What barbecue will look like in the year 2320 (plus top news, events, & more)
In case you missed the news, The Smoke Sheet co-founder Ryan Cooper had some serious health issues arise last week that required emergency surgery and he will have a long road to recovery. Given this unfortunate situation, Ryan will be taking a (hopefully short) absence from The Smoke Sheet and we are immediately seeking new guest author submissions, so if you’d like to write for us, please get in touch.
This week’s guest introduction is by Ardie A. Davis, aka Remus Powers, a legend in the barbecue world. Davis is a well-respected barbecue writer, judge, and the founder of the American Royal International BBQ Sauce, Rub, & Baste Contest. He was inducted into the Barbecue Hall of Fame in 2016. In the article below, Davis imagines what barbecue will look like in the 24th century.
Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of changes in the barbecue world. Sometimes I like to imagine what this cuisine and culture will look like way down the road.
My current vision of barbecue 300 years from now is guided by the following beliefs:
The end of human life on Earth will be averted by means of: a) innovative food and energy production methods already in the works and b) ethical paradigm shifts in the geopolitical landscape premised on the interdependence of all life on the planet.
Humans will continue to make choices on the basis of perceived greatest reward for the least cost.
The “barbecue gene” in humans is primal and permanent.
The good news is that after many environmental and social crises, humankind will survive the next 300 years, thanks to technology, human ingenuity, and a strong instinct for survival. The sad news is that barbecue as we know it today will be extinct.
Here is author and legend Ardie Davis at swearing in of KCBS judges at the 2019 American Royal, which will likely look quite different in 300 years. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)
So what’s in store for traditional barbecue over the next 300 years?
Current agribusiness practices, after periods of revolutionary advances in planet-friendly methods of production and distribution will grow exponentially from the 22nd century forward, far outpacing today’s best practices.
Raising and slaughtering animals for human consumption will shift in the 22nd century to mass production of alternative meats superior to the best animal meat on the market today.
Vegan, vegetarian, carnivore, and omnivore will drop from common vernacular, referenced only in dictionaries of archaic words relating to bygone food history.
Barbecue, defined as “a bygone method of cooking animal meats with hardwood fire and smoke from prehistoric times up to the late 22nd century,” will be marketed in foods labeled “barbecue” that simulate the look, aroma, texture, and flavor of today’s best real barbecue.
Barbecue in the 24th century will be the product of external and internal pressures on global population size, composition, and distribution. These pressures include increased longevity, decreased birth rates, and a workforce of artificially intelligent, multi-talented robots.
Humans will have lifestyles and capacities beyond our imagination today. Traditional barbecue will be replaced with highly nutritious robotically prepared alternative meats that, thanks to food and flavor scientists, will look, smell, and taste exactly like today’s best barbecue, except that edible bones will rival meat in consumer preference.
The late Stanley Vestal, in his fascinating book, Rivers of America – The Missouri (1945), noted that paddling up the Missouri River, “in a thin skinned birchbark canoe was like trying to kill a porcupine with a toy balloon.” Predicting the state of barbecue 300 years from now bears comparison to that challenge.
Meanwhile, enjoy real barbecue now wherever you find it. “Get it while you can!”
This depiction of a meat, fire, and smoke event will seem primitive to the people of 2320. It will by no means represent “the first barbecue ever.” (Art by Alfred Jacob Miller / Wikimedia Commons)
Ardie A. Davis
Barbecue Writer, Judge, and Founder
Here are the top recent barbecue news stories from around the country:
The crew from Tejas Chocolate & Barbecue took first place at this past weekend’s Austin vs Houston Throwdown 2019.
This past weekend, many of the top barbecue joints in both Austin and Houston competed at the Austin vs Houston Throwdown 2019 (#ATXvsHOU2019). Congrats to Tejas Chocolate & Barbecue in Tomball, which won first place overall from the judges for their sausage-stuffed smoked quail. The team from the Eaker Barbecue food truck in Houston won the people’s choice award for their smoked beef rib on white rice.
