Damn ... all this barbecue talk is making me hungry for dinner.

the aluminum foil is because every good breakfast taco needs at least 5 minutes wrapped up and stuck back in the oven.

yeah, but Gucci B's (HEB Central Market) always has a fresh batch of Santitos - who in their right mind could walk past that to buy any other salsa?

I'd hate to see what state all you fella's arteries and bowels are in ...

I expect Tom to pipe up about the fine BBQ in Kansas City. In my opinion some of the best around. Sorry, no pictures, I was too busy eating.

Howard,

I was trying to explain that to Cameron last night. But until he attends Ron's Texas Glass Clave next year, the true meaning of BBQ won't sink in. In general, you don't find good BBQ on the East coast like you do in the center of the country. Where I come from in the NorthEast, we don't do BBQ - we grill. Now that I know the difference, I still grill. All the good BBQ cooks have a 49 year head start on me and I have no chance of catching up.

Tony Romas, arguably the most financially successful rib franchise on the East Coast set up a restaurant near me a few years back. My wife and I thought this was hysterical. What were they thinking? That restaurant lasted less than six months.

Tom

Tom, I accepted Cameron's vinegar sauce and mustard sauce thinking that what he doesn't know wont hurt him. I had BBQ in Austin and found it pretty darn good. I wish I could remember the name of the place in KC that I ate at last time I was there. I'd have them air freight me some ribs and sauce. We have a new place here called Famous Dave's and it's pretty darn good even though the original is in Minnesota. Tony Romas? I think they went out of business here as well.

we've actually done a great job here on a very delicate topic.
comparing the local Mexican cuisine and/or barbeque is right up there with ethnicity, religion and politics.

but with grits, it could get dangerous.
They're like a cereal or a starchy side, but in the South, they are culturally revered.

not a bad smoke - I've been through a box or 2 of those. I generally like shade wrappers on a strong cigar (the Lot 23 fits the bill). Two cigars I am never out of are El Original corona clara from Island Smoke Shop, and 601 from Pepin Garcia (best price from lilbrown.com). Lately, a couple of darker wrappers have made it up my list: Illusione from Dion in Reno (his No. 2 is the best torp this side of a contraband Boly BBF), and Esencia from my local friend Jack who also owns Palio cutters; however, to get Jack's Escencia, the best price is Southside Smoke Shop in NJ. Jack's pc is perfect.

Well, Bulldog, if I needed any more convincing of your extraordinary sense of good taste, that shot of your smoker was it. Looks very much like the New Braunfels smoker I've been using for many years here - and a model which the fools who bought out the company have discontinued. I grew up on barbecue which had been slow-smoked over oak for anywhere from 24 to 48 hours in huge pits; the only controversy was whether white oak or red oak made better tasting meat. It's been a challenge to duplicate that fabulous stuff in a small smoker, but I found one thing that works wonders on hefty pieces of meat such as whole briskets: cook the meat until it's starting to approach doneness (4 - 6 hours in that smoker), then pop it into foil (Reynolds Hot Bags, if you can find the elusive little buggers) for no more than 1-1/2 hours. That preserves the smokiness and crust, prevents the acid taste of over-smoking, makes a world of difference in the tenderness, but doesn't give the meat a boiled taste or texture - as long as you're very careful not to overdo the cooking time in foil. The result comes as close to the ambrosia of my childhood as anything I've ever had from a smaller smoker.
By the way, for sauce there's no substitute for a touch of hickory in the fire box. Anything else is just a side dish. One of the best of those is Pickapeppa Sauce (the brown version; I'm not even sure you can get the red any more). I didn't find decent barbecue meat yesterday in time to do the deed, but a brisket, two tri-tips, and a bunch of sausages are heading for the smoker this morning.

Johnno, grits is dried crushed corn (maize) yellow or white. "Grit" makes sense if you were to see the corn after it was crushed. It is gritty indeed. It is cooked in many different ways. One guy boils them soft and pours maple syrup on them.

Mike, have you ever had a Perdomo Reserve F Champagne? That's my favorite cigar from Perdomo.
You might also want to compare LilBrown's prices with what you're paying for the Lot 23

toss some "bourbon" in there too!

Although, I do apologize for contributing to this thread-jack ...