Picked up some hog casing yesterday at Cabella's. Got a free weekend next weekend so am going to try smoke some sausage. Possibly make my own pepperoni or kielbasa. have not really decided yet
Yesterday while driving through North Carolina I experienced the best BBQ of my life. I went to the historical Skylight Inn in Ayden, NC. It's was simple and divine. Here's a NC trail map that I fully intend on completing some day: http://www.ncbbqsociety.com/bbqmap/trail_map.html This description of Skylight Inn fits perfectly what I experienced but cannot accurately describe: http://www.ncbbqsociety.com/trail_pages/skylight_large.html
It does look blah. That's exactly what I was thinking when I saw it. The slaw looks so ordinary and the pork looked dry and boring. I thought the crackling bread would be really dry and flavorless as well. Then I tried it and nearly died. The slaw is sweet and goes really well with the pork. The pork is chopped from the whole hog so you get little bits of the crispy skin in there which adds a completely different taste and texture profile from the meat alone. It doesn't look like much but I was blown away. It was also my first time trying North Carolina BBQ. I've avoided it because I love wet ribs and sauce and always thought this looked boring and never thought a vinegar base would taste good. I was completely wrong on all fronts.
Now you get it. I hit a dozen or so places between southern IL, western KY, Memphis, and through AR. I should've kept notes or something.
Just salt and pepper for texas style, some sort of rub if you are more adventurous. I usually add garlic powder and ground chilis. Low and slow and you can't go wrong.
so wrong in so many ways: http://andyjwells.tumblr.com/post/129202818222/man-arrested-after-throwing-hot-beef-brisket-at I probably would have also eaten the evidence...lol