I Love Fat German Pigs!

OK, that title probably doesn't sound PC, but I recently went to Fette Sau (it means "fat pig" in German), a BBQ joint over in Williamsburg, at the urging of a friend of mine who lives right near it. He is a very knowlegdable BBQ aficionado and I had also heard some other fine reviews of the place, so I knew I had to get over there and try it ASAP. We went last Thursday and got a smorgasbord of meats to sample. I had high expectations of Fette Sau and it far exceeded them - the food and ambiance were both fantastic! Top to bottom, I think this is now my new favorite NYC BBQ joint and I cannot wait to go back soon.

I don't want to reinvent the wheel here, so I will give a quick review and point you to a seriously professional review I found with pictures and everything. (The reviewer went with two members of an NYC grilling team and a judge in BBQ competitions - that's gotta be one 'hard-as-hell-to-please' table!) Here is the short NY Mag blurb on this place too, for quicker read on it. The menu has some regular items, but also has a changing menu of different meats or parts of the pig smoked to perfection. The rub made for a delicious bark that had a very, very unique flavor. I later was told it is a espresso-based rub, and I thought that was pure genius! I had not heard of a coffee based rub before, but it made sense to me that it might work well due to the distinct and powerful flavor of coffee. The pork belly was top notch, but you can only have so much of it in a sitting, as it is very rich and fatty (I mean fatty in the best possible way, FYI). Eat it right away, as you don't want that to cool and lose it's consistency. The ribs were firm, and not fall off the bone, but still tender. And did I mention the killer rub?!

The pulled pork was good and the regular BBQ sauce mixed with a little of the spicy BBQ sauce went well with it on a little potato bun they provided. The turkey was a little bit dry, but the pulled chicken was very moist and tasty. I thought the brisket was the best brisket I have had in NYC to date. It was moist and fatty, but well marbled and very juicy due to this. Again, the rub was killer and made for an excellent firm bark. Also, I thought the boneless beef rib was AMAZING! Now normally I am not a big beef rib fan, so this was no easy task to win me over, but no joke, it was one of the best smoked beef ribs I have ever had. Even though I am not a big beef rib fan, when done right, it can be a great dish. Most of the time I don't find it done right and it is more fat than meat. But not in this case. We only had one side dish, the baked beans, which were also very nice. Burnt ends complemented the usual brown sugar and molasses laden beans. But I never complain about beans with burnt ends in them. Lastly, it is cafeteria-style dining (another plus in my mind) and each meat is sold by weight, as any good BBQ spot should do.

They also offer a rotating and interesting beer selection , which you can get by the glass or in a small or large growler. They also have a very nice selection of whiskeys, bourbons, and scotches, which I thought was a very nice touch. The ambiance was great (even with all the Willy B Hipsters crawling throughout the place) as it is in an old car garage that is well decorated and uses some very interesting items to enhance the atmosphere. I highly recommend that you go and check Fette Sau out this spring and enjoy the weather with some beers and BBQ - you will not regret it!

R.U.B.: Always Decent, Never Special

I ate at R.U.B. over on 23rd St. and 7th Ave. tonight for the first time in probably over two years. It was as I remembered it - solid, but not spectacular. It has a menu featuring a wider variety of meats than most of its competition, which is a nice touch, but it does not excel at any one thing offered on it's menu. This is a bit frustrating. I had heard the smoked pastrami was good, and being a bit unusual for a BBQ menu, I was looking forward to trying it. It was alright. Not Katz's, but obviously not what I Was expecting or looking for. Just tends to be my basis for comparing all pastrami in the world. Right or wrong, that is how I view pastrami. The bark could have been a bit more distinguished and flavorful. I found it to be bland. It was also very thinly sliced and I def prefer a meatier cut. The turkey was dry. The pulled chicken was pretty good and I enjoyed that. The brisket was too thinly cut and the bark was also lackluster. The pulled pork was solid. The ribs were OK too, but again, nothing that really stood out either. I had remembered the baked beans being delicious, and they were OK, but very, very sweet and full of probably an excess of brown sugar and molasses which caused it to be unusually thick, saucey, and sweet. The burnt ends in the beans were very good though. I also was hoping to get a burnt ends plate for the table to split, but they were sold out of that for the day, so it was not to be. That was another item I remembered being very good, but I did not have the opportunity to retry it and se if it still held up to my memory of it. That's really all I have to say about R.U.B. I don't think I would send some one here as an example of what really, really good BBQ is like, but then again if and when I am next in the area and looking for some solid food, I would not hesitate to go back inside and try again to see if there is something more than just solid here.

OFFICIALLY IN THE GAME!!!

"Memphis in May's World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest is May 14-16, 2009 in Tom Lee Park in downtown Memphis. Hundreds of teams compete for over $90,000 in prizes and supreme bragging rights. Teams adorn their areas with elaborate decoration, trophies attesting to their boasting rights, and as one can imagine, clever and creative team names. While grilling is the main theme, the contest wouldn't be complete without the Ms. Piggie Idol competition where grown men dress in tutus and snouts and women kick their heels (hooves) up. There is also a t-shirt competition and even a best booth contest.

The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, the Granddaddy of Grilling...where on this given Saturday, it's anybody's game."

GUESS WHO IS OFFICIALLY IN THE 2009 MEMPHIS IN MAY WORLD BBQ COOKING CHAMPIONSHIP? THAT'S RIGHT, THE JUBON'S GRILLING TEAM IS COMPETING IN THIS YEAR'S ROOKIE PATIO! These four Hebrew Hogs from NYC are looking to make some history and break into the competitive BBQing circuit! Look out Deep South, here we come! Follow all of our exploits in Memphis this May on our sister site http://www.lowandslow.ning.com/; live blogging and video uploads throughout the weekend!