Colorado BBQ Teams

According to the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS), there are 18 Colorado registered teams that compete in BBQ events. Some of these teams have been recently formed and others have been around since early 2000. If you would like to find out more about the Colorado BBQ teams click on the link below:
http://www.kcbs.us/teams.php?page=1&str=CO

Here are some more links to other competition teams not mentioned on the KCBS website:
http://www.denvercajunbbq.com/
(...more to be added...)

If you are interested in any of the competions that go on in Colorado make sure you visit the Rocky Mountain BBQ Association:
http://rmbbqa.com/

M&D's BBQ Cafe and Fish Palace

A friend of mine that I work with wanted to join me for a lunch outing and suggested I pick another great place to eat at. Since we work in the area I thought I would introduce him to M&D's for lunch. M&D's sits on the corner of E. 28th and Race. We walked in and were greeted by the afternoon lunch host and were seated with in 45 seconds of walking in the door. After looking over the menu I decided to try the hot link sandwich with my side dish of potato salad. Tony decided to try the rib sandwich but instead he was served the lunch portion of ribs and his side was also potato salad. I ordered a delicious glass of their lemonade. When the plates arrived on out table you could smell the sauce that smothered the meat. Now I need to tell you that at M&D's their sauces range from mild, medium, and hot. Now at most traditional restaurants the sauce name indicated the hotness of the sauce served, however at M&D's mild is medium, medium is hot, and hot is extra hot. I learned this from a few visits ago and thus have never made the same mistake twice. If you need to question the hotness of any of their homemade sauces just ask for a taste/sample to make you sure are consuming the correct sauce level. For those that want an adventurous eating I recommend their hot sauce. The hot link was served on a bun with 2 links that were surgically sliced down the middle making it look like four links. The first bite into the link was very memorable because it was a combination of sweet from the links and mild hot from the sauce (I ordered mild). What a great marriage of sweet and hot on this sandwich in front of me. Then after the bite I lifted some of the potato salad with my fork and destroyed every last bit that was on my fork. WOW, their potato salad is somewhat sweet, and yellow in color to let people know that mustard was used in making that hue. My mom's potato salad would put up a mean fight to M&D's in a head-to-head challenge. Of course I would chose my moms because I am a little bias. After the lunch was over Tony ranted and raved about how the ribs he devoured were honestly in the top 2% of best ribs he had ever had. On the way back to our office with satisfied stomachs we both agreed on the potato salad. The portions they server at M&D's Cafe are very consistent and large enough to have a meal the next day. The service was a little slow that day but we understood as they a large party in the back room that was consuming most of the attention. The waitstaff are very polite and make you feel like you are a regular even if it is your first time eating their.

M&D's also serves fish at their cafe. You can order Catfish, Whiting, Red Snapper, or a 1/2 BBQ 1/2 fish combo plate. Be sure to save room at the end of your dinner for some of M&D's sweets.

M&D's boast that 95% of the items listed on their menu are made from scratch.

Interesting Menu items include fried green tomatoes, fried okra, and sweet potato pie.

Interesting lunch pairing at M&D's: Fried Chicken and Waffles (only on Sunday's)

GOSPEL SUNDAYS at M&D's Cafe
Sunday-go-to-meeting has a whole new meaning at M&D’s Cafe. Every third Sunday of the month we feature LIVE GOSPEL MUSIC performed right in our restaurant from 2 - 4 p.m.
Soul Food Menu served from noon - 6 p.m. Our menu changes, so be sure to ask what our special fare will be when you make your reservations.

website: http://www.mdbbqfish.com/index.php

Favorite 8 with Penny Parker from the Rocky Mountain News

Penny,

Thanks for your time today and replying to my questions. You are the first well known Denver celebrity that I have had the pleasure of doing a "Favorite 8" with.

For those unfamiliar with my lingo, A "Favorite 8" is asking 8 questions and getting responses from the person I am speaking/emailing with.

Here are Penny Parker's "Favorite 8"

denbbq: When is the last time you ate BBQ?

PP: more than six months ago

denbbq: Where did you eat BBQ at?

