On the Road Again . . .

There have been few posts on this blog lately for a number of reasons: lunch hours have disappeared, old BBQ cronies have moved on SC & GA, but mostly I've gotten to the point that if I DO have the time and calories for BBQ, I've stayed real close to Pappy's & Bogart's (it helps I live about a mile from each).

So when I found myself on the road to Columbia (MO) yesterday - by myself and running early - I took the opportunity to hit one of the three or four roadside joints along I-70.

I ended up stopping at Double Smoked at the New Florence exit, former location of the Double J, run by Kim & Lisa Jahner. I didn't ask, but I think I was served by the owners as I was informed they didn't have Mt. Dew because, as my waitress/owner(?) said, 'I like Sun Drop better'.

That should have sent up a flare when I asked her to choose between brisket and pulled pork. The pork came without slaw; when I got it on the side it was very creamy. The pork itself was quite dry and the scanty specimen-cup of sauce was bland, runny, and so sweet it was essentially red corn syrup. Not one bit of smoke flavor or tang to be found.

One thing you don't want to see when you look up from your meal is a big box that says 'SYSCO quality' on it. That's pretty much what it tasted like, something Sysco would put out as BBQ.

The blurb I found on the place says the Jahners were rated 261 out of 5500 in the KC BBQ Society in 2010; I'd make it a point to avoid numbers 262 - 5500.