One weekend in October, some of the nation's top young pit masters gathered on a pig farm just outside Durham, N.C., to participate in an event called the N.C. Barbecue Revival.
On undulating farmland, the cooks, veiled in wood smoke, tended their creations while Duroc and Berkshire pigs trundled freely in the surrounding woods. Without setting out to, these pit masters -- they're all in their 30s and opened their places in just the past few years -- were making a statement: the next generation of barbecue has arrived.
Tyson Ho of Brooklyn's Arrogant Swine slow smoked a lamb, which he would season with fermented red chiles, fennel and Sichuan peppercorns. John Lewis of Lewis Barbecue in Charleston, S.C., prepared gargantuan beef short ribs. Bryan Furman of B's Cracklin' Barbeque in Atlanta and Savannah, Ga., kept a watchful eye on several glistening beef briskets. In the past, such contributions would be shunned as invasive species in pork country.
Meanwhile, Sam Jones, the scion of a prominent North Carolina barbecue family, and Wyatt Dickson, who helped organize the event, supervised the cooking of a trench-cooked whole hog.
The hog was a reminder of where barbecue had come from, while the other offerings showed where it was going.
Elliott Moss, a co-owner and pit master at the retro-modern Buxton Hall BBQ in Asheville, N.C. was cooking Brussels sprouts seasoned with cider vinegar, onions and garlic in a wok over a wood fire in a burn barrel. The coals from the burned wood were shoveled beneath the hog in the trench. Drippings from the hog then flavored pots of vegetables, a technique Moss uses at his restaurant.
At his restaurant, the Smoked Pimento Cheese appetizer modernizes the traditional Southern dish by using smoked cheese and fermented red bell pepper, which replaces the pimento. "It adds an extra layer of umami," he said.
It's hard to imagine an older generation of pit masters throwing around the word "umami." But the Revival, so-named to reclaim a cuisine once seen as dying in the state, was intended to showcase the up-and-comers, new lingo and all. (Full disclosure: I moderated a panel at the event.)
"I feel like I'm a steward of North Carolina barbecue," Dickson said. "It's an extremely large part of our culture. So, I want to respect tradition but not let tradition blind you, which is something that can happen in the South."
Dickson is the pit master at Picnic, a barbecue restaurant in Durham that opened in 2014. He co-owns the business with chef Ben Adams and financial adviser-turned-farmer Ryan Butler. Together, they epitomize some of the new approaches.
Butler owns the pig farm where the Revival took place. He pasture-raises the heritage hogs that Dickson smokes. Adams creates a mix of traditional and upscale side dishes -- think Brunswick stew and marinated kale salad. Dickson smokes the whole hog in a heavy-gauged, double-walled steel pit completely unlike traditional brick pits.
"I knew I couldn't stand there, chained to the pit, with a shovel in my hand 24 hours a day," Dickson said. "That's why North Carolina barbecue was dying out. Nobody wants to pick that shovel up. They've seen that lifestyle and they've said, 'No, thank you.' I wanted to find a way to make this more sustainable. Sometimes you have to change to stay around."
The upscaling of barbecue is an urban phenomenon. In a December article of Texas Monthly, the magazine's barbecue editor, Daniel Vaughn, called the trend "Big City Barbecue" and opined that "the new region is the internet."
The Revival was a natural extension of that region-less idea. I call the approach "citified." Traditionally, the best barbecue in Texas and the Carolinas was found in the rural areas. Now, the cities are matching, sometimes besting, their country cousins.
Whether it's experimental or high-end traditional, many observers have noted the emergence in recent years of pricey barbecue. The cost isn't just in dollars.
Urban newcomers often talk about the importance of barbecue as community. But their higher prices have put the historically cheap fare out of the reach of the regular working stiff. That, in turn, has pretty much consigned the sense of a broader community to nostalgia. Years ago, it was hard to find a story about barbecue that didn't include a paragraph about doctors and lawyers sitting next to plumbers and house painters, of beat-up Chevy pickups parked next to new Mercedes. Now? They're partly about the hipster customer base, but mainly they're just about the food.
