Learning the Slow Way
If you didn’t see the May 25 story about the BBQ Boot Camp, check it out.
The weekend camp drew about 20 folks to Camp Hanes in Stokes County mainly to learn the low and slow ways of traditional barbecue.
The North Carolina Barbecue Society sponsored the camp and it included such pitmasters as Bill Eason of Marshville and Patrick Cleghorn of Badin (pictured above with some pork ribs).
Campers learned to cook whole hogs, butts, ribs and loin, as well as salmon, chicken, beef tenderloin and more. They also learned to make such classic sides as slaw, baked beans, black-eyed peas and cornbread.
A Saturday meal consisted of seven meats and seven sides. Now that’s what I call a feast.
The whole hog was kind of the main event, though, and at least some of the campers stayed up Saturday night to keep an eye on it and attend to the coals.
Jim Early, the president and founder of the society, already is planning another camp this fall. That will be down on the coast, in Duck. Early has ambitious plans to eventually expand the camps and tie them with such other events as fishing tournaments.
I think he needs more people to eat all this food that the campers cook!
I had the opportunity to taste some of the food at lunch Sunday. And it was some good eating: pulled pork, ribs, chicken, slaw, black-eyed peas, butter beans, baked beans, jalapeno cornbread, pimento cheese and banana pudding. Whew! It took me three full plates just to sample everything.
By the way, this camp is nonpartisan: Both Eastern and Lexington styles are taught. Future camps may even feature pitmasters from Kansas CIty and other places.
For more info, check out http://www.ncbbqsociety.com.
