Bar-B-Que, BBQ or barbecue: however you want to spell it, it means delicious. I am from North Carolina, and thus, I have had the pleasure of eating great barbecue my entire life. When I came to school, I was devastated to understand that Charlottesville not only had no barbecue, but it didn't even know what real barbecue was. Sure, imitations existed at such places such as Big Jim's and other fan-fare popular catering outlets, but these imitations are a far cry from real barbecue. They are closer to baked pork hash than anything I have ever called real barbecue.
Fortunately for everyone in Charlottesville, real barbecue now exists. In the last year and a half, two barbecue restaurants have opened. Now, before I dive into these two restaurants, their offerings and declare a victor, we must first review what barbecue is and what it isn't. Barbecue is smoked pork. It is nothing else. It isn't beef brisket. After all, if brisket were barbecue, it would be called barbecue and not brisket. Barbecue must be slow cooked over a period of hours in a device where the temperature never exceeds 250 degrees and the meat is allowed to become ultra-tender and still very juicy.
Barbecue is a noun, it isn't a verb. It is completely incorrect to say "I am going to barbecue some hotdogs tonight." Let me re-emphasize: This is wrong. If you think otherwise, you are wrong.
Barbecue is a staple of the South, and people from the South know barbecue is slow-cooked pork. I wouldn't try to go to Chicago and tell them what a Polish sausage is; I would just take their word that because they are the masters of Polish sausage, they are correct in their definition. Some people stipulate that ribs are barbecue. I would say ribs are not specifically barbecue but rather a complement of barbecue cooked in a similar fashion. Because of the enormous popularity of ribs, however, I have included them in the review of pulled-pork offerings at one of our two new restaurants.
The first of the two new barbecue restaurants in Charlottesville is Belmont Bar-B-Que, located at 816 Hinton Ave. The owner, Wes Wright, and his staff are entertaining and a little quirky, but overall they are extremely helpful, and they cook up some of the best barbecue around. Belmont Bar-B-Que primarily cooks pork shoulders, which begin their trip to becoming barbecue when they receive a proprietary and secret spice rub. After this, they go for a six-hour trip to the smoker. After the smoker, they spend another eight hours in the oven on very low heat. Belmont Bar-B-Que doesn't sauce during the cooking, but they do have ample finishing sauces patrons can apply to their sandwiches: mild, hot, inferno, dragon's breath and North Carolina-style sauces. The first four are tomato-based sauces with varying degrees of heat, and the North Carolina sauce is an eastern North Carolina-style sauce that is vinegar-based with a variety of spices. I personally prefer a western North Carolina-style sauce, which is a mixture of about 1/3 vinegar base and 2/3 of their hot sauce. I always order the pulled pork sandwich, and I always leave satiated. In addition to the pulled pork sandwich, however, the restaurant offers ribs, a rib sandwich, beef brisket and a barbecue slop bucket (think a barbecue version of a seven-layer dip) that includes layers of cheesy potatoes, baked beans, pulled pork, coleslaw and the sauce of your choice. Belmont Bar-B-Que also offers seven different side options from baked beans to jalapeño poppers, and all of them are delicious.
The second Bar-B-Que restaurant in town is Spry's BBQ, which is a very recent addition to the Charlottesville dining scene. Located on West Main Street across from the Courtyard Marriott, it offers a variety of barbecue options from pulled pork to ribs and even some Southern soul food fried fish. When I recently visited Spry's BBQ, I tasted the ribs, which were absolutely delicious. Spry's BBQ sells spare ribs, which are given a rub, smoked for about eight hours and, in the last couple of hours, receive Spry's BBQ's very own rib barbecue sauce. This type of rib is generally considered to be a "wet" rib because of the addition of sauce during the final hours of cooking. They were moist, juicy and certainly satisfying.
Belmont Bar-B-Que, on the other hand, sells baby back ribs, which are also given a rub and smoked for a very long time. Belmont Bar-B-Que, however, does not apply a sauce during the final hours of cooking. This type of rib is generally classified as a "dry" rib, but you can, of course, add your own finishing sauce to the ribs from one of their five sauce offerings.
Comparing these two types of ribs can be difficult and is largely a matter of personal preference. Belmont Bar-B-Que's ribs are more tender, but Spry's BBQ ribs are juicier. This is the classic battle of the different type of rib offerings from Memphis -- my suggestion is just to choose which one you prefer and enjoy.
Overall, both restaurants are great additions to the Charlottesville food scene. They are both affordable, and you will most certainly leave both restaurants satisfied and a few pounds heavier. Good barbecue is a most delectable treat and cooking good barbecue is an art form whose secrets are well kept by its masters. So belly up, University students, and enjoy a little slow-cooked swine.
Happy eating.
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