This year, Houston Chronicle barbecue columnist J.C. Reid wrote, "In many ways, the millennial generation I've observed is good news for the future of barbecue."
He cited several pit masters, among them 29-year-old Laura Loomis at Two Bros. BBQ in San Antonio. "You picture a pit master with leather skin and all that," she said. "Now, it's just younger kids. It's really cool. We talk about how we want to get together and maybe do a festival in a year or two. Because we're new, it's like, 'Can they do it?'"
Two Bros. BBQ uses six wood-fueled offset pits. The menu skews traditional, but the cherry-glazed baby back pork ribs break with the Texas norm of no sauces or glazes.
"We try to offer something for everyone," Loomis said.
Transformation is underway in the Kansas City, Mo., area, as well.
Mark Kelpe is co-owner of Char Bar Smoked Meats & Amusements in
Kansas City. Although he is 48, the restaurant is aimed squarely at millennials. In addition to a bocce court, full-size croquet course, two outdoor ping-pong tables and a large fire pit, the menu offers a range of vegetarian options.
"When we set out to create a barbecue concept, we were very wary," Kelpe said. "We were treading carefully because we are in Kansas City and it's filled with world-class barbecue restaurants. We decided we were going to do a Southern-inspired smokehouse, with something different. I wanted to make sure the barbecue was relevant to 2014 and 2015, especially millennial diners."
The star of Char Bar's vegetarian offerings is a pulled jackfruit sandwich with melted provolone and fried jalapenos. Jackfruit is a large, sweet, nubby-shelled fruit that is native to South and Southeast Asia. The canned version of unripe jackfruit comes in chunks and, when cooked, replicates the mild flavor and texture of pulled pork.
There were no jackfruit sandwiches at the N.C. Barbecue Revival dinner. Patrons did, however, dine on appetizers of grilled oysters and smoked mullet before wandering from one station to the next to try sides that included an Asian take on collard greens, marinated shrimp with pickled vegetable salad and those wood-cooked cider vinegar Brussels sprouts. At the tables serving the luscious brisket, spicy lamb and juicy beef short ribs, the servers were the pit masters themselves, who will help shape barbecue for years to come.
Cherry-Glazed Baby Back Ribs
For the rub:
3 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon granulated onion
1 tablespoon ground ancho pepper
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
For the glaze/sauce:
1 cup cherry preserves
6 ounces tart cherry juice
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter
1 chipotle pepper in adobo (from a can), diced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (2 1/2-pound) rack baby back ribs
Special equipment: 1 cup apple, pecan, oak or cherry wood chips or 6 fist-size chunks (soak in water for 30 minutes before placing in smoker)
In a bowl, whisk together the paprika, salt, garlic, onion powder, onion, ground ancho, brown sugar and the peppers. Set aside.
In a saucepan over medium heat combine the cherry preserves, cherry juice, lemon zest and juice, Worcestershire sauce, cinnamon, butter, diced chipotle, salt and pepper, stirring until well incorporated. Once the mixture begins to bubble at the edges, reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, to form a slightly thickened sauce. Transfer to a food processor; puree until smooth.
Coat both sides of the ribs with the rub, working it into the meat. (You may have some rub left over.)
Prepare the grill for indirect heat. If using a gas grill, turn the heat to high.
Drain the chips and put them in a smoker box or foil packet poked with a few fork holes to release the smoke; set it between the grate and the briquettes, close to the flame. When you see smoke, reduce the heat to medium (375 to 400 degrees). Turn off the burners on one side.
If using a charcoal grill, light the charcoal or briquettes; when the briquettes are ready, distribute them on one side of the grill. For a medium fire, you should be able to hold your hand 6 inches above the coals for 6 or 7 seconds. Drain the chips and scatter them over the coals. Have ready a spray water bottle for taming any flames.
