Ribs, brisket, hot links, pork are all staples for barbecue, with different spices, cooking methods and sauces separating one place from another.
But a hot link wrapped in sausage wrapped in bacon and smoked to juicy, crispy perfection? That's new.
It's called the Fatty at Burn Co. BBQ, and it's one of many restaurants' experimental new barbecue creations.
Back Alley Blues & BBQ in the Blue Dome District recently launched a new and expanded menu featuring meats prepared in its new smokers but also items that stray from traditional barbecue. The Red Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese is a skillet of the restaurant's macaroni and cheese with chicken tenders and crumbles of blue cheese.
Other places that branched out beyond the norm have had those items become staples, like The Badwich at Elmer's.
Adam Myers, co-owner of Burn Co. BBQ with his cousin Robby Corcoran, said he and Corcoran look at what other places are doing and make it better.
"A lot of the dishes we do at Burn Co. are things we've seen or eaten out, and we think they're cool," Myers said.
But it takes practice to replicate then improve, he said.
The idea for the Fatty came from a barbecue competition he attended where he saw a team smoke a whole log of ground sausage. Myers wanted to do that, too.
So they smoked a big chunk of ground sausage, but it didn't stay together as well as they hoped. The solution was to wrap it in bacon, which worked well, he said.
Then they wanted to make it bigger, but they had issues with the whole thing breaking apart. To fix that, they wrapped the ground sausage around a long hot link.
"A lot of folks want to know the quick and easy way at barbecue, and I say, 'How did you get good at anything at life? It takes a lot of practice,' " Myers said.
Keith Jimerson, owner of Elmer's BBQ, said he spends time reading the latest trends in the industry and trying new barbecue when he travels.
But no matter what he sees elsewhere, it's up to his customers whether an experiment succeeds.
"Our customers are the No. 1 source on doing something different," Jimerson said. "There's a business sense behind all of it. It has to sell, and it has to attract customers."
If a customer comes to them with an idea, it's something they'll try in the kitchen to see if it's feasible. Often they have an idea of what will work best, but the only way to know is to try, he said.
Jimerson said they are currently working with an item he's never used before: pork belly. It's flavorful, he said, so it has to have a specific use. Jimerson said they are still testing and trying to work out where it fits best.
Myers said he and Corcoran tried many different ways to make Burn Co.'s new macaroni and cheese, but they knew they could make it their own way and the best in town.
"It's extremely laborious to pour water and make mac and cheese over fire," Myers said. "The only way it works is to do it the hard way."
That's why it's only served Thursday through Saturday, he said.
Myers encouraged people to try their own hand at experimenting with different foods, to take what they are familiar with and make it their own.
"People cook what they grew up eating - there's no right or wrong," Myers said. "If it's special to you, that's what you should try to re-create."
Jerry Wofford 918-581-8346
jerry.wofford@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: BBQ novelties
