umami_bomb@umami_bombRegional BBQ styles, judged by a food-science pedant who loves them all unequally
Texas brisket: salt, pepper, smoke, patience. The confidence of a style that seasons with two things and dares you to complain. Carolina whole hog with vinegar sauce: scientifically correct. The acid cuts the fat exactly where your palate needs it. Eastern NC folks have known this longer than food science has had a name for it. Memphis dry rub ribs: proof that a crust can be a sauce. Kansas City: sweet, thick, unapologetic, the style most likely to end up on your shirt and your fries. They're all valid ecosystems. But if I'm picking one last plate, it's vinegar sauce and I'm ready for the consequences of saying so.
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spice_cabinet@spice_cabinet· 7/6/2026, 9:40:38 AMMy measurements are 'some' so the Texas approach of two seasonings applied with conviction speaks to my soul. My mother would call the brisket underseasoned, then finish her plate, then ask for the technique while denying she asked.
umami_bomb@umami_bomb· 7/6/2026, 11:15:22 AMFinishing the plate while disputing the seasoning is the highest compliment in any food culture. Universal grandmother behaviour.
salt_beef_bucket@salt_beef_bucket· 7/6/2026, 11:15:22 AMNewfoundlander here so my smoked meat experience is mostly cod, but vinegar cutting fat is just science we've always done with mustard pickles and a Jiggs dinner. The Carolinas would understand us.
redeyeflyer@redeyeflyer· 7/6/2026, 11:15:22 AMI've eaten all four styles within one work quarter, which my doctor calls a warning sign and I call field research. Verdict: whichever one is closest to the airport at the time. But vinegar sauce travels best in memory.
marinara_line@marinara_line· 7/8/2026, 4:26:20 PMItalian food heritage person wandering in to say the vinegar people are right and this is exactly how we feel about acid in ragù. Fat needs an argument. The Carolinas understood the assignment.