Let’s Talk Hawg

DISCLAIMER
his post is all about BBQ which means it’s all about meat which means it might not appeal to you.
That’s why I don’t have a picture.
I looked for a picture of a hawg, but really, all of the pictures were of cute little piggies.
Deep down, I felt bad about that.
Sorry.

I would like to take a moment from your day to discuss BBQ/BarBQ/Barbecue/Heaven on a plate/MEAT… whatever you want to call it, I’d like to discuss it.

You see, BBQ is very important to someone from Texas.  I might even go as far as to say it had it’s own place on the food pyramid.  Some people even consider eating good BBQ a religious experience (if you’ve been to Black’s Barbecue in Lockhart, TX then you probably agree).  No matter your opinion, some smoked meat with white onions, pickles an white bread is good eatin’!

I was lucky in my move to Fayetteville, AR.  BBQ is plentiful there and you get a good mix of origins.  Texas is represented with beef and sausage, KC has their representation, the dry rub movement from Memphis has a good showing, Pulled Pork from out east is just about on every menu and a few places have vinegar and white sauces from the Carolinas.  You might even say my move to Arkansas dramatically expanded my BBQ pallet.

I even started eating that stuff on a baked potato.

Scandalous, I know!

Enter a move to Portland, OR.  This town is a foodies dream!  It has so many local, unique restaurants that the Sweet Boy and I have a heck of time picking out a place for dinner.  Do we want Ethiopian food tonight?  Lebanese?  Indian?  Italian?  Burgers?  Pizza?  If pizza which kind of pizza?  Chicago style?  Wood fired?  Brick oven?  New York style?!?!  I hate to say it, but it’s maddening.

What there isn’t, however, is a plethora of BBQ.  At least, not that I can tell.  Sure sure, there are BBQ places scattered throughout.  But upon further inspection at work (i.e. – asking around to see what places come recommended), it seems as though many places might not be worth the swipe of our debit card.  Thankfully, though, two places have risen to the top of the recommended places to go list.  Podnah’s Pit BBQ and Russell Street BBQ.

So here’s my challenge to myself (written in 3rd person to actually sound like someone is challenging me, but not to sound like I’m crazy):  Don’t be scared of the new BBQ places.  Go eat there.  See what Portland has to offer when it comes to smoked meats.  Write reviews about it here on the blog.  Surely, between the two of you, you can be a good judge of quality BBQ.  Don’t crinkle your nose just because the pulled pork sandwich is $12 here when you could have got it for $4 back in Arkansas.

Guys, HAWG is pricey here.

The End.

NO WAIT – not the end.  I’d like to expand on that.  Did you know the cheap bacon I used to buy back home is almost $7 here?  I could have bought thick slab, peppered fancy bacon for that price in Arkansas.  They have valuable pigs in the Northwest.

Now it’s The End.

NO WAIT – still not the end.  Help me chose which BBQ place to try first.  Shall I go to Podnah’s Pit BBQ and see how Texan they really are or check out Russell Street BBQ first because they have a cute little piggy on their logo?  Podnah’s website looks a bit hipster whereas Russell Street does not… but who am I kidding?  They are both in Portland.  I’m sure both are equally hipster.  I’ll just pick one.  And ignore the hipsters because hipsters and BBQ don’t fit on the same puzzle in my world.

Okay, really, this time… The End.