Seriously (which is clever code for "none of the previous paragraph is serious"), the beginning of the school year has cut down precipitously on how much of my brain I can devote to food, since now at least some of it has to be taken up by "how not to offend my colleagues or my freshman," "Milton," and "where am I supposed to be now?" But, I do have a brief pulled-pork update.
The faux-log truck on Division next to the White Elephant is in fact a BBQ truck called Smokies, and since none of you offered any insight on its qualities, I bravely sacrificed my own waistline. I had the beef brisket and tried the pulled pork sandwich, and the verdict is: pretty good. The texture is quite good, especially if you like your meat a little on the lean side (although not so lean as to be tough or dry). The flavor is acceptable. I could use more smoke, but I believe that both meats were in fact truly barbequed, which means long, slow, low cooking. The sauce is a cross between Memphis and North Carolina, so thin and with a strong vinegar component, as opposed to the think, sweet, Texas style. I like it, although it is sadly lacking in heat. My best recommendation, however, is to ask for extra sauce. I'm know: over-saucing is a sin. But so is under-saucing, and Smokies needs to do some penance for that one. Would that be three Hail Marys and one Our Father?
I also tried the pulled pork sandwich at Clinkerdagger's, off their lunch menu. I admit it. I like Clinkerdaggers. It is not haute cuisine, but it is haute above the river, and I find its old-fashionedness charming. I'm not sure they mean it in quite the ironic way I enjoy it, but these are the vagaries of interpretation. The sandwich was a perfectly adequate pulled pork, and about what you would expect from a place that doesn't say it has a smoker. I would put in on a par with the pulled pork at the Safari Room at the Davenport Towers, and they say they do have a smoker. Now, the sweet potato fries at Clinks -- those were crispy little works of art! And somehow, the twelve top of blue hairs all wearing red and purple hats sitting at the other end of the room made the whole experience a little sweeter.
That's it for now, and that's probably it for pulled pork (although I have a tip that the pulled pork at Chick'n'More is worth trying). Next installment (unless a different fancy takes me): what to do with the bumper crop of green tomatoes my Spokane garden inevitably produces. I know. You'll be holding your breath.