Set the rack of ribs meat side down directly over the coals; grill for 5 minutes, then turn them over (bone side down) and repeat. Move the ribs to the cool side of the grill, bone side down. Close the lid. Smoke the meat until it is browned and tender, 3 to 31/2 hours. In the last half hour, baste the meat with the cherry glaze every 7 to 10 minutes.
Use tongs to transfer the ribs to a cutting board; let them rest for about 10 minutes before cutting them apart between the bones.
Pile onto a platter. Serve warm, drizzled with more of the glaze.
Makes 2 to 4 servings.
Smoked Pimento Cheese
12 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
4 ounces smoked mild cheddar, shredded
2 tablespoons finely diced roasted red bell pepper
1/2 cup PLUS 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon spicy whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon hot sauce such as Texas Pete hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
In a large mixing bowl, combine the extra-sharp cheddar, smoked cheddar, roasted red bell pepper, mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, hot sauce, black pepper, herbes de Provence and garlic and onion powders, stirring until well incorporated. Serve with crackers or toast points, or as a sandwich filling.
Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Makes about 3 1/2 cups.
Recipe adapted from Buxton Hall BBQ Book of Smoke by Elliott Moss
This deeply smoky sandwich is the popular alternative to pulled pork at Char Bar Smoked Meats & Amusements in Kansas City.
Jackknife Sandwiches
2 (14-ounce) cans young green jackfruit packed in water or brine (see note)
1/4 cup any barbecue seasoning blend
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups canola oil, for frying
2 jalapeno peppers, sliced into 1/4-inch or 1/2-inch coins
1/2 cup any barbecue sauce
4 hamburger or brioche buns
2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 (1-ounce) slices provolone cheese
Flesh of 1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced
Special equipment:
1 cup of apple, pecan, oak or cherry wood chips, or about 6 fist-size chunks (soak in water for 30 minutes before placing in the smoker)
Prepare the grill for indirect heat. If using a gas grill, turn the heat to high. Drain the chips and put them in a smoker box or foil packet poked with a few fork holes to release the smoke; set it between the grate and the briquettes, close to the flame. When you see smoke, reduce the heat to medium-high (450 degrees). Turn off the burners on one side.
If using a charcoal grill, light the charcoal or briquettes; when the briquettes are ready, distribute them on one side of the grill. For a medium-hot fire, you should be able to hold your hand 6 inches above the coals for 4 or 5 seconds. Scatter the wood chips over the coals. Have a spray water bottle at hand for taming any flames.
While the coals are getting ready or the gas grill is heating, drain and thoroughly rinse the jackfruit. Pat dry. Coat the jackfruit with the barbecue seasoning blend.
Whisk together the buttermilk and egg in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornmeal, salt, garlic, cayenne and black pepper.
Line a plate with a few layers of paper towels.
Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.
Meanwhile, dip the jalapeno coins in the milk mixture and then lightly coat them in the flour mixture.
Once the oil shimmers, carefully drop the jalapeno slices one by one into the hot oil; fry for about 3 minutes or just until golden brown, turning as needed. Drain on the paper-towel lined plate.
When the grill is ready, set the jackfruit on the indirect side of the fire. Close the lid and smoke the jackfruit for about 40 minutes, until it has shrunk slightly and has browned lightly around the edges.
Transfer jackfruit to a platter, then use two forks to pull apart into shreds. The yield is a bit more than 4 cups. Transfer the jackfruit to a bowl and add the barbecue sauce, stirring to coat evenly. Cover loosely to keep warm.
Brush the cut sides of the buns with melted butter. Grill or toast in a skillet, buttered sides down, until golden.
Arrange the toasted buns on a baking sheet. Divide the smoked, sauced jackfruit among the bottom buns. Top each one with a slice of the provolone. Place under the broiler or return to the grill and cover just long enough to melt the cheese.
Finish each sandwich with avocado slices, the fried jalapeno coins and the top buns.
Makes 4 servings.
Note: Look for canned jackfruit at Asian grocers and natural food stores.
Adapted from a recipe provided by Char Bar Smoked Meats & Amusements in Kansas City, Mo.
Food on 06/14/2017