The Quest for BBQ

I have loved BBQ since I was little. My grandmothers were from North Carolina and they made that delicious peppery-vinegar BBQ. Top it with some coleslaw on a squishy white bun and you were in heaven. My grandmothers have both passed but my mother carries on the tradition but with her own flair - gourmet buns, more hot sauce then my grandmothers would have thought proper and her own stellar coleslaw.

But as I grew older the saucy BBQ of Texas also caught me. That lovely beef with a slight carmelization and then doused with sweet and tangy sauce. Um....um...where am I? Oh yeah BBQ.

Vermont has amazing food. We do. Local...fresh...tasty. But a little lacking in spice. So when I heard of a new BBQ place in Waterbury opening up - I convinced M to take a ride. (it was really hard I tell you - "Hey want to go for BBQ?" *his eyes glazed over and he reached for the keys*.

The name of the place escaped me...I mean Waterbury ain't that big. The place proclaimed to have excellent BBQ and southern sides. We traveled to Waterbury and no luck. Thanks to M's web phone we found LocalFolk Smokehouse in Waitsfield. The place was a lovely dive for bikers. $2 dollar drafts - a bonus for M and quick service.

The menu read like a typical Smokehouse. Combo plates of ribs (pork), pulled pork, BBQ chicken. Sides - mac and cheese, baked beans, slaw. The decor was very divish and rustic - as they should be though my chair was a bit rickety and seeing as I was about to consume large amounts of BBQ made me nervous.

We started with grilled andouille sausage. M is a big sausage fan and for me it is a guilty pleasure after reading Upton Sinclair's The Jungle one too many times. "How many workers lost fingers in the making of this sausage?" The sausage was ok but I wanted more spice in mine. So - Grade C.

We ordered the Pork Ribs and the Pulled pork with Mac and Cheese, Baked Beans and Slaw. I missing one side and maybe M will help me out. Can we hear the WAWAHHHHH please?

No carmelization on the ribs or the pulled. The sauce was ok - tangy like I like it. But the ribs were tough not fall of the bone as is expected. The pulled pork was the better part of the meal but still lacked those lovely crispy bits. The side were poor. Greasy mac and cheese, so so baked beans, slaw that had NO seasoning - the cardinal sin!

We left disappointed. Good dive bar for a good beer and fun location but skip the food.

Luckily I found the name of the bbq place in Waterbury - Cider House BBQ. Stay tuned for Thrusday night's bbq adventure.

On the menu at home tonight - stuffed chicken breasts with goat cheese, baby spinach, sun dried tomatoes over salad greens.

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