself. Not to mention we have some of the best varieties of hickory wood in the entire USA here in Missouri as well.

Truly Crux I would like to test drive some of your Bar BQ if I were to go to your part of the USA in the near future. And I also urge you to check out the Bar BQ competition at the American Royal this autumn :)

Oh one other item?? And I realize you are very confident in your abilities to put out some top caliber Bar BQ>> But seriously if you can put out better stuff than ROSEDALE Bar BQ here in Kansas City ( that I mentioned in my opening post) all I got to say is "I Seriously Want To Try Your Stuff ASAP :D "

[Bloke]

As a BBQ Champion ...

[Crux]

Really? This an actual question being asked?

As a BBQ Champion....

What would be a good smoker? I want to replace my offset smoker this year with something that requires less attention. I currently need to fiddle with the opening on the vent stack or the inlet vent on the charcoal to set my temperature. It always drifts as the coals dwindle. The smoker makes great food, just looking for something easier.

Some guys at work caution against getting an electric smoker. Said theirs did not get hot enough. Unsure about pellets... I'm used to chucking in large chunks of apple wood leftover from two apple trees we cut down. Any advice?

Traeger makes great smokers, I'm partial to this one though. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FD ... BFNR&psc=1

I've used stick wood smokers but pellet smokers are easier, hold heat better and have lots of options. As for not getting hot enough, 225 degrees is the perfect smoker temperature. This model has a lot of clean out options, pellet removal, built in probes as well as the sear box on the side. Not as solid as a Traeger but the additional features are the best. I smoke ribs for 5 hours and butts for 8-9, shoulders for around 12 and 30+ for a large hog.

[Crux]

Really? This an actual question being asked?

As a BBQ Champion I can honestly say that I can cook as good or better than all the establishments mentioned. Pork, beef and chicken. From whole hog to shoulders, butts, ribs and even chicken. As for sauce or rub, we've developed the best of both and this was because we were trained by Myron Mixon. If that name doesn't ring a bell he is the MOST winning BBQ competitor in world history.

I currently have 2 smokers, 2 propane assisted charcoal grills and one huge gas grill that hasn't been used in years. It was total **** to assemble it so I hate to part with it. After years of research we (our new team) are ready to buy the ULTIMATE pellet smokers. We plan on buying 3 and re-emerging back into the BBQ circuit. We have a couple of Traegers as backup and have dropped the out of the whole hog category.

Easy peasy! :)

That's most interesting CRUX>> because I have a very good long time friend who is also a competition Bar BQ champion. Here in Kansas City, Missouri each year at the "American Royal" which is known to be the "Superbowl" of rodeo competition and a Barrett-Jackson type exhibition of livestock, horses and other farm type stuff which draws people from all over the North American continent. At the American Royal each year they have what they call "The Word Series of Bar BQ" competition and my friend has won some impressive awards over the years.

I'm sure if any of you here in the USA are aware of the "American Royal" which takes place each autumn here in KC has a huge fan base from all over the country and the Bar BQ competition gets bigger each year. I've actually thought of getting into that myself because I pride myself at being pretty good on a grill and smoker myself. Not to mention we have some of the best varieties of hickory wood in the entire USA here in Missouri as well.

Truly Crux I would like to test drive some of your Bar BQ if I were to go to your part of the USA in the near future. And I also urge you to check out the Bar BQ competition at the American Royal this autumn :)

Oh one other item?? And I realize you are very confident in your abilities to put out some top caliber Bar BQ>> But seriously if you can put out better stuff than ROSEDALE Bar BQ here in Kansas City ( that I mentioned in my opening post) all I got to say is "I Seriously Want To Try Your Stuff ASAP :D "

We don't cook Kansas City style which is mostly beef. We focus on Memphis and western NC style BBQ pork and chicken. My partner has developed the sauce which is the best I've tasted and we do our own rubs. We do want to do more with beef ribs but they aren't that popular here. Also want to do some Korean BBQ which I like as well. I do like to smoke steaks until the are a medium rare and then reverse sear them on the stove. With the sear box at up to 900 degrees I can now get an awesome melt in you mouth steak with a professional grade sear.

[JD Spydo]

Also there is another great Bar BQ

BLOKE my good buddy you are probably the only human on the planet that would convert a flush toilet into an outdoor Bar BQ grill :rolleyes: But the more I look at it I can see how someone would try that out of curiosity. But maybe cooking all the "kangaroo" you eat down there needs that special touch that only your creative mind could create from a household essential :D

But when you roast that delicious "EMU" bird you must use some type of a smoker or even an open pit of some sort :rolleyes: However they are probably a little more tender than an ostrich :eek:

[Crux]

Well my mentor, Myron Mixon was fond of saying he could beat anyone in the world cooking in a metal trash can. It's not the gear, but technique, patience and an understanding of what herbs and spices will enhance the taste in combination with the rub and the sauce. BBQ here is judged without sauce so the meat has to stand alone. There is a seperate competition for sauces.

[setldown]

Steve Hall AKA Shotgun Red posted his BBQ sauce recipe on youtube a couple years ago. I've tried it and quit buying store bought sauce. You can make it a little sweeter....a little hotter. It's good stuff.

Check out the video recipe here: https://youtu.be/JTTCYGcqna0

[Crux]

I'm sure it's amazing but the true test is the BBQ without sauce. You can pour a great sauce on shoe leather and it might taste pretty good, but without the sauce it's just shoe leather.

