BBQ, Dallas style
Well, as luck would have it, I was invited to speak on the influence of the Irish diaspora at the IACP Conference on Culture and Cuisine in downtown Dallas just a few weeks ago.
IACP, which stands for International Association of Culinary Professionals, is a non-profit professional association which provides ongoing education for its members, all of whom are engaged in the food business.
The 4,000-strong membership across 35 countries is a who’s who of the gastronomic world, including food writers, teachers, stylists and chefs. The four-day conference culminated in a huge awards ceremony and a Denim to Diamonds Texas barbecue. I had neither denim nor diamonds so I wore my posh frock because I was short-listed for the Cookery Teacher of the Year Award.
I was up against Rick Bayless and Andrew Schloss, two of the most highly respected cooking school teachers in the US, so it was a huge surprise to win what is certainly the equivalent of an Oscar in the culinary world.
I have more than the award to be grateful to the IACP for. Having been a member for almost 20 years, I have learned an enormous amount at conferences throughout the years, as well as making many lifelong friends and business contacts.
In Dallas, I learned all about Texas barbecue, something I was blissfully ignorant about before this trip. Well, a Texas barbecue is nothing like our barbecue which they refer to as grilling. It’s all about ribs, succulent juicy smoked ribs, brisket and smoked sausage.
The best barbecue we had was at Sammy’s Barbecue, a legendary neighbourhood spot in downtown Leonard Street, with grey cement floors, old brick walls, heavy timber counters, lots of neon and no nonsense. It was full of locals who were there for their regular fix and knew exactly what they wanted.
We dithered at the counter while the Mexican cooks waited to know if we wanted sliced beef and barbecue sauce, or sausage and barbecue sauce, or ribs and barbecue sauce. All came with a choice of sides - coleslaw, potato salad, Mexican beans, Caesar salad, spinach and carrot salad, or a delicious baked potato casserole, oozing with sour cream, scallions, crispy bacon and grated red cheddar. There was also pulled pork or brisket in soft squishy buns.
The old wooden tables were covered with a fancy green check oil cloth and lots of bottles of hot sauce, mustard and ketchup. We ate outside at wire tables, amongst the hay bales and geraniums and relished every morsel. It was a serious calorie fest but every morsel was delicious.
The other big discovery on this trip was the new Whole Foods store in Austin. Whole Foods is a chain of “organic” supermarkets which originated in Austin. However, the new venture has everyone buzzing. The company has wisely capitalised on changing attitudes to food and has managed to commodify authenticity. It has also connected the concept of food to fun. The “cool” people are riding their bikes to Whole Foods on a Saturday; it’s the place to see and be seen, to make social connections.
There are little groceries placed within the shop, and it’s back to the old values - cheese and cured meats are cut to order, all labels are hand-written. It’s all about food with a story; even down to the name of the farm where the food is grown.
Hope it catches on here as we all gallop headlong in the other direction, despite my best efforts to encourage everyone to buy local food and serve it proudly.
