A pitmaster shares the 3 things she orders at every barbecue restaurant
Pitmaster Erica Blaire said there are often three things worth ordering at a barbecue restaurant.
Brisket can tell you a lot about a chef and pitmaster through its flavor and preparation.
Ribs are worth splurging on, and smoked pastrami is one of her favorite things to order.
Some barbecue joints have menus packed with smoked, grilled, and fried meats, classic sides, and more.
They can seem overwhelming to an untrained eye, but award-winning pitmaster Erica Blaire has recommendations for anyone unsure of what to order.
Here's what she said are three of the best things to get at a barbecue place.
It's a good idea to order the brisket
"Always splurge on brisket," Blaire told Business Insider. "If you want to know the true essence of a pitmaster's passion, attention to detail, patience, and culinary rockstar-ness, it will be in the brisket."
The way it's prepared, its flavor profile, and other details can all tell you a little something about the chef — maybe it's where they come from, a nod to a family recipe, or a trade skill that's fairly unique.
Ribs are often worth splurging on
Regardless of the price tag, ribs get her splurge stamp of approval.
"You can't fake a perfectly smoked rib," Blaire said.
She told BI if you want to really enjoy the wood-fired flavor of the meat, keep your sauce on the side at first. This way, you can really get a sense of the ribs' flavors and all the work that went into them.
After a few bites, you can go ahead and sauce them up if you'd like.
If you see pastrami on the menu, give it a try
"If I see smoked pastrami on a menu, I'd definitely go for it, regardless of the price," she said.
Blaire says marrying the intense smoky brined flavor you typically get from pastrami with the "melt-in-your-mouth tenderness" of barbecued, smoked meat is as good as it gets.
"It's a delicacy that's hard to replicate at home, so I'm willing to splurge on it when dining out," she said.
Read the original article on Business Insider