[JD Spydo]

I'm sure it's amazing but the true test is the BBQ without sauce. You can pour a great sauce on shoe leather and it might taste pretty good, but without the sauce it's just shoe leather.

Oh my friend I respectfully beg to differ with you on that one. Because here in Kansas City, Missouri, USA Earth where I've been born and raised >> and raised on great Bar BQ food I might add the sauce has always been an important factor in our style of Bar BQ. I'm guessing that you grew up just really appreciating great wood smoked meat the way it comes off the grill with nothing added. However unless you've got some sort of flavor enhancers to jazz up the overall taste of the meat I do believe you will find far more people who also appreciate great Bar BQ sauces as well.

Currently my 3 favorite BAR BQ sauces are "Papa Browns", "Rosedale" and two of the BLUES HOG sauces. I don't use the BLUES HOG as much because of them changing the original formula. Now I personally do like grilled fish like Salmon, Swordfish, Halibut ( when you get it :rolleyes: ) along with Blue & Mako shark steaks without any sauce added. For some reason I do like fish and other seafood wood smoked with either hickory ( pig nut especially), pecan, cherry and apple wood>> I'll take grilled fish any day over fried or baked. I also recently smoked a farm raised Duck with Mesquite wood without the sauce and I really liked it straight off the grill.

But when it comes to ribs or any other type of pork I just got to have a really good Kansas City style sauce to make it complete. Also with Beef, Turkey, Lamb Chops>> or ground Beef or ground Lamb ( one of my new favorites)) I must have the sauce. My friend if you ever make it up this way to Kansas City, MO I would take you to a couple of great Bar BQ stands where you would truly change your mind concerning sauces. I do like Arthur Bryant's and Gates & Sons Bar BQ sauces which are the most famous from our fair city but we have several sauces from "mom & pop" Bar BQ stands that are far better than those.

Truly it probably boils down to the type of Bar BQ you were raised up with. However I do appreciate your mindset because I've got a great friend who is a steak fanatic and really cooks up a great Ribeye or Fillet and he gets really indignant when I ask for a steaksauce :D But what can I say I grew up putting "A-1" steak sauce on many foods as I was growing up :D . Also the "Jim Beam" whiskey company also makes a great steak sauce :cool: .

[Crux]

No, the sauce is always a big part of the entire Memphis/NC BBQ circuit, but we judge the meat and the sauce separately. We do not mask fair BBQ with an overpowering sauce, we judge how the meat stands alone and the sauce stands alone and how they come together. No, we have excellent sauces and rubs, but in competition no one tests the BBQ with sauce on it. Plus Memphis competition is TWICE as hard as Kansas City competition. During KC competition you only have to present your food. During Memplis competition you have to present your food AND create a "dining experience" where the judges come and inspect your site and interview the cooks. So, missing a cigarette butt or scrap of paper in your site area can get you a lower score.

If you watch BBQ competitions on TV then you would know who Myron Mixon is. Myron is not the loud mouth you see on TV, but one of the nicest people I know. Many years ago Myron taught my team how to cook like he does at his place in Georgia. We changed some things to personalize it but I have to credit Myron for a lot of experience that I would never have had a chance to learn on our own or from friends. We competed against lots of local BBQ restaurants and smoked them all, so I find it hard to eat BBQ when I'm out.

[Crux]

Steak sauce on a steak!?! :eek:

You might as well cook it well done.

Here's how you cook a steak and you only add salt and pepper.

[Bloke]

Steak sauce on a steak!?! :eek:

You might as well cook it well done.

Here's how you cook a steak and you only add salt and pepper.

Crux, your a man after my own heart.

That steak looks perfect to me and apart from salt and pepper I like a little Hot English Mustard with mine. :)

[TkoK83Spy]

Steak sauce on a steak!?! :eek:

You might as well cook it well done.

Here's how you cook a steak and you only add salt and pepper.

Spot on sir!

My wife also uses A1 on EVERY steak I grill. I get it, if it's some cheap cut of sirlion...but if we slurge on some rib eye, Delmonico or prime rib... that's a sin to add any kind of sauce!! She says it tastes better no matter what the steak is :confused:

[Crux]

When I buy steaks to cook I buy me a nice 2 1/2" ribeye or filet (I can eat it for 2 days) and I get her a nice 1" sirloin cooked well done and there are no complaints. I learned the hard way not to waste good steaks on her. Thankfully she doesn't use steak sauce. When I was a kid well done sirloins were all we ever had and I used to love the combination of both A1 and Heinz 57.

Bloke, you should season beef with salt (if you can) as it is important for moisture as the salt will draw moisture out and the the salt is absorbed and draws the moisture back in. You can skip the pepper though as it adds flavor but doesn't enhance the meat.

[Bloke]

Bloke, you should season beef with salt (if you can) as it is important for moisture as the salt will draw moisture out and the the salt is absorbed and draws the moisture back in. You can skip the pepper though as it adds flavor but doesn't enhance the meat.

Hey Greg, I can't cook to save my life. The sole exception being a rare steak like in your picture and yes, I certainly season a steak with salt (and pepper) but only a few minutes prior to cooking it. I do like a little Hot English Mustard with it but that's it. I don't like any type of sauce on steak. :)