So in the last year, I’ve been to several BBQ joints that… don’t serve much BBQ.
Has anyone else noticed this? It’s not that these places are completely bereft of it, but let’s just say what passes for it isn’t normal. The classic example may be a beef brisket slider–but no brisket plate–on the menu. No ribs. No burnt ends or rib tips. Maybe “pulled pork” on a salad or in a sandwich, but nary a hot link spike anywhere.
It’s not like these places are riffing in a non-traditional way, either. I find that what they offer is mostly desultory in the name of Q. God Forbid that there would be heart-stopping honorific sides of greens, white bread or Texas caviar.
I guess what galls me most is that these places want customers to think they do BBQ. Some even have pit trailers and ricks of wood, but you’re more likely to find a Green Goddess salad or a grilled fish taco than you are a 1/4 rack of ribs. Why pretend?
End of rant.
