I wrote this for the latest issue of Let’s Side. There is a lot of copying and pasting from online articles about trust in this because I thought it would be funny. Anyways yeah if you want to read about liquor and relationships then go ahead.
Anonymous asked: probably should have asked this earlier but what are you recs for eating and drinking in austin? i don't really trust anyone else with this.
Shit there are a lot but um here’s a quick list. Austin has lot of options
eating:
Picked up this bottle over the weekend. Alipus’ San Andres. Pretty affordable mescal with some nice flavors. It’s bright with some nice citrus and agave sweetness but comes back to some earthiness and alcohol. For like 40 bucks this shit is so worth swooping. You’d be advised to fuck with it.
I was suppose to get two boxes of beer from the homey MF Grocery in St Louis but Fedex decided to destroy one of the boxes. I still haven’t heard if anything survived but we’ll see. Dude hooked up the Perennial Ales giftbox for sure. I’m also juice at least some of hopslam has made the trip. I’m gonna have to bag this dude some nice shit in return, gonna try and send some westcoast beers his way real quick style.
Oh man this was a come up. I came across these via instagram, just happened to see some of these crazy looking bottles on Uproot Andy’s feed. The design of the bottles got me curious so I looked them up. Found their tumblr and an email so I figured what the hell lets see if I can find out where to cop. I get a response from Andrea at La Fiera that tells me they aren’t sold in the US but it just so happened that she’s coming to San Francisco and could bring me two bottles. Life is just kind of awesome like that sometimes. That’s when I remembered I was going to Austin for FunFunFunFest so I wouldn’t be around to meet up with her. I ended up hollering at my homie to do me a favor and grab these joints for me. After I got back we were finally able to link up for a little tasting session.
Both are joven mezcals from Guerrero, Mexico where they are using a Maguey Papalote which apparently is different from the agaves that you’ll find used in most of the Oaxacan mezcals. The one with the white top was from Ahuacotzingo and had a lot more nose. It was more floral and sweet in smell and taste. It was the more delicate of the two is really the best I could describe it as. The red top was from La Laguna in Chichihualco, Guerrero. That one was the stronger of the too, it had more warmth and a stronger fragrance. While I like both of these the red top was really the one I had kept going back too just because I preferred it’s more herbal flavor over the sweetness of the white. I just really like that kind of wild anise flavor that some mezcals have and this one was just subtle and strong enough to keep things interesting. The smokiness is always welcomed as well. I don’t know if it’s the bbq fiend in me but that’s one of my favorite things about mezcal’s flavor.
I do not know if or when these might become available in the US but damn I hope it’s soon. I’m not sure the price point either but these should be here because as far as flavor goes they can compete with some of the higher priced stuff sold in the US already. I suggest you follow them on twitter, facebook, instagram, tumblr all that shit because the more popular they are the easier it will be for me to drink their stuff.
This is what I spend my money on, but it did come with a temporary tattoo so that helps. Also I think I pretty much have to fuck with his rib recipe just too see how it plays out.
DJ Paul’s Smoked BBQ Ribs
Directions
1. Heat the grill to 220 degrees.
2. Let the ribs come up to room temperature, rinse in cold water and remove the membrane (white fatty film) from the back. To remove membrane, place ribs with meaty side down. Then insert a butter knife or an ice pick between the membrane and the meat at one end. Work your fingers around, under the membrane, to loosen it so you can get a grip on it. Gently begin peeling it off trying not to rip it. I like to use a paper towel to help me get a grip. You should be able to pull it all off in one long strip. Discard it.The membrane blocks the uptake of smoke and creates a barrier to your seasoning. Pat dry with paper towels.
3. Rub Award Winner DJ Paul’s BBQ Rub on both sides of ribs. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
4. Remove the ribs from the refrigerator 45 minutes before smoking to allow them to come to room temperature.
5. Combine the apple cider vinegar, water, and 6 Tbs of Award Winner DJ Paul’s BBQ Rub to create mop sauce.
6. Mix the hickory and mesquite wood chips in a disposable aluminum pan or smoker box. Place the smoker box/aluminum pan into the grill over the heat.
7. Once the wood chips start to smoke the grill is ready. Place the ribs directly on the rack on the cooler side of the grill (away from heat), meat side up. Smoke for 4 -12 hours, brushing ribs with the mop sauce every hour. (The longer you smoke, the more flavor you get.) During the last 15 minutes, remove the ribs and lightly coat with Award Winner DJ Paul’s BBQ Rub. Place the ribs over direct heat to crisp the meat. Turning each one every 5 minutes. Brush on Award Winner DJ Paul’s BBQ Sauce for the last 5 minutes.
8. Remove the ribs to a serving platter and serve.
DJ Paul’s fun tip: Add your favorite 12 oz beer to step 5 for a more flavorful mop sauce.
