Bear Down Barbecue & Catering Co.

Not hating, but Chicago, and I say this as a born and bred Chicago resident of seven decades, sets a low bar on some foods. I grew up eating genuine southern food, cooked by southerners. Both my parents were from the south. Been down there and ate their food as well, and things like bbq, chicken, gumbo, and soul food in general are foods that I have never found here that gives justice to what I was brought up on. Now maybe a certain highly recommended restaurant had an off day or I didn’t give them a fair shake. And I haven’t been to every restaurant in the city. There have been a few places that came close. I guess I’m just disappointed more than anything. Obviously Chicago has some of the best food in America but some of y’all need to stop getting so excited and go get some real bbq. And

My Second Rib smoke of the year.

THis is roughly based on Jirby BBQ's ribs with some tweaks of my own. First off this was cooked on my Traeger Ironwood 650 with Bear Mountain Gourmet BBQ pellets (costco had a good deal on them) Ribs prep - No real prep, left the membrane on it cooked awesome, only minor complaint was on the slice some of them didn't clean slice but that could be on my knife. Then I used for the binder worchestershire and franks. Ribs rub - laid down in order black pepper, iodized salt (my kosher is too course didn't want to grind) msg, and garlic powder. Smoke - 200 on super smoke for about 2 hours, bumped to 225 while I smoked some hot dogs for an hour then dropped temp again for about 2 more hours then bumped back to 225 and threw a bit at 275 to get some evaporation to finish and get some crunc

Zero Waste in BBQ

Zero waste BBQ? It's not flashy. It's not a trend, it's the only way to survive. Six sigma, it has to be a philosophy. Brisket trimmings, weighed to 8-pound bricks. Brisket fat, deckle and all into 2-pound bricks. Why? Because when you've got twenty pounds, you've got sausage. Real sausage, born from brisket. Scraps get turned into burger patties. Extra fat? There's always plenty. Rendered down to tallow. It's about respect for the animal, respect for flavor. Nothing wasted. Everything used. Save a bit of money too.

There's been a recent movement called "craft" bbq and really it comes down to people being willing to pay it. People justify it all sorts of ways and a lot of it is good, but really these guys are making money hand over fist. The truth of the matter is it's just what the market will bear.

>As the third largest metro economy in North America and sixth largest in the world, it’s no surprise that Chicago has been able to secure a place in the top 30 of the 2024 Global Cities Index. With a substantial population in its metro area and suburbs generating economic activity in a diverse range of sectors, its GDP per person exceeds that of most global competitors. While the city’s economic fortunes are predominantly reliant on the financial sector in the iconic Chicago Loop, the city is also home to a range of high-level non-financial international and domestic corporations. >There is a strong culture of education in the city as its economy is human capital-intensive. It has among the most universities in North Americaincluding >the University of Chicago, Northweste

He’s a born and raised Texan and brought me and my sister back there constantly as a kid (we live in Georgia) eating bbq, whataburger and playing washers. To be able to pass this down another generation meant a lot to him

Canadian BBQ is glorious. Hear me out...

Since this sub seems to have a keen interest in BBQ origins, and the bragging rights that come with them, it got me reflecting on what regional BBQ/Smoking meant to me, and if there was anything different about it. As it turns out, I think there is. I’m a Canadian who spent years living on the west coast before moving to the prairies (central Canada). I’ve also grown up in a family that largely promoted fishing and hunting, so I’ve had the privilege of eating fresh regional meats/fish, and exploring a range of flavours that to me, at least, make up a huge portion of what Canadian Cooking/BBQ is all about. Common ingredients like maple syrup and dill, or local woods (such as cedar, maple, applewood, oak, birch), as well as some of the techniques commonly employed here, help to further defin

I was out there for work and the customers I was visiting swore up and down Phil’s was good BBQ. I had to remind them I was born and raised in the south after that lunch

Franklin is the best BBQ I've ever had. I've been to Smitty's and Kreuz Market, Blacks and Louis Mueller, Cooper's in Llano (and in Mason). The only one I haven't been to is Snow's. Last few times I got some Franklin, we ordered ahead and picked it up curbside. It's not as good if you haven't waited in line 1/2 the day. I don't care if that means it's all in my head. Getting that first bite is a religious visit. You can keep your Meccas and Jerusalems. I'll go see Aaron. I haven't waited in the line since my son was born. Hard to find a babysitter that will start at 0-dark-30. Now that he's older, we can do overnights with the grandparents. I'm just waiting for the stupid pandemic to be over. The wife has a condition, so we have to be careful. Hopefully soon the brisket price

I was born and raised in Laredo, TX and Barbacoa will always be cow head or beef cheeks to me. The first time I had Barbacoa, it was from a restaurant (that is now closed) called Cotulla Style Pit BBQ. They made their Barbacoa with the entire cow head and shredded all the cheek meat & head meat, mixed it with the chopped up brain and eyes. Only way I know of how to get that anymore is to do it yourself. I remember the first time I ordered Barbacoa at the brand new Chipotle restaurant they built...I was appalled. I had never heard of Barbacoa being made with any other cut of meat. I never ordered Barbacoa again unless it was a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant. I still tell people, "Don't get the Barbacoa at Chipotle. It's disgusting and not real Barbacoa...it's just pulled beef." W

>I don’t know much about this group Lofl okay sure /u/GOPJay. As opposed to their PR release, here’s some things they have actually *done*: > In 2017, a 23-year-old Oklahoma man, Jerry Drake Varnell, was arrested on federal charges of plotting a vehicle bomb attack on a bank in downtown Oklahoma City, modeled after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. During a meeting in 2017 with undercover FBI agents, Varnell identified with the “3 Percenters” movement, saying that he subscribed to “III% ideology” and intended “to start the next revolution.” In 2019, Varnell was convicted. >In 2018, three men were arrested in connection with the bombing of a Minnesota mosque. The bombing was non-lethal. One of men involved, former sheriff’s deputy Michael B. Hari, had connections to the group.

Born in the 90s and raised in Austin where I lived with my parents until I went away to college. Because Austin had so many people back then - it was the most populous neighborhood in Chicago with about 120,000ish people in the 90s, and all of us were African American, I didn't really think of or notice other races or ethnicities. Everyone I saw was Black. At church, at school, on the block, my friends, my parents and grandparent's friends, at the store, at the restaurants, everyone was African American so I didn't notice much negatives or positives about the neighborhood because I didn't have anything else to compare it to. I eventually went to a magnet elementary school where I was the only Black boy, but that's another story. Actually, I'll jus talk about it now lol. It took me about 4