PP: Yazoo's BBQ downtown

denbbq: When not eating BBQ, what is your favorite restaurant?

PP: I have my favorites but don't want them published because I cover restaurants as part of my column content

denbbq: What type of BBQ do you prefer: Pulled Pork, Ribs, Brisket, BBQ Chicken?

PP: Ribs

denbbq: Do you prefer BBQ meat served with sauce on or dry style (add your own)?

PP: dry style

denbbq: What is your favorite BBQ side dish?

PP: Potato salad

denbbq: Do you prefer Sweet Tea or Iced Tea?

PP: Hate iced tea of any kind, but if I have to choose, unsweetened.

and the Final Question

denbbq: If you had your choice of dessert after eating BBQ what would it be?

PP: Homemade Pie

If you would like to read more from Penny Parker visit her blog: http://blogs.rockymountainnews.com/penny_parker_on_the_town/

To view the columnist page for Penny Parker click on the link below:

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/staff/penny-parker/

Fact: Colorado's first newspaper (The Rocky Mountain News) remains the state's oldest continuously operated business

source: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/about-us/

Joesph's Southern Food

Someone once told me that Southern food is also called comfort food. I was not sure what they meant by that until I had my first bite of "comfort food".

When you turn south from the intersection of 29th & Fairfax you will notice that the first house you see on the east side of the street has a large metal oval sign that reads; Joseph's Southern Food Carry out & Drive Thru. The sign also includes their phone number in big black letters so that when you pull over from the other side of the street you can dial it on your cell phone. The large industrial rusty style sign is on the front lawn of what appears to be a house until you walk up the cement entry walk to the front door and you notice a with narrow sign that has the hours of operations on it. Open the black metal screen door and the first thing you will see is a large menu for Joseph's Southern Food. You can browse the menu if you need to but the minute you walk in from the door you have close to a narrow stretch of about 60 sq. ft. so loitering or standing around is not a good idea unless you like being in the way. As you walk in past the menu to your left you will reach a glass counter display which houses all types of candy, potato chips, homemade wheat rolls and cornbread. Be ready to place your order with Joseph or his assistant in-between the phone calls and other hungry customers. Don't be intimidated by the fast paced-ness of everything as this "house" is actually a converted short-order style restaurant that does not host any indoor seating.

On the main page of his website you can see a quick video of this house/restaurant.
The main floor of this house is where you will find the prep kitchen, dishwashing area, and industry style kitchen with a stainless steel exhaust hood (restaurant lingo meaning exhaust system). Once you place your order it may take a few minutes to cook it as patrons phone and fax in their orders starting as early as 10:45 am, feel free to walk around the back yard which has been landscaped with flowers and trees which detracts the black asphalt for the drive-thru. If cooking is Joseph’s passion then you can taste it in his food for sure. Joseph makes almost everything he can from scratch to keep the "Southern" taste in the food. The portions he serves are very generous and plentiful each and every time I have eaten there in the past 3 years he has been very consistent. Joseph tends to overload my Catfish Po'Boy which I don't mind one bit. If I had to recommend one specific item on the menu I would HIGHLY recommend the Catfish Po'Boy, the homemade pound cake, or the deep fried mushrooms with an incredibly tasty batter that is made by Joseph.
While waiting for your order and drinking your sweet tea, ask Joseph to see the photo book that has all the remodeling pictures of this structure.

Interesting Fact:
His property was already zoned for a restaurant.

Link: http://josephssouthernfood.com/index.htm

Brothers BBQ

As you walk in to their first location the fiery red and yellow paint that covers the walls is what your first glimpse will be of. Your eyes will then start focusing on all the license plates from Colorado and other states that are hung on the walls. You will notice an old motorcycle that is hung by chain from the exposed beams of the ceiling, a flat screen mounted in the corner, and finally your eyes will question what these twisted looking pair of pipes are that are mounted on the north wall. As you walk closer to these pipes you will see that they are exhaust headers that belonged to an engine. But your sense of smell will rob your attention from your eyes as you try to figure out if that familiar smell is pork, chicken, brisket, or sausage links cooking. After my brief hallucinations of vintage motorcycles and engines I decided to order the BBQ Beef Brisket sandwich combo and to drink I filled my cup with their Sweet Tea. As I bit through the bun and into the brisket my mouth felt the unleashing of the BBQ brisket juice. The brisket is very good smothered in their "Hot" BBQ sauce. From the first bite all the way to your last bite, your stomach will be thanking you.

Brothers offers 5 different sauces:
Original - sweet and thick, Kansas City style
Carolina Mustard - mustard based, South Carolina style
Tangy Vinegar - vinegar based sauce, Memphis and Carolina style
Hot - hot and spicy
Sweet - sweet Texas style sauce

Brothers BBQ is family owned and has been in business since February 1998 with 8 locations.
They have been recognized and have had write-ups in: Westword, 5280 Magazine, The Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News, and several other local media as having "the best Q in Denver AND the state of Colorado...". Brothers is the current reigning champion of Denver's "Blues 'n Bones" BBQ contest having won the last 3 years.

Grilling Temperatures for Doneness

Many BBQ'ers are not aware of when their meat is completely cooked, meaning it is ready to come off the grill and ready to eat. To help those that need some inside tips I am going to share with you the ideal temperatures in which your meat should reach as you remove it from the grill.

Chicken and Turkey:

breast 160 to 165 F

thigh 170 to 175 F

Beef and Lamb:

rare 120 to 130 F

medium rare 130 to 135 F

medium 140 to 150 F

medium well 155 to 165 F

Veal:

medium 140 to 155 F

Pork:

medium 140 F

medium well 155 to 165 F

Fish:

medium rare 120 F

medium 135 F

The firmer the meat is when touched, the more done it is.

When using a thermometer you need to make sure that it is cleaned and calibrated before using it. There are 2 different methods used to calibrate the thermometer, one is using ice and the other is boiling water. Allfoodbusiness.com has a great article on how to use each method which can be found at: http://www.allfoodbusiness.com/calibrating_thermometers.php

~Happy BBQ'ing~

BBQ Fact:

There are over 20,000 BBQ competitions in North America every year!

source:http://www.hotsauceblog.com/hotsaucearchives/fun-bbq-facts/

The Q

Tucked away on the lower level of a white 2-story retail building in Cherry Creek between Fillmore and Detroit on 3rd Ave. is a little joint referred to as The Q Worldly Barbeque. Walk down the 20 or so steps from the main level and enter through the door dodging the 100+ pound pumpkin and you will find yourself in the Q. The Q is split in to two sides with a partial wall separating the live Blues/Jazz stage (Wed - Sat) from the eatery. The west wall contains a chalkboard that lists the sandwiches, combination plates, sides and deserts. Take your pick from any of the items ranging from beef brisket to a full rack of ribs.

One thing that makes the Q an original BBQ joint is that all their meats are all dry-rubbed and then slowly smoked in a rotisserie and served sauce free. The Q created their version of a Worldly BBQ Sauce bar that includes all the regional favorites such as:
Alabama White Sauce

Carolina Mustard

North Carolina Vinegar

Kansas City

Memphis

Texas

Hukuna Matata

Chili Mint Lime

Guinness

Jack Daniels

Mango Habanero

and Asian Saki

Feel free to mix-and-match the sauces to your liking. My favorite was the Kansas City sauce. If your not feeling adventurous then just grab some good old fashion Ketchup. Also listed on the menu at the Q is hand cut chips and fries.
The Q has set aside a nightly special to entice all the BBQ lovers to dine at their eatery by offering a chance to try something new each night of the week.
Their prices are average for a stand alone sandwich or for a combo plate.
The menu also includes sweet pickles, roasted corn on the cob, pecan pie, and corn fritters.
The best place to park is right behind the restaurant or fight with the other drivers for on the street parking.

I will be back to try other items on the menu and to conquer the Worldly Sauce bar.

Menu items of interest:

Pecan Pie

Corn Fritters

and Live Blues/Jazz 4 nights a week

Their Website:
http://www.theqbarbeque.com/#