A new list from The Washington Post names the 10 best barbecue joints in the D.C. area for 2019, with Texas Jack’s, Federalist Pig, and Hill Country Barbecue Market making up the top three.
Weber has officially announced details on their much-anticipated pellet grill, the SmokeFire, which will go on sale in early 2020. The SmokeFire will have two models: a 24-inch long grill for $999 and a 36-inch grill for $1,199. Pre-orders start on December 2 in the U.S.
CultureMap Houston has done a great job of chronicling good barbecue joints in the Houston area. In a new article, they let you know about nine joints that made the cut on CultureMap’s list of the 100 best Houston-area restaurants.
Wilber's Barbecue, one of North Carolina's most famed barbecue restaurants, will soon reopen. The joint has been sold to a group of local investors known as Goldpit Partners and is now expected to reopen in spring 2020.
Sad news for Nashville-area BBQ fans: Hog Heaven will be closing its doors after 30 years in business. They announced on Facebook that they will close by the end of the month and a different barbecue joint may take over their space.
Texas Monthly’s Daniel Vaughn visited Houston’s Candente and International Smoke recently and tried some unique racks of ribs that feature “flavors not often found in barbecue joints.”
The Houston Chronicle’s J.C. Reid writes that barbecue joints are beginning to add dishes such as gumbo, chili, and soups to their menus when the weather turns cold. He notes that Buck’s Barbeque in Galveston and Gatlin’s BBQ in Houston both have particularly good gumbo worth trying.
Barbecue is getting hot in Minnesota’s Twin Cities. A new brick-and-mortar version of popular BBQ food truck The Hickory Hog opens this week in the village of St. Anthony, the Pioneer Press reports.
The Buffalo News had some very kind recent words about When Pigs Fly, a barbecue joint that sits between Buffalo, New York and Erie, Pennsylvania off Interstate 90.
The Las Vegas Strip is getting a new barbecue option with Smoke & Sizzle Barbecue, which will soon open inside the Caesars Palace Forum Food Court, Eater Las Vegas reports.
Wilson’s Bar-B-Q, an old-school, beloved barbecue joint in Pittsburgh for 50 years, recently burned down in a terrible fire, but the local community is raising money to help the joint rebuild.
Finally, it’s time to mark your calendars next year for The Jack. The famed Jack Daniel’s Annual World Championship Invitational Barbeque 2020 has been moved to a new weekend date: Saturday, October 10. The Kansas City Barbeque Society announced the big change on Facebook.
Here are BBQ shows, podcasts, or books you should check out this week:
One of the newest episodes of BBQuest visits several top BBQ joints in Texas’ Hill Country.
Watch: BBQ Joints In Texas’ Hill Country - BBQuest
Barbecue enthusiast and native Texan Kelsey Pribilski is on a quest to find secret menu items at some of the best barbecue joints in Texas. This episode has Kelsey searching for local flavors in the Texas Hill Country region, with the help of local guide Kevin Fink, chef at Emmer & Rye in Austin. They visit The Switch in Dripping Springs, BlackBoard Bar-B-Q in Boerne, and Buzzie's Bar-B-Q in Kerrville. Watch here.
Listen: The History of Kansas City Barbecue - Chew Diligence
Barbecue is undeniably part of “how Kansas Citians think about themselves.” It’s a point of pride and shapes our city’s story. This time on Chew Diligence, hosts Lindsay and Jill sit down with three men extremely knowledgeable in the birth of Kansas City barbecue to learn about its roots. Listen to the episode here.
