Pork Hangover

Yes, that's what I woke up with on Sunday morning, well at least that's what I tell myself (the hangover was more likely due to the copious amounts of Resurrection, Raging Bitch, and Old Dominion Oak Barrel Stout, and Pipeline Porter that I consumed.) Nonetheless this is not a post about words and artful descriptions, it's more about a happy little shindig that I had the pleasure of hosting Saturday night.

I was uber-excited, it being my first barbecue of the season and all. Of course the date I chose for it had to be right smack in the middle of a horribly chill bout of weather, along with below freezing temperatures overnight. Fortunately, in the end I defeated the vile and corrupt Lord Jack Frost with my Kingston Charcoal Claymore enchanted with all things Fire and Brimstonish... What the hell am I talking about? I think what I'm trying to say is that I was able to successfully smoke my meat despite temperatures in the upper-20s. Yeah, that was it.

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Epic Meal Time

So a few weeks ago I was at work waiting in line with a few co-workers to get a free blood pressure test (116/67 and 45 bpm resting heart rate... Am I dead?) when another guy in line overheard us talking about food. We gotsa talkin' and he mentioned that we should check out Epic Meal Time on youtube. Well I'm just now getting around to it and I have to say it's pretty freakin' hilarious. Check it out. These guys make Man vs. Food look like Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee.

Well, I've got a huge barbecue to host, so I'd better go get on that. You want a little taste, do you? Alright, just a taste:

Micro--out.

The Stuff of Legends, right Boo?

It’s nights like two Fridays ago that fuel my love for all things food. Our dinner at Woodberry Kitchen simply couldn’t’ve gone any better. Well, that may be overdoing it a bit, but nonetheless this was an experience that left me seriously impressed and eager to return.

An old friend of mine from high school contacted me on FB out of the blue after my Emo post and said we should all get together for dinner sometime. Well, due to scheduling issues and such our plans got pushed back a few months, but she was finally able to secure us a table for 5 at 6:15 on a Friday in March. This was in early February. Woodberry was near the top of my list of places in Baltimore to check out and I’d heard nothing but rave reviews from friends and collegues so you can imagine how excited I was. But I held my expectations in check, and vowed to dine with an open mind.

I’d been checking their online menu weekly, and as the big day got closer I was sad to see a lot of the dishes I was looking forward to drop from their menu. I guess in this transitional period my heavy and rich winter favorites were making way for the coming of the light and fresh cuisine of Spring. Fortunately when we arrived the menu had in fact several decadent dishes that screamed winter. I was immensely pleased.

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Raleigh Day 4

Our third night in Raleigh was the one I was looking forward to the most: We had reservations at The Pit. After having pitmaster Ed Mitchell’s barbecue at The Big Apple BBQ Block Party this past May, I was super-excited to try his grub in his home digs. This was the first time we’d walked out of downtown and my co-workers definitely made a few comments about the sketchy scenery. I ensured them that the restaurant was just over the next hill, which, gladly, it was.

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Raleigh Day 3

Day 3 spent in Raleigh found us a little rushed. Class ended at 4:30 and Clyde Coopers Barbecue closed at 6pm. Luckily that day we got out of class on time and we had enough time to drop our stuff off at the hotel and walk one block to Coopers.

Besides one or two locals, we had the entire joint to ourselves, but the atmosphere couldn’t be beat. Now THIS was a barbecue joint. Too bad they don’t serve real barbecue, but more on that later. Being manly mens we were quick with our orders. I’m usually very indecisive, but when it comes to barbecue I know what I want. I ordered the ribs and chopped barbecue platter with Brunswick Stew and I allowed our server to select my second side, requesting whichever she thought was the best. She chose the coleslaw. Giddy up.

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