Pulled Pork - City Style

Of the many things I loved about living in North Carolina, one of my favorite was the multitude of good quality barbecue joints. On two of my three cross-country drives I made it a point to stop at as many barbecue places as I could conveniently locate. While certainly not an exhaustive list, I have enjoyed barbecue in such classic locales as the Carolinas, Austin, Texas and Kansas City. As any American can tell you barbecue means different things to different people and folks whose hometown happens to be in a well-known barbecue region will assure you that theirs is the only true barbecue.

City style pulled pork with confetti collards and pickled red onion

Think Outside the (Brownie) Box

"I bet you never use box mixes" is a refrain I often hear from friends, sheepishly excusing their visits to the Betty Crocker or Dunkin' Hines side of town.

Who are they kidding? I know there are people out there who would rather die than eat anything that isn't a 100% locally-sourced-organic-from-scratch-lit-the fire-by rubbing-two-sticks-together brownie. To me these individuals are not foodies; they are simply snobs. I'm not suggesting we stop making baked goods from scratch - far from it - but let's not beat ourselves or each other up over brownies. There is a time and a place to think inside the box. Let me be clear - I definitely prefer fresh food over processed. I also think much of our mass produced food is damaging to our ecosystem and our health. To my mind overly processed food and fast food is a waste of time, money and our waistlines. But I also think it is equally important to pick our battles. When you read the ingredient list in a box of brownie mix, for example, and see all the same items you were going to add yourself (flour, sugar, cocoa, salt) it's time to ask ourselves whether that box mix is truly Satan's spawn or the Angel of Convenience.