Sunday, March 11, 2007

Southern Bar-B-Que


"Have you tried Mesquite?" I asked.
"Yes and nobody liked it. Hickory is sweeter and mesquite can have cresote taste if you don't watch out," was the reply.
Was it from some Bar-B-Que God that this came from?
No. Well, let me rephrase that. Yes to me, he has the best. My first post on this discussed Bar-B-Que, but that was not from my father. No. That was from Buster's Bar-B-Que.
Tonight I had my dad's Bar-B-Que. Nothing has compared to my Dad's ever. Every slice of brisket doesn't taste right. Why? Maybe because in Texas they use Mesquite wood instead of Hickory, which my Dad uses. Or maybe its because he trims the fat. Or maybe because it was the first brisket I remember ever having.
I can never tell you a palate reason why I don't like Bar-B-Que establishments brisket. I have no valued reason. And no I'm not saying it's bad either. I just am biased. Its the fact that I've made a connection between my father and brisket.I don't remember, when exactly happened. Back in public school, I remember about getting in car and the comment from my father would be, "Jerry, I made your favorite tonight for dinner."
I'd light up. That meant brisket. That meant a good dinner. And at least a day worth of brisket in the fridge.
Nigella Lawson talked about nostaligic meals today on "Nigella's Bites," where she discussed foods that remind her over her family. For her it was bread pudding, soft-boiled eggs with asparagus spears, whitebait, and italian sausages with lentils. Which besides the bread pudding, I'd like to try. She had cooking journals from her grandmothers and mother. I was intrigued by this.
"You need to get your grandmother's recipe," my mother often suggests, when I tell her of my new endeavor.
Watching this episodes, made me think that maybe I should. My grandmother can make great pie crusts, rolls, and baked goods. Her recipes come from the grassroots, growing up on the farm and coming out of the Depression. She knows how to make egg noodles and I know how to make pasta. Really I should think about what my mother has suggested to me. Because my father learned things from my grandmother and I learned from my father.
But I hope, I can continue my dad's food legacy. With friends and neighbors, of course.
So what's your favorite home-cooked meal?

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