I attended the March 2016 Pitmaster Dinner last night. It was great to catch up with some folks I hadn't seen in a while and enjoy Gary's latest efforts. I'm sure the BBQ at Barn & Co. is still as good as ever, but the Pitmaster Dinners are a chance for Gary to spread his wings a little bit beyond the standard ribs/chicken/pork rubicon.
Last night's dinner started off with some house cured gravlax.
House Cured Gravlaxpickled red onion, capers, tomato jam, and crisp-rolled rye breadTomato Jam DetailI could have gone home happy after this course alone. The gravlax was buttery and silky smooth. The rye crisps topped with some of the gravlax and a dollop of the rich, almost meaty tomato jam were outstanding, but I had planned ahead and brought my own bagels and cream cheese to enjoy the fish as the good lord intended. In the end, a rye crisp spread with a little cream cheese, some gravlax and tomato jam proved to be an irresistible "fusion".
Reuben Egg RollsThese were good as well but to be honest, I was so busy gorging myself on gravlax (which was served at the same time), these barely registered with me.
Smoked Corned Beef & Baked/Smoked HamThe main event. More meat than you can shake a stick at. As usual, the servings were ample. There were plenty of leftovers that were gladly taken home by my fellow diners.
Of course, there were side dishes as well.
Smashed Smoked Potatoesdeeply caramelized onionsCrispy, slightly smoky, onion-y, salty...what's not to like?
Charred Carrotsdotted with bleu cheese, & drizzled with habanero-infused honeyThis was another stellar dish. The habanero honey and the caramalization of the carrots were made for each other.
Steve Z.
“Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
― Ludwig van Beethoven