*Yield: 4 servings*
After hearing about Franklin’s Barbecue for a few years now I finally managed to sack the fuck up and roll down there. Nevermind seeing some friends go on a fat kid bbq tour of austin that really made me jealous but yeah it was time to man up. If you don’t know Aaron Franklin is one of the dudes really doing brisket proper, and I mean proper as fuck this dude’s brisket does not play. I’ve had a grip of brisket in my life, hell I grew up in Texas you couldn’t get away from it if you tried. Bad brisket sucks, it’s a motherfucker to chew and I hate it. Good brisket is nice, amazing brisket is harder to get but so worth it.
I hate lines but I didn’t want to chance them being sold out. If you show up at Franklin’s at 1 in the afternoon they probably won’t be serving. Dude sells out so buck the fuck up and get in line. They open at 11am Tues - Sun and it was the Friday of funfunfunfest. I’d seen some bands the night before but hadn’t gotten too crunk on beers so I got up early and manned up. I was in line at 9:30 am, this is not the time of day that I like to be outside but I did it because bbq is more important than me being around the daywalkers. A friend was gonna roll but he was up til 4am so I was rolling dolo.
There were about 25 people in front of me when I got there so I didn’t feel too bad. Figured fuck it, just stand here and listen to rap music and espn to pass the time. Well at about 10:45 the line was starting to hit the end of the parking lot so I instagrammed that bullshit. This was also when some one came out to let us know it would be about another 40 minutes or so. That’s when I said fuck time to start drinking beers. Dipped over the CVS across the street and swooped a six. I probably should have informed the people in line with me but I’m not concerned about them and I’ll get my spot back in line regardless, I don’t play doggie.
Anyways I got back in line and got to cracking beers by myself. Just about before noon they finally opened the doors and the line started moving inside. Half hour later I was at the counter and realized I had only 37 dollars in cash on me. Fuck, should have planned ahead. That’s when I saw a girl pay with a card so I made the decision to go in on this fucking bbq.
I ordered a combo plate of ribs and sausage, a pulled pork sandwich, 1lb of brisket (fatty, fuck lean cuts), 1lb of bbq turkey, sides were potato salad and beans. Oh and two coozies and a beer. I managed to somehow bring meat mountain to a table in one hand as I still had a 6pack I was holding that I was working through. Sat down with a pile of paper towels and got to fucking work.
Buried underneath the ribs was a nice juicy piece of brisket so that was a little surprise of awesome. I ate that whole plate with no sauce it was just so fucking tender and moist that it wasn’t worth my time to really go playing around with some sauces. Honestly until I started going face first into that pulled pork sandwich did I even think about because I wanted more vinegar in it. Really that sandwich was the only miss for me. I’m not a fan of mayonnaise coleslaws, fuck that shit. I’d rather have it clean and taste pork juice and vinegar with a touch of tomato stuff in it. Also I would have liked more bark in the pork too but that’s just nitpicking really.
What I was here for was the brisket anyways and that did not disappoint. This shit would fall apart every time I went to pick up a slice, it was so dope. No dryness, no gristly chewathons, just straight smokey tender beef awesomeness that wasn’t doing too much, just shining the way central Texas brisket should. Outside of some memories of brisket as a kid that are more based on nostalgia than flavor this may have been the best I’d had. Totally worth getting up and standing in line for all the bullshit.
Oh man I almost forgot about the turkey, that was the look too. So many times I’ve had to eat some fucked up ass dry bird by some over enthusiastic circle prayer cook that I just do not fuck with it unless it’s some Yucatan steez. This though was proper, tender, juicy and flavorful.
As for the sauces I did end up tasting those a day later with my left overs that were still knocking pictures off da wall. The coffee joint I’d heard about and some think it might be weird but it reminded me of a coffee stout, smokey with out that burnt flavor that fucks up stouts. It was nice, I kept going back to the tangy joint as I prefer some tang and some spice. It wasn’t hot enough for me but that wasn’t something a little hot sauce couldn’t fix.
Anyways yeah that’s my trip to this spot, dudes serving some block beaters up in austin, you’re advised to fuck with it. Go early and stand there with the rest of the motherfuckers, it’s worth the wait.
Yo these grits are legit, over the weekend I finally served some up and yeah man they are bangers. I’ve only ever really had quick grits so that’s what I was used to. Just flipping them joints to give them flavor. These joints though didn’t need much, little bit of butter is all I did for the first batch. They were sweeter and slightly nuttier than any other grits I’d have before. Texture was way better too. I wish someone sold these in SF otherwise I’m going to have to order bags of this shit every other month. There from Alabama and I decided to cop after seeing this video on Those Who Make.
McEwen & Sons True Grits from Jennifer Davick on Vimeo.
I’m a big fan of people doing things the old way. Fresh tortillas without preservatives just shit on that bullshit you get at the store, miss me with then Mission joints. Don’t even get me started on dry ass whole foods tortillas. Anyways the point is I appreciate that they are making their grits the way they do that’s legit and worth it. I’d rather have someone doing things the old way than having some dickhead in a lab coat trying to figure out how to get a longer shelf life and substitute flavor with perfumes and test tubes.
I haven’t even tested the cornmeal yet but I’m pumped for it off the strength.
I still write things that are longer than 200 words on my actual site sometimes. Been a minute but it does happen.
(Source: thetenssf)
