The SEC Forum at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

I'm extremely picky for BBQ.  Ten years of owning, working at, and occasionally seemingly living in, a BBQ restaurant in my youth, leaves me no room for tolerating bad or even average BBQ.  If it's not great, I don't bother with it.

whats the best wood for BBQ?

Hickory or Pecan or Mesquite

Im a hickory man

Being picky is a kind of curse I suppose, or maybe it's just having developed refined tastes.  Uh huh.

We had lunch at the local noodle place we're trying to support, but it's not looking good.  Places next door and across the street are slammed and we were the only diners at Silverlake Ramen.  I had kaarage chicken, which is excellent, maybe as good as Korean Fried Chicken.

The place next door is called The Sugar Factory, which sounds like a desert place but isn't.  We have not been except to stick our nose in when they opened.

Sugar Factory, Atlanta -

Strikes me as an overpriced overly popular chain.  There is an STK across the street which is an over priced steak house, but they have a decent "social hour".

There's a newish burger joint named Sam's of San Francisco near there that never seems to get any business.  We tried it, it was "OK".  I wonder if the guy is laundering money.  How long can a place stay in biz with almost no customers?

Burgers and Sandwiches, Beer and Wine - Samsofsf - Atlanta, Georgia

I was headed to the Indian place but forgot they are closed on Sunday, it's one of two very good Indian places in walking distance.

MENU — TABLA (tablaatlanta.com)

Too many options really, and no BBQ in walking distance.

Tuesday is our wedding anniversary and I made reservations at our local French place, which is quite good.

So this is what the SEC board is to become, huh?  Another forum for beer and brisket. 

Politics goes on the B1G board, food and drink went on the B12, silence goes on the PAC and ACC (where I've done most of my posting for the past several years), football went on the SEC.  Do we move football to the B12 or what? 

And which one do I go to for gardening tips, plant propagation, and to complain about my job? 

Whats that I cant hear ya with all the massive posting going on here

Somebody needs to wake this place up

See, I know good BBQ, but I still enjoy it if it's not great.  I'm not saying I enjoy it if it's a disaster, but we know the things that makes different types of BBQ imperfect....I guess I'm understanding.
If a brisket is a little dry and I know why, I can make an allowance for that and still enjoy it.  If ribs are a little blackened, I get it. 
.
The other day, I tried a new place (since I moved, I have lots of new places to try out) called Rudy's.  Like a few other places in Phx, it's technically a restaurant, but probably 75% of their business is people ordering meat by the pound as take-out.  They cook on-site, obviously, and keep each meat in a metal container to serve it up.  I ordered turkey and pulled pork sandwiches.  I love me some good turkey.  And fortunately, the turkey container was out, so I got a newly-off-the-smoker turkey, freshly sliced.
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Great pulled pork may have sauce mixed in (may) and shouldn't need any more added.  Theirs was pretty good, but better with a little sauce added on.  So again, it wasn't great, but I enjoyed it.

Rudy's is a chain that originated in Texas, just outside of San Antonio.  They have locations all over the state and country now, including several in Austin.  It's actually decent, and it's always hot and fresh down here in Texico, never in warming trays.  Pulled right off the pit and sliced in front of you.  In fact, many locations even have a "Cutter's Cam" that shows all activity occurring on the cutting board, and is displayed on a TV out in the line queue waiting area.

Rudy's is a chain that originated in Texas, just outside of San Antonio.  They have locations all over the state and country now, including several in Austin.  It's actually decent, and it's always hot and fresh down here in Texico, never in warming trays.  Pulled right off the pit and sliced in front of you.  In fact, many locations even have a "Cutter's Cam" that shows all activity occurring on the cutting board, and is displayed on a TV out in the line queue waiting area.

There's a Rudy's in Norman.  It is, as you say, decent.  But there's better BBQ in Norman.
It's where Lincoln Riley and Bob Stoops before him have done their weekly in-season radio shows.

There's a Rudy's in Norman.  It is, as you say, decent.  But there's better BBQ in Norman.
It's where Lincoln Riley and Bob Stoops before him have done their weekly in-season radio shows.

Well then obviously it sucks.


Yeah there's better BBQ than Rudy's in most towns where a Rudy's is located, but I'll give them credit for serving a very consistent product throughout the day, and across all geographic locations (that I've ever been to, anyway).

That kind of consistency is hard enough to get at one location, where you're only serving lunch.  But to have store hours from morning to night, and at dozens of chain locations across the states, and serve a consistent product, is pretty darn impressive.  They've got their process down pat.

I find in Texas that most BBQ joints, chain or local, have a pretty acceptable product.  Maybe not as good as you can do in your backyard, but good enough for me.  What's odd is that there aren't nearly as many BBQ places in Louisiana as I'd assume, given how many people like to eat BBQ.  Louisiana is overrun with Mexican restaurants these days.  Go figure.