Read: Thanksgiving: How to Cook It Well - by Sam Sifton
From one of America’s finest food writers, the former restaurant critic for The New York Times, comes a definitive, timeless guide to Thanksgiving dinner — preparing it, surviving it, and pulling it off in style. From the planning of the meal to the washing of the last plate, Thanksgiving poses more — and more vexing — problems for the home cook than any other holiday. In this smartly written, beautifully illustrated, recipe-filled book, Sam Sifton, the Times’s resident Thanksgiving expert, delivers a message of great comfort and solace: There is no need for fear. You can cook a great meal on Thanksgiving and have a great time. Buy it here.
GrillsGiving is a unique Texas-based BBQ event happening this Saturday.
November 23: GrillsGiving - San Antonio, Texas
GrillsGiving is a community-wide barbecue cook-off, music festival and fundraiser. BBQ teams and guests enjoy a festival-like atmosphere, kids’ activities and entertainment along the banks of the Mission Reach. Net proceeds from GrillsGiving benefit the Residential Energy Assistance Partnership, which provides financial assistance to help the elderly, medically dependent and low-income families with young children with their utility bill. More info here.
December 6-8: North Texas Fair & Rodeo BBQ Cookoff - Denton, Texas
The 3rd Annual North Texas Fair & Rodeo BBQ Cookoff, benefiting the North Texas Fair Association Scholarship and the Robert Bell Memorial Scholarship, will include an SCA Steak Cookoff, High School "HSBBQ" Cookoff, IBCA Barbecue Cookoff, CASI Chili Cookoff, games, and much more. More info here.
December 27-28: Arizona National BBQ Stampede - Phoenix, Arizona
The Arizona National BBQ Stampede is a special event brought to you by the Arizona National Livestock Show in collaboration with the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS). Teams will be able to enter the competition to earn points at the first event of the KCBS competition season. More info here.
January 1: Fired Up Florida Kosher BBQ Battle - Boca Raton, Florida
The Jay Feder Jewelers Fired Up Kosher BBQ Battle and Festival will be held on January 1st, 2019 at the South County Regional Park in Boca Raton, Florida from 1:00-5:00 pm. The event will include a barbecue competition, food for sale, and family activities. Proceeds will help support Hadar High School for Girls. More info here.
January 17-18: Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge - Bullhead City, Arizona
The 6th annual Slab-O-Rama is a large KCBS-sanctioned competition that will invite teams to compete in eight categories over two days. Outside of the competition, there will be something for everyone including a winter beer garden, vendors, live music, line dancing, a Bloody Mary bar, and more. More info here.
January 18: Beer, Bourbon, & BBQ Festival - Brooklyn, New York
The 10th Annual Beer Bourbon & BBQ Festival is leaving Manhattan after a decade and heading to Brooklyn. A ticket buys you access to tasting great local barbecue from NYC, hot sauce samples, and tons of spirits and craft beers. The event’s signature “Beast Cage” will be back too with exotic smoked meats, including alligator, lamb, bison, longhorn rounds, and much more. The Smoke Sheet’s Sean Ludwig will be at the event, so if you go, be sure to say hello. More info here.
February 27-29, 2020: Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Bar-B-Que Contest - Houston, Texas
More than 250 teams, led by barbecue aficionados, compete in the World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest. While most team tents are invitation-only, visitors can enjoy several public venues, including The Garden, Rockin' Bar-B-Que Saloon, and the Chuck Wagon. Activities include live music, rides, games, and more and visitors will receive a complimentary sliced brisket plate with chips and beans. More info here.
See the full Smoke Sheet events calendar online here.
Smoked turkey beats oven roasted turkey any day.
Whole Smoked Turkey by Meat Church
Just in time for Thanksgiving, it’s time to get serious about upping your turkey game. Matt Pittman from Meat Church has you covered our Recipe of the Week with his take on smoked turkey. In it, he’ll talk about brining, removing the backbone, and smoking it to add more flavor to your turkey, which will impress your friends and family. View the recipe here.
If you’re not already subscribed to The Smoke Sheet, sign up here. Want to be featured in or sponsor this newsletter? Email us now!