Is the Brick Pit the Best Que in the South?
In a state that is a veritable melting pot of BBQ styles there is a joint that just may out shine the best in the nation. While the north end of the state has a style similar to Memphis the east trends towards the high vinegar sauces of the Carolinas. Of course there is also that unique “Alabama White” sauce made famous by Big Bob Gibson’s.Now in South Alabama most folks are drawn to the Kansas City style of barbecue imploring well smoked meats with a sweet/smokey tomato based sauce and there is one place that does it better than the rest, The Brick Pit.
The “Pit” is just blocks from the campus of the University of South Alabama and it 
looks like a BBQ joint should. In a word, shabby. Uneven floor, wobbly tables and the walls, corner posts and even the ceiling is covered with graffiti. It is a custom to sign the walls whenever you visit. The walls are also adorned with awards, national write-ups and pictures of all the of football players and coaches that frequent the week of the Senior Bowl.
The Brick Pit is on virtually every “Top 100″ lists out there and they have been profiled on national TV numerous times. The menu is simple: pulled pork, brisket, chicken and Mobile’s favorite ribs. They are tender from smoking not from boiling, steaming or roasting. Low and slow just like they’re supposed to be. The sides are the usual suspects – slaw, potato salad and baked beans. Que is available dry or with a helping of their classic KC style sauce. The Brick Pit may not be the best BBQ joint in the country but it is definitely on the short list.
Check out this clip from the Travel Channel’s Man vs Food Nation hosted by Adam Richman.
ICA: Flay vs. Stone
Epic. That is the only word to describe the last Iron Chef America of May 2010. Perhaps this should be called Battle: Celebrity Chef? Bobby Flay is a master of Kitchen Stadium and he welcomes Cheflebrity Curtis Stone for the second of four consecutive new episodes.
If, for some strange reason, you are not familiar with Curtis Stone check out his IMdb profile which documents his more than 100 TV appearances. The fact that he has a profile at IMdb should tell you he’s a pretty big deal. Most known for appearances on NBC’s two popular reality series The Biggest Loser and Celebrity Apprentice, Stone has also hosted over 70 episodes of his own shows Take Home Chef (TLC) and My Restaurant Rules (Seven Network, Australia).
But Stone is as much chef as he is celebrity. He began cooking professionally at the age of 18 at the five-star Savoy Hotel in London. As a young chef he worked alongside Marco Pierre White at The Café Royal and at Mirabelle. From there he moved on to the exclusive Restaurant 301. Stone has also been a part of four top selling cookbooks including Surfing the Menu the companion book to the eight-part mini series Stone filmed with fellow Aussie chef Ben O’Donoghue. The guy’s got chops.
This episode is tailor-made for the ladies as it pits two of the sexiest chefs in the country. Flay’s curly red mop and Cheshire grin have long made him eye candy for Food Network viewers while Stone was named one of the sexiest men alive by People in 2006. Chef Curtis greatly resembles actor Owen Wilson only without the fugly nose.
How cool would it be if Brett Michaels, Summer Sanders and Holly Robinson Peete were the judges? Well they weren’t. Judges for Battle: Skipjack Tuna were John T. Edge, Cady Huffman and Jeffrey Steingarten. A special condition was that each course had to feature a grilled item. Chef Flay was once again assisted by blond bombshell Sous Chef Rene Forsberg (who I believe oversees Flay’s Mesa Grill outpost in the Bahamas). Chef Rene was sporting her signature Pocahontas ponytails. Also adding heat to Flay’s kitchen was the adorable Christine Sanchez, Culinary Director of the Iron Chef’s company, Bold Food.
If you haven’t already, be sure to check out my exclusive interview with Iron Chef Bobby Flay.
Flay and Stone have now teamed up for NBC’s new reality competition America’s Next Great Restaurant.
Click HERE for the outcome.
Surfing the Menu
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ICA: Flay vs. Stone – Outcome
SPOILER ALERT: The following information is the outcome of Flay vs. Stone. If you want information on the combatants click HERE. If you are only interested in the outcome read on.
Judges for Battle: Skipjack Tuna were John T. Edge, Cady Huffman and Jeffrey Steingarten. A special condition was that each course had to feature a grilled item. Chef Flay was once again assisted by blonde bombshell Sous Chef Renee Forsberg (Senior Chef Tournant at Mesa Grill). Chef Renee was sporting her signature Pocahontas ponytails. Also adding heat to Flay’s kitchen was the adorable Christine Sanchez, Culinary Director of the Iron Chef’s company, Bold Food.
Flay Stone
Taste: 26 Taste: 19
Plating: 12 Plating: 10
Originality: 11 Originality: 8
Total: 49 Total: 37
Winner: Iron Chef Flay
If you haven’t already, be sure to check out my exclusive interview with Iron Chef Bobby Flay.
Flay and Stone have now teamed up for NBC’s new reality competition America’s Next Great Restaurant.
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