Great Food Found on the BBQ Trail!

I was back in Nashville for a couple of days this week and had to try some very heavily recommended barbecue. A couple of guys at the place I'm working recommended Judge Bean's Barbecue on 12 Ave S. Before we walked in the door we realized that we weren't in your typical Southern Barbecue restaurant. There was no sign of pulled pork on the menu. There was, however, a warning to our herbivorous friends. While I understand the sentiment, I think that as a business owner, I want to be a little more accommodating. To sum it up, though, it is nice to know that I will be able to get great barbecue when I have to spend some time in Nashville.

Since pulled pork wasn't an option, I did not have to struggle with my decision to include brisket as a part of my meal. I've never been to Texas, but all I have to say is they've got it right over there. Beef brisket makes amazing barbecue. Every once in a while you can get brisket at Holy Smokes. Kenny has figured it out, though. If you want some, make sure you call the restaurant ahead of time and ask for it. (the number is 770-963-0994. ask for Kenny) They had a lot of other interesting things on the menu so I went for the sample platter which included brisket, 3 baby back ribs, 2 smoked chicken wings, a half of a brisket filled tamale, a "Diablo Shrimp" (more on this later), and a side item... slaw for me.

As far as I'm concerned, we have found an good BBQ place in Nashville. Unlike most barbecue restaurants, they know how to cook their ribs. They held on to the bone until I bit into them, then the meat cleanly released. They were tender but not mushy and had a great smoked flavor. We serve a meatier rib at Holy Smokes, but these were great. The brisket was very good. It stayed together well enough to get it into your mouth, but then came apart nicely and was very tender. The smoked chicken wings were... wings. Very good dipped in Judge Bean's spicy BBQ sauce. The next two items deserve a paragraph of their own.

The brisket tamale was unbelievable. My wife had never had a tamale of any kind and she fell in love. The brisket was shredded and nicely spicy. It is a very unusual flavor, but took me to close to the border. I'll definitely have to have another when I'm in Nashville. It didn't occur to me why they called it "Diablo Shrimp" until I took a bite. This was a jalapeño stuffed with a shrimp and a cream cheese spread wrapped in bacon. As I bit into it I thought, "Wow! That's really great!" Then I started my search for a fire extinguisher. After watching us squirm with our tongues dunked in ice cold tea for about fifteen minutes, the waitress came by with some guacamole which cooled us right down.

I tend to get long winded when I have a great barbecue experience. If you happen to be in Nashville, check out Judge Bean's. And by all means, if you are in the Atlanta area, make the drive out to Holy Smokes in Buford. There is great shopping right near by and the barbecue is worth it.

Daddy, Daddy!

God teaches me a lot about myself through the relationship that I have with my son. My son and I are not all that different. Essentially we are both children trying to act like adults. Right now I can hear him saying, "No! I'm a BIG boy!" We are also very much alike in that when all is wrong, the first person my son calls out for is his father.

I wish I could say that my analogy continues to fit when I compare myself to my Father in heaven. It is, unfortunately, a comparison that only holds in terms of position. I think it does, however, give me a glimpse into my Father's heart. My son has been sick all weekend. We spent two nights in the emergency room and countless hours trying to comfort him. When he was in pain, no matter who was holding him, his cry was, "Daddy! Daddy!" Imagine holding this treasured being in your arms completely powerless over his current situation. My son called out to me and I could do nothing for him.

My Father is different. I guess being omniscient helps. I tend to be shortsighted to say the least. When my life turns inside out, I often find myself on my knees weeping before my Father finding only the words, "Daddy!" Here the comparison breaks down. My Father in heaven knows what lies ahead. He knows what He has to prepare me for. He loves me with all of His being; He loves me enough to allow His Son to be sacrificed for my sin. So while God has the power to change my circumstance, He chooses not to for my own good. Perhaps that is why God hasn't given me the ability to take away all of my son's struggles. He is forcing my to use what I have to prepare my son for the day that he will hold his own child and cry to the heavens asking why God would allow him to suffer such pain. That is why my Father is perfect, and I am not.

ps: My son is going to be fine. It seems that he has a nasty little virus that we just have to ride out. There is absolutely nothing I can do... and that kills me.

We're Number 2 on Google!!

I'm easily excited by stuff. Today I searched Google for "holy smokes bbq" and found that seemingly overnight, we jumped into the number 2 position. How exciting!