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[TheRicker]

Basically a repeat of last night (we never throw away leftovers) except I substituted in fried cabbage in bacon drippings for the black beans. Also had a spinach, grapes and pecan salad to go with it. My wife loves spinach salad with pecans and grapes and I like it ok. The raspberry vinaigrette dressing makes for a nice addition.

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You may have broken some unwritten BBQers code with such a nice fresh salad.

 

[TheRicker]

As discussed earlier, I didn’t do the cooking but had a treat. I visited a fairly new BBQ location called Queens in SoCal. Their location is in a neighborhood in Garden Grove which is interesting but should offer enough space if the neighbors don’t run them away with the sweet smells of burning wood, haha. The bottom line is that it was an enjoyable event. The 1000 gallon smokers were custom made in Texas. The pitmaster was very friendly and had it dialed in and was the star of the show, literally. Every team member was pleasant, professional and definitely engaged in making the customer experience enjoyable, which is great since most places that become well known around here forget who got them to the table, the customer! Winnie was not only present, but very approachable. Although famous from her time on TV working on BBQ competition shows and others (think Bobby Flay) her humility and kindness rings true and she is not the typical TV star I encounter in SoCal as she is definitely “keeping it real” and was hands on in the kitchen. If any downside exists, it is that they cook at ~275F so the smell of smoke is present but it does not “ring true” in the meats compared to a true slow cooked (i.e., ~225F) protein. But, everything was tender, flavorful and adequate in quantity considering the somewhat elevated cost for the meal. If you have a chance to visit the area, it is highly recommended. I’ll post more pictures when I have a chance.

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Absolutely beautiful!

 

[TheRicker]

You may have broken some unwritten BBQers code with such a nice fresh salad.

Then, again, you had fried cabbage in bacon drippings…which is only exceeded by squash in bacon drippings.

 

[TheRicker]

Then, again, you had fried cabbage in bacon drippings…which is only exceeded by squash in bacon drippings.

Balance! It’s always about balance.

 

[Jim6820]

Balance! It’s always about balance.

Yes, Grasshopper, one needs to strive for “balance” in all things!

 

[epcotisbest]

“FTCed”???

Foil, towels, cooler.

 

[epcotisbest]

Then, again, you had fried cabbage in bacon drippings…which is only exceeded by squash in bacon drippings.

Love me some fresh squash. A couple of months from now we will be knee deep in squash and tomatoes right out of the garden. First pan of fresh from the garden squash in the cast iron skillet is a summer highlight, as is the first tomato sandwich...white bread, Dukes mayo and still warm from the sun tomatoes topped with salt and way too much black pepper.