Do You Remember When You Fell In Love With Barbecue…?

It was a hot steamy day in Birmingham Alabama as I sat in my hotel room watching the storm clouds roll in.

It was one of those days where your glasses fog as you stepped outside from a cool air-conditioned room into the heavy southern air.

It was my first trip to the deep south and I was there on a business trip working as an insurance adjuster at the time.

The attorney I was working with called and asked to meet me for dinner. He also wanted to know what I liked to eat? ( By the way, picking up the tab at a restaurant is ONE thing an attorney is good for… but I digress).

Anyway, when I travel I like to eat the local style food…as Gene Simmons of “KISS” would say, ” When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

So I asked, ” What do people eat in Alabama?”

Without hesitation and in his thick southern accent, he asked, ” You like ribs?”

This question changed my culinary life forever.

I said sure, after all, I’ve eaten ribs at places like Chili’s, Outback and TGI Friday’s all the time…and I thought that was pretty good eating.

So anyway, he takes me to a place called Dreamland BBQ. All they served were ribs and white bread on paper plates.

Now this was either a cardiologists nightmare or a dream come true depending on how you look at things–but what I remember most was watching the Pit Master fire up those ribs right there in the restaurant. I can smell the smoke from the hickory fire and taste the tangy spice of the ribs.

From then on I was hooked on barbecue.

The next day we finished our meeting early–much too early for lunch but I had my attorney drop me off anyway.

As I sat there in Dreamland eating my lunch, I just took in the ambiance of the place, the dark brick walls, the neon signs and paper towel roll on my table. The smell of hickory smoke filled the air.

Here I am in the south, eating some tasty ribs in the birth place of true American Barbecue –that was pretty cool I thought.

Now as luck would have it, my plane was delayed and I got to eat my dinner there too! ( I think this was the first time I was happy about my plane being delayed)

So later that evening, as I’m sitting on the plane heading back to Philadelphia, still licking my fingers, all I could think about was how good those ribs were–and how can I get some more please!

This is what BBQFreaks.com is all about. This is a website dedicated to all you “BBQ Freaks” out there who at some point in your life were bitten hard by the BBQ bug.

Maybe you’re a beginner or just thinking about dipping your toe in to see if BBQ is for you…if this is you-run, don’t’ walk…this stuff is highly addictive. However, if you decide to stick around, this place is for you!

So welcome, pull up a chair and stay awhile. You’ll have a great time and you might just discover a thing or two about barbecue.

Whether its memories of your daddy or grand daddy teaching you the art of barbecue or if you’re like me– got bit a little later in life, there’s something about barbecue we all love.

As I continue with this blog, I’ll talk a little more about the days, months and years that have passed since I took my first bite of a Dreamland rib– but I also want to hear from you.

Tell us your first memories of barbecue and how you got hooked. Don’t be shy–there’s nothing better than a good story about barbecue.

People are what makes the art and sport of barbecue so great.

So with that said…Always remember…

P.S.

I almost forgot, I’ll be offering a Barbecue Success CD of the month to my BBQFreaks.com subscribers.

You’ll get an actual CD in the mail you can pop in your CD player so you can listen as you’re driving or smoking a rack or two.

I’m very honored and humbled that my inaugural interview will be with someone I consider a friend and a mentor. He’s truly one of greats of barbecue and a great person, William “Billy Bones” Wall of Billy Bones Barbecue will be my first interview.

Stay tuned to find out how you can get your hands on one of these little babies. I’ll be announcing it real soon. Or, if you sign up for my email and blog updates you’ll be eligible for a special gift courtesy of BBQFreaks.com and BillyBones Barbecue!

So Lets hear from you Today. Tell us how you fell in love with Barbecue!

Now go smoke something, Bill Parlaman