PORTLAND, Maine — Barbecue. Where do you start?
It's definitely one of my favorite types of food, if not my very favorite.
I was born in North Carolina and have spent years in the South, so this one really tugs on my heartstrings.
I headed over to Wilson County Barbecue in Bayside Portland for a look behind the smoker with Head Chef Shawn Owen.
These start off pretty simply: with ribs.
We put some garlic, bay leaves, and apple cider vinegar into the bottom of the pan. Then it's very simple for the rest of the seasonings: salt and pepper. The ribs have all of the flavor we need so it doesn't really need more than that. Put them in the pan, add some butter and onion, and we're ready for the final ingredient.
I wasn't expecting this in the cooking process for the ribs (more so expected it for when we eat the ribs), but we covered them in beer! It's just one more thing to give them great flavor and texture. After that, they get tossed in the oven to braise. They braise the ribs because it yields a more tender and flavorful end result.
Once they come out and cool, they get a dip in the BBQ sauce pool and tossed into the smoker for that signature flavor. They use different types of local wood to smoke their meats. I found locally sourced wood to be really interesting.
Finally, they're done and then we get to taste test. They fall right off the bone when you bite into them. They have the savory and sweet thing going on that we all love. Yum. A bit messy, but that is exactly what you want for good barbecue—it's part of the fun!
They also had some southern staples for their sides. Collard greens, grits (don't knock it until you try it, they're phenomenal), mac and cheese, barbecue-dusted French fries, a biscuit, and even some hushpuppies. Hushpuppies are essentially savory fried cornbread. I tried them all and there are no bad choices.
Shawn said the name for the restaurant comes from Wilson County, North Carolina, where the owner is from. He wanted to bring that style of barbecue to Maine. I'm just a Carolina boy in a Carolina restaurant.
Thank you so much to Wilson County Barbecue for teaching me how to make ribs!