Posted on 08/24/2015 1:30:34 PM PDT by Albion Wilde
The US is in the midst of a barbecue boom. But as television programmes and restaurants celebrate mostly white pitmasters, are the cuisine's African-American roots being forgotten?...
...the Brantleys have enjoyed a great deal of success with their traditional St Louis-style barbecue. There are lines out the door, as well as accolades from both local and national media...
But things aren't as good as they used to be. Daryle once had three locations and sold the sauce bottled at local supermarkets - today he only has the original shopfront.
The decline happened as factory jobs left St Louis and the recession of the 1990s took its toll. Once the outlook improved and he wanted to expand or make improvements, he found no bank would loan to him.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
My buddy worked in a charming delicatessen/country store and it was the first time any of us saw Stubb’s sauces, on the shelves in that store. The label features his pictures and the slogan, “Ladies and Gentlemen, I am a Cook”, but we quickly rephrased it “Ladies and Gentlemen, I be a Cook!”
Black BBQ has a long and unique history, born of poverty and necessity.
When I saw that video of those guys in Florida, I felt like signing them up for the BBQ sauce of the month club and sending them a huge smoker so they could do brisket non-stop and piss off their neighbor.
Meshack’s bbq in Garland may be the best I’ve ever had.
They close when they run out of meat; I was the very last customer once, at 5pm, and boy were the folks behind me mad!
Pretty sure their shack is a Conex container.
Thank you for your comments. If you wouldn’t mind elaborating, I would appreciate it.
Do you have firsthand knowledge of the history of BBQ as it relates to slavery and it’s origins?
That’s the name.
I am not referring to slavery but rather the post slavery period.
I talk to old people. They are a fount of knowledge. I seek to capture that knowledge.
One thing about old white Southern people: They lived closely and intimately with black people. They rubbed elbows.
They have a lot of stories about the old days and the old ways.
One neighbor lady’s family were farmers. She said every year her family planted a plot way off in the corner with winter squash and the like specifically for their poor black neighbors to take, because they knew the blacks were poor and wanted to help them.
You don’t hear about stuff like that anymore.
She also said when they killed a cow the blacks only bought the cheap parts.
“The second best pulled pork is a place north of Tyler on I-20. I can’t remember the name of it. The pit master is black. He knows just the right amount of fat to mix into the sandwich. We’re looking forward to going out of our way to stop there in a few weeks on our way to Oklahoma.”
can you at least give more detail on location as I travel through that area.
““Black students who graduated in 1992–93 school year had an overall default rate that was over five times higher than white students and over nine times higher than Asian students.”
In Texas, the legislators are intentionally getting blacks to fail as they mandate a certain number of blacks into the public university system in the name of ‘diversity’(but is actually affirmative action).
Blacks with low SAT scores are allowed enrollment if they graduate in the top 10% of high school class, in preference to much better qualified non-blacks.
No surprise what happens: a lot of the weaker students are weeded out in the first year and those better qualified students who had to attend another school the first year finally can come in to replace the failures.
This is unabashed racism and discrimination by our Texas legislators.
Seems to me we waste a valuable resource in our nation. The observations and lessons learned in life by our seniors, should be paid more attention to. Not on everything, but on things that are truly intellectual and make perfect sense. It’s a perspective that goes largely wasted. That’s a shame.
That’s a little self-serving since I’m easing into that group, but I have always thought so. I have always enjoyed being around older people.
Thank you for your comments.
It’s at mile marker 571A at the intersection of US 271 and IH 20 NE of Tyler, Texas. It’s an independently owned truck stop but you wouldn’t know that without stepping out back and seeing the trucks. From the front it looks like a typical tourist stop.
Let me know if you ever give it a try.
Love those oil-drum grill/smokers!
I know, right? Just freaky for people to make such discomfort to a neighbor doing what people have always done.
Yes, I clarified my remark in case anyone was confused.
I have seen some older barns where the fire was built in a miniature fireplace adjacent to the barn. Wherever the fire was, a tobacco barn burning to the ground occurred now and then.
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