I was going to suggest that they might not have been cleaned well...but I honestly didn't want to gross you out.

I love tripe, but CLEAN tripe.

I have a special affinity for curried goat belly.

LoL...most likely inflated...that would be a huge bass.

With that said, they can get quite FAT too...

Eastern North Carolina...not counting real barbecue...

My favorite would be chicken & pastry.

I'm American...that IS my cultural heritage.

Naco, you get it...and I can assume by your words that you know how to cook, as well as the regional differences & the science involved here.

CD...please don't take offense to anything being said here. It seems there are some cooking physics going on that you don't understand...and that's ok. No one is making light of that. Personally, I'm trying to help you understand what goes on in the meat at different temperatures.

A few degrees of internal temperature can differentiate between slicing and pulling your pork.

When I say western style bbq is cooked to a state of less doneness, I literally mean it is cooked to a lower internal temperature. The pork is done...let's make that clear...it just isn't "as done" as eastern style pork. I'm going to "guess" that western NC shoulders are cooked to between 180-190 degrees. Much above 190 and a shoulder will start to fall apart. 180-185 might be a more accurate guess. Pork is usually "done" in the 160 range to where the pink is gone. It is safe to eat it at lower temperatures, but many folks don't like pink pork. Those temps are way too low for bbq of course, and we'll all agree to that.

The collagen that holds the meat fibers together, in my "opinion", start to dissolve around 190-193 degrees. I can start to detect tenderness differences around that point. At that stage of the cook 2-3 degrees can make major differences in the meat...it can start becoming so tender that it's difficult to even get off the pit in one piece. Eastern NC barbecue is cooked to THIS level of tenderness. It is easy to pull apart, and when chopped the meat ends up like we're used to seeing in the east.

Hams can throw a wrench into this topic of conversation as their makeup is different than shoulders...but they can be pulled into fine strands also if cooked properly. But since Lexington style is all shoulders, this isn't as relevant.

There could be a ton more discussion, but I don't want to type so long as to confuse the subject.

Lexington coarse chopped, Lexington sliced, and a chopped shoulder cooked