Crumbs in my 'Stache: The sweet blessings of smoke

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

By Ben Cannon

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-In the South there is something of a tradition of taking a Sunday drive to some out-of-the-way place for country-style eats. Friends and families pile into the car and head off, often driving miles into rural areas for the promise of the some of the best fried catfish and hushpuppies. And often, of course, you also find some of the best barbeque.

On Sunday evening, after an exhausting weekend in Sun Valley, I convinced a buddy to ride with me to Victor for dinner and in the early evening light we left town, cresting the pass underneath superbly clear darkening skies.

Our objective: the Knotty Pine (58 S. Main Street in Victor) for some of the best barbeque meats and side dishes in the region. Since I had discovered thebeef brisket there I have returned a handful of times. The thing is, though, I have yet to get beyond the barbeque page.

At its best, the brisket the Knotty Pine prepares is rightly moist and heavily smoky in flavor – the meat mostly pink throughout from curing in the smoke. When the brisket appears more pink than anything, the meat will often have an almost sweet natural taste to it, which, to me, is sign of really good barbeque.

Chef Johnny Perry and crew fire up a wood smoker as big as a compact car every day of the week, smoking the brisket in a low mesquite wood fire for up to 16 hours. They also use the smoker to slow-cook short ribs, turkey, wings and kielbasa sausage.

Mainly, the Knotty Pine’s is a Kansas City-style approach to barbeque, which involves a dry rub of seasonings to add flavor and a bit of bite to the 21-day aged beef raised at an Idaho-based all-natural, hormone-free operation. The servers put out bottles of sauce at each table, though I find the flavorful, moist meats do not need a lot of it. When you hit it on a really good day, and it’s always at least pretty darned good, it is some of the best barbeque around.

The burnt ends have garnered something of a loyal following, especially among the menfolk, which I base on conversations with some Teton Valley residents (okay, so maybe I don’t necessarily think to ask a Victor or Driggs woman her thoughts on barbeque). What was originally a jumble of fatty cuttings from brisket and ribs now also includes nubs of sausage and even turkey, the dish then either sautéed or broiled into charred cubes.

Ordering a barbeque combo platter, which allows you to choose two or three meats, I have decided I will probably order the turkey over the burnt ends, but I will encourage someone with me to order them, if only so I can have a couple.

And I’d be remiss not to mention the macaroni and cheese, which is half-made to order with curly pasta, heavy cream and a blend of cheeses including the world’s best cheese, American, engineered to melt without any protest. Individually placed in a glazed bowl, the dish is oven-finished with a gooey skin of melted cheddar cheese. Happy regional food touring.

Photo by BEN CANNON
The Large Combo, with Mac ‘n Cheese.

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Crumbs in my 'Stache: The sweet blessings of smoke | Planet JH News Article: Restaurants And Dining

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