Spotting this one thing could mean the difference between mouthwatering meat and boring bland barbecue. Here are a few clues to detect some righteous 'que!
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00:00Spotting this one thing could mean the difference between mouth-watering meat and boring, bland
00:05barbecue.
00:06Here are a few clues to detect some righteous cue.
00:09There's some old wisdom about how to identify good barbecue restaurants, which says that
00:13three things will tell you all you need to know.
00:15First, the best barbecue places have gravel parking lots.
00:18Second, if a pork barbecue place has an anthropomorphic pig on its sign, the food will almost certainly
00:23be great.
00:24Third, any good barbecue joint will have burned down at least once during its time in business.
00:29If a place meets all three criteria, well, now you're cooking.
00:32Of course, there are many more serious ways of judging whether a barbecue joint is going
00:36to offer a satisfying meal.
00:38According to Garden & Gunn, who spoke to several experts, a gas-fired barbecue pit will often
00:43be a bad sign, as you should traditionally use wood smoke to impart flavor to the meat.
00:47Equally, great barbecue joints should feature something unique on the menu beyond your standard
00:51meaty fare.
00:52The publication lists smoked bologna or chicken stew as examples.
00:56Barbecue joints should also have a sense of place, meaning that Texas joints should
00:59serve brisket, South Carolina restaurants need a dash of mustard sauce, and North Carolina
01:03spots must always offer hushpuppies.
01:06You probably know that pitmasters take their barbecue craft very seriously, often spending
01:10countless hours and a lot of money perfecting their preferred cooking method.
01:14So if there's anyone qualified to determine what makes a real barbecue joint, it's Rodney
01:18Scott.
01:19I wish the people watching this at home could smell this place.
01:22It's unbelievable.
01:24It'd be smell-o-vision.
01:25An American chef and pitmaster from Hemingway, South Carolina, Scott specializes in whole
01:31hog barbecue.
01:32He opened his eponymous barbecue restaurant in 2017, Rodney Scott's BBQ, which Bon Appetit
01:38magazine later named one of the 50 best restaurants in the country.
01:41Scott was also awarded the James Beard Foundation's Award for Outstanding Chef Southeast in 2018.
01:47But his awards and achievements didn't stop there.
01:49After opening a second location of Rodney Scott's BBQ in Birmingham, Scott was inducted
01:54into the Barbecue Hall of Fame in 2021.
01:56Besides appearing on broadcast television many times over the last few years, Scott
02:00starred in Season 1, Episode 3 of the Netflix show Chef's Table BBQ.
02:05Even though Scott's specialty is whole hog barbecue, he later learned his way around
02:08several barbecue styles, so it's fair to say that this guy knows his stuff.
02:12Recently, Insider sat down with Scott and discussed the red flags surrounding poor-quality
02:16barbecue restaurants.
02:18The first things to look for in a barbecue joint, Scott told the outlet, is a pile of
02:22wood, smoke wafting around the place, or even the actual pits where barbecue is smoked.
02:26The important thing to figure out is whether the barbecue is cooked on site.
02:30If your eyes or your nose do not tip you off, Scott said, you should assess the location
02:34of the restaurant, determining whether it is located in a venue likely to have the space
02:38for smoking, along with a chimney or other equipment needed to vent smoke.
02:42If you are still unsure, Scott recommends walking by the restaurant and trying to catch
02:46the smell of meat cooking.
02:47For instance, a barbecue joint in an airport should instantly set alarm bells ringing.
02:52After all, how much smoke is an airport really going to allow on site?
02:55After that, you've got to wonder how and where that restaurant is cooking their meat.
02:59Not being able to see or smell a smoker also came up as a red flag in a Fox News feature
03:03on barbecue joints.
03:04Tuffy Stone of Virginia's Q BBQ told the channel that you should always look for a smoker either
03:09outside the main building or in a smokehouse located somewhere nearby.
03:13According to Scott, other warning signs include a menu offering an array of cue styles from
03:17different states, and any radical departure from classic side dishes such as coleslaw,
03:21baked beans, and potato salad.
03:23Avoid these pitfalls, however, and you should be in for a treat.