Category: Reviews

Thu Sep 2, 2010

Famous Dave's Texas Pit BBQ Sauce

Famous Dave's Texas Pit BBQ Sauce

Sauce Stats

Name
Texas Pit
Produced by
Famous Dave's
Ingredients
Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Tomato Paste, Distilled Vinegar, Sugar, Mustard, Worcestershire Sauce Concentrate, Salt, Spices, Modified Food Starch, Paprika, Chili Peppers, Dehydrated Onion, Lemon Juice Powder, Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sobrate, Citric Acid, Dehydrated Garlic, Xanthan Gum, Caramel Color
Color
Opaque orange-red
Meatwave Rating
3
out of 10
Only in a Pinch
More Sauce Reviews


Read the full review after the jump >>

Thu Aug 19, 2010

Sauced: Bone Suckin' Sauce

Bone Suckin' Sauce

Sauce Stats

Name
Bone Suckin' Sauce
Produced by
Bone Suckin' Sauce
Cost
Ingredients
Tomato Paste, Apple Cider Vinegar, Honey, Molasses, Mustard, Horseradish, Lemon Juice, Onions, Garlic, Peppers, Natural Hickory Smoke Flavor, Natural Spices, Salt & Xanthan Gum
Color
Transparent light red
Meatwave Rating
9
out of 10
Doesn't Get Much Better Than This
More Sauce Reviews


Read the full review after the jump >>

Thu Aug 5, 2010

Sauced: KC Masterpiece Smoky Bourbon

KC Masterpiece Smoky Bourbon

Sauce Stats

Name
Smoky Bourbon
Produced by
KC Masterpiece
Cost
Appx. $2.50 for 18 oz.
Ingredients
Tomato puree, high fructose corn syrup, water, molasses, cider vinegar, vinegar, modified food starch, bourbon, salt, less than 1% of: spices, natural hickory smoke flavor, dried onion, dried garlic, natural flavors, xanthan gum, caramel color, tumeric, paprika extracts
Color
Deep, dark brown
Meatwave Rating
2
out of 10
Not Worth It
More Sauce Reviews


Read the full review after the jump >>

Thu Jul 22, 2010

Sauced: Butterscotch Bourbon Sauce

Blackjack Barbecue Butterscotch Bourbon Sauce

Sauce Stats

Name
Butterscotch Bourbon Sauce
Produced by
Blackjack Barbecue
Cost
$6.99 at BBQ Pro Shop
Ingredients
Ketchup, butterscotch, bourbon, white vinegar, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, soy, dry mustard, black pepper
Color
Smokey light red
Meatwave Rating
7
out of 10
Pretty Damn Good
More Sauce Reviews


Read the full review after the jump >>

Mon Jul 12, 2010

Meatopia: An Ode to NYC Barbecue

Meatopia

For years I've always looked forward to drooling over the meaty masterpieces that come out of food writer extraordinaire Josh Ozersky's birthday parties, appropriately dubbed Meatopia. Sinful amounts of meat, each one looking more delicious than the next, it's like a long lost twin of the Meatwave. So when I first found out that Meatopia was expanding from private birthday party to all out meat festival this year, my enthusiasm was unbridled. I quickly bought two six-tasting tickets, and before I knew it, I was setting sail to Governor's Island, hoping to return with a belly full of some of the best meats NYC has to offer.

Prior to arrival, what excited me most was that the event was being branded as "NYC BBQ." As convoluted as the way us northerners use the term "barbecue," so is what's considered barbecue in NYC now-a-days.

Meatopia

It wasn't long ago that New Yorker's best hope for good barbecue was the annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party. Leading up to and following the first Block Party, there were only a handful of restaurants serving true barbecue, most focused on the imitation of a distinct regional style from somewhere else in the country. As we got comfortable in our barbecue skin, and with the usual ribs and brisket territories well covered, barbecue in the city seemed to quickly go to no-holds-barred—as long as it's smoked or grilled, it can be barbecue in New York. Large swaths of country probably cringe at this, but I'm in the business of embracing it, which is why Meatopia was so exciting. I thought of it as a State of Barbecue in NYC, which has room on its plate for everything from La Caja China roasted pigs to smoked duck tacos.

It's unfortunate that the event ended up being a less than ideal setting for getting the best NYC barbecue fix possible, mostly due to a few shortcomings. I'm dubious of any new event, as it usually takes a couple years to really work out the kinks, and Meatopia was not safe from those first-year mishaps.

Meatopia

I started getting nervous about the crowds when we had to wait 45 minutes on a hella long line to board the ferry over. Once there, I was actually surprised with the organization— tickets were being handed out quickly based on last name, and much like the fast pass at the Big Apple Barbecue Block party, the Meatopia passes eliminated the need to bust out cash for que, which keeps lines rolling.

After a lap around the event, where not all the stalls were exactly where the map said they should be, the three of us decided to divide and conquer. While the lines were long, it only took 15 minutes for use to reconvene and dive into our first three samplings. With a taste of what's to come, we quickly went off for our next three plates, but by this time—around 2pm—some of our must-haves were already gone. We settled on a few alternative items, then went off for round three. Now it was about 2:45pm and it seemed as if at least half of the vendors were sold out, thee-hours into the event with 2 hours to go. Those still with meat started to have lines prohibitive for the less patient.

I convinced my band of now un-merry men and women to stick it out for one more round, where we waited on now half-hour lines to get food that didn't hold the most interest to us. After that round, and over two hours in the heat and a little rain, my crew was done, and I relented and headed back to the ferry with two tastings still available on my ticket.

It seems that despite a great effort in organization, New Yorkers' insatiable hunger for meat was underestimated. Even so, in the two and half hours I was there, I sampled eleven different tasty meats, even if they weren't all my number one choices.

So what's NYC BBQ today? Here's small tasting that was dictated mainly by supply and demand.

More after the jump >>
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