Spoonfull

“On the eight day God made barbeque and said “it is finger lickin’ good!”-me

Hahaha, being a southern, but more importantly, Texan girl, I have a deep appreciation for barbeque and all of the wonderful things that go with it. There is a vast variety of sauces, flavors, smoke styles, sides and meat! It seems like the combinations are almost endless! If you’re a vegan you’ll never know barbeque’s glory because it’s all about meat. Tender, juicy, slow cooked, smoky meat-pair with the right sauce.

Today I went a little out of my way today to find some excellent barbeque that would remind me of home, where you drive up to a smoke pit on the side of the road that’s putting out dinners for some fundraiser somewhere. Classic, good barbeque is served in a styrofoam container and plasticware-inside you should find 2 meats, baked beans, potato salad, white bread and raw onions. I almost found exactly that!

I checked out a place I have been wanting to visit for some time now, it’s called Baby Back Shak and it’s authentic Memphis style BBQ and of all places, in Dallas, TX. This was my first venture out from Texas styel barbeque so I was a little hesitant and it felt a bit like sinning, but I’m not going to lie: it was fantastic!

You walk in this tiny joint and are immediately greeted by the smell of generations of flavorful smoke. Mmmmm! That’s always a good sign! In my box I had: ribs, link sausage, shak beans (baked beans), grilled boudain-for my cajun side, 3 pieces of break and my onions. They were all sweet and smoky with a spicy after kick. The sauce was very good, a classic memphis style vinagre based sauce, seasoned well. You can put that stuff on everything! If it’s too spicy, eat some bread. The only thing I would not recommend to people is their sausage. Honestly it tasted like a stale piece of bread in the worst possible way, and it had not flavor of freshness about it. That was a big disappointment. Other than that one little mishap I would strongly urge you to go out one day (because they close early evening) and try this place out for yourself and bring along some great people in your life to share it with, that’s what barbeque does, brings people together. But really it does, because BBQ is so much fun to eat and so messy and delicious that you’ll remember that meal.

They also have sweet tea, lemonade, and “red drink” aka Kool-Aid. Haha that’s when you know they’re doing it right! For dessert there is a variety of homemade cakes to choose from. All in all it was a meal that hit the nail on the head for my craving and at not to expense of a price. (the portions are big enough to share).

So since I’m feeling guilty for not posting for a few months I am finishing this post off with the perfect after-barbeque dessert: banana pudding. But not just any banana pudding, my momma’s banana pudding recipe. It’s super simply and oh so delicious.

Kellie Jean’s Banana Pudding

6 Large/8 small bananas, sliced into “coins”

2 small boxes (not 1 big box) vanilla instant pudding mix

3 cups milk

1 can eagle brand condensed milk

8 oz. cool whip

1 box nilla wafers

Mix the pudding mix and milk together with a whisk until it resembles something like pudding. Fold in the condensed milk and then fold in the cool whip. Grab a large square or round dish or casserole and begin layering the dessert starting with the nilla wafers, then the bananas, then some pudding. Repeat 1-2 times. I finish mine off with the wafers on top because it’s pretty. Chill for about 2 hours and it should be ready to serve!

Fun side note: it’s fun to eat out of a mason jar! But what isn’t.