Celebrating the Barbeque Arts©

After MUCH deliberation, I’m going to start adding a BARBEQUE ARTS© score to my restaurant evals.  This will serve as an amplification of the classic KCBS Taste, Tenderness, Appearance rubric.

Every barbeque dish features elements of taste, tenderness, and appearance (TT&A).  The TT&A of barbeque is so highly specialized that a person could enjoy brisket or ribs with excellent TT&A, but still not savor the best the BARBEQUE ARTS© have to offer.  Example, I’ve had some wonderfully tender ribs, with a nice porky taste and a glossy, mahogany red sheen, but they lacked a strong smoke aroma and there was no perceivable rib rub.  My BARBEQUE ARTS© score will help you know how well a joint delivers the essence of great barbeque.

The BARBEQUE ARTS© score is based on four elements: Smoke, Smoke Ring, Bark, and Rib Rub.  The first three may seem redundant, but trust me, they’re not.  They’re interdependent.  Although it is possible to smoke meat without much sign of these three, it’s poor barbeque if even one or more are absent. 

Smoke is the degree to which aromatic wood smoke penetrates and flavors the meat.  This is largely a flavor component and no meat qualifies as “barbeque” without smoke.

Smoke Ring is the signature of effectual smoking – it’s a deep cordovan red layer between the Bark and the cooked meat.  Oddly, you can have a good smoke without a significant ring.  This is largely an appearance component, but it promises that smoke flavor is present.

Bark is the dense black layer or outer edge of the meat that has turned dark brown to black from a combination of smoke, heat, and the sugars in the Rib Rub.  Bark contributes to both taste and appearance.

Rib Rub – it’s not just for ribs!  Rib Rub is often the barbequer’s most well guarded secret.  Aromatic herbs orgying with sugars and salts make rib rub the special and spectacular addition to smoked meat.  When a joint’s food is “good enough to eat without sauce” it’s often because of the quality of the Rib Rub.  Rib Rub is traditionally used on brisket, burnt ends, pulled pork… and ribs!  Rib Rub creates dazzle to both the appearance and the taste of the ‘Q.

I expect all four quadrants of the BARBEQUE ARTS© to be present in great barbeque.  I’m not going to quantify each component in my reviews.  I think by my commentary you can figure out what’s present and what’s missing.  Besides the TT&A score (based loosely on the KCBS system) I’ll throw in an overall BARBEQUE ARTS© score – on a scale of 1 to 10.  I’m not going to very happy with a barbeque joint that can’t post up a seven or better.

For more detail on how the BARBEQUE ARTS© bless specific meat types, please see my Glossary & Standards page over at the static site.