Sloppy Mama’s in Arlington sells moist brisket as well as lean! I here confess error and hope for your forgiveness. In my otherwise glowing review of Sloppy Mama’s, I groused that, like other Washington area barbecue places, they served only lean brisket. Hard as it may be to believe, I was wrong. Flat wrong. I was extrapolating from the general state of brisket in the Washington area. … Continue reading Moist Brisket in the Washington Area!
Sloppy Mama’s is the best barbecue place in the Washington area — at least in the DC-Virginia part of the area. I’m hedging because there are a couple of new all-wood barbecue places in Maryland that I haven’t tried. so stay tuned. I’m keeping my powder dry, but Sloppy Mama’s owns the DC-Virginia crown. I went to Sloppy Mama’s as part of my continuing efforts on … Continue reading Sloppy Mama’s, Arlington, Virginia
Purcellville is a nice town of 10,000 in Loudoun County, in the outer Washington suburbs, well past Dulles Airport. It’s in a lovely area of Virginia, and Purcellville enjoys the benefits of the growth of the Dulles tech corridor without being overwhelmed by it. Best of all, Purcellville is the home of Monk’s BBQ, which I can certify is a Campaign for Real Barbecue producer … Continue reading Monk’s BBQ, Purcellville, Virginia
Here’s the headline: Texas Jack’s has the best brisket I’ve had in the DC area. I mean actually very good brisket, and until now, finding very good brisket in Washington has been like finding a herd of unicorns. I had been to Texas Jack’s last year with Doug Jacobson, the Kansas City Barbecue Maven, and at that time, as noted in our review, the brisket had … Continue reading Texas Jack’s Barbecue, Arlington, Virginia
Let’s cut to the chase. Rocklands has the best pork barbecue in the District of Columbia. And there it was, right under my nose for years. Rocklands is just a few miles away from us, in Glover Park, just north of Georgetown. I had tried Rocklands a couple of times when it first opened nearly 30 years ago. I didn’t think much of it. … Continue reading Rocklands Barbecue, Washington, DC
I have mentioned the Campaign for Real Barbecue from time to time here on the blog. For those who aren’t familiar with the Campaign, it was founded in 2013 by Dan Levine, and John Shelton Reed two distinguished North Carolinians steeped in barbecue, so to speak. The Campaign identifies and certifies places that cook Real Barbecue — True ‘Cue. That is, barbecue that has been cooked … Continue reading The Campaign for Real Barbecue is Coming to the Washington, DC, Area
Regular readers will recall the annual Hammons-Guy cookout as one of the heights of the Washington, DC, social season, and, along with the Annual Beer Snob Pig Picking in Lumberton, North Carolina, and The Great Independence Day Barbecue here at Stately Tanner Manor, one of the red letter barbecue events of the year. This year, they kicked it up yet another notch. As with any great … Continue reading Chez Hammons 2019, Washington, DC
As you know, Nancy and I host a big party on Independence Day every year to celebrate the birth of our country. The centerpiece of the party is the Best Barbecue in the World, made so by cooking pork butts over direct heat on two Weber grills for nine or so hours so that the pork fat drips onto the coals and creates pork fat … Continue reading Excellent Brisket Comes to DC, July 4, 2019
The Nation’s Capital often has been described as a barbecue desert, not least by me. Washington has great food from all parts of the world, except the South. Revolutions around the world help. Whenever a government is overthrown, leaders of the old, corrupt government come to Washington where they can feel right at home, and they open restaurants. I keep hoping for revolution in India, … Continue reading A Barbecue Oasis in Washington, DC
Despite her initial attribution of paper mill odors to me, Yvette Rivera remains one of my favorite people. Besides being an excellent attorney, thoughtful, and an all-around good person, Yvette is an expert in Caribbean pork — Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican — you name it. Yvette recently sent me a text about Los Hermanos, a Dominican restaurant, and my immediate, brain stem response was, “Let’s … Continue reading The Best Pork in Washington, DC: Los Hermanos
