Why Don't BBQ Makers Put the Sauce on the Pork when they Serve it?

This past Friday my wife wanted BBQ. It sounded good so naturally I was all for it. We went to a new place that just opened up and it was really good. And of course I ordered too much pulled pork so I had plenty of leftovers for lunch on Saturday and Sunday.

Well, sure enough, we go to a wedding on Saturday and they serve BBQ for dinner. BBQ and only BBQ. So since we had eaten the leftovers for lunch that day it was 3 straight meals of BBQ, which wasn't bad - I love BBQ.

But every time I had to put the sauce on myself, and I wondered: why don't BBQ makers put the sauce on for you?

I've never tried to smoke by own pork shoulder so I don't know. But I do really really enjoy a good steak and if I have a good cut of beef or I seasoned and cooked it to perfection and someone douses it in A-1 I want to strangle them. Are BBQ chefs the same way? I would think so right? They spend all this time injecting the pork with this, seasoning it with that, smoking it for ___ hours all for the perfect taste. Then they come up with their signature sauce....but they don't put the sauce on it for you.

Pork is a different animal from a steak. A good steak shouldn't need any sauces. But pork does, if for nothing else to add some moisture to it. So these guys make their own sauce - like the guys I baught from on Friday night, they had a North Carolina style and Memphis style sauce. Still, you don't want someone to go crazy on the sauce and mask the flavor of that pork you worked so hard for, right?

Why don't BBQ chefs blend in what they believe to be just the right amount of sauce to enhance the flavor of their meats when they serve it? Why leave so much up to the consumer who may use too much or not enough?

Fredi Gonzalez: Manager of the Year

The question of whether or not Fredi Gonzalez is an adequate manager for a franchise that spent the previous 20 years under one of the greatest managers of all time has surely been answered in 2013. The Braves have had injury after injury and players under-performing that should have derailed their season, but he has kept this team moving along without skipping a beat.

The list of impact players that have been on the D.L is incredible: Jason Heyward (twice), Jordan Schafer, BJ Upton, Reed Johnson, Freddie Freeman, Paul Janish, Tyler Pastronicky, Brian McCann, Remiro Pena, Dan Uggla, Evan Gattis, Gerald Laird, Brandon Beachy, Tim Hudson, Paul Maholm, Luis Ayala, Jonny Venters, Jordan Walden, Eric O'Flarerty and Cristhian Martinez.

Out of those 20 players, six of them went down with season-ending injuries.

These are key players - three of the best relievers on the team, the staff ace, every catcher, and another handful of starters. Not to mention that BJ Utpon and Dan Uggla have had horrible years.

The September collapse of 2011 was an unsettling end to Fredi Gonzalez' first year at the helm, but he has made up for it with a postseason appearance in 2012 and with what he has accomplished with this year's team. The Braves will not only win the NL East but are currently leading for the best record in baseball. It's a credit to Frank Wren's stockpile of players and Gonzalez' ability to manage this group with whatever card he's dealt.

Weekend Menu - Week 2

Saturday - Had the grill going during the game with some chicken breast and corn on the cob. My wife made some wild mushroom sauce to top the chicken and also some green beans.

Sunday - Crab cake sandwich for dinner. Had a side of buffalo dip, but without the chicken. Cream cheese, blue cheese, Frank's red hot and ranch dressing - throw it in the oven for about 10 minutes and it's really good.

Weekend Menu - Week 1

I always like to eat good, especially on the weekends. So I thought I'd throw out the dishes I ate eat week during football season.

It's Labor Day Weekend so an extra day to enjoy food.

Saturday - Crab cake sandwich. This is really good if you put it on a croissant role and include avocado. Homemade sauce with mayo and spicy mustard.

Sunday - My wife bought some steaks, she said they were $6 for 3 of them. I wasn't too excited but they turned out to taste great. I had already resigned myself to putting some blue cheese crumbles on the steak to enhance the flavor and it was awesome.

Monday - Hambergers which I put Frank's Red Hot and blue cheese crumbles on - it was awesome. I also had some onion rings and made blue cheese dressing to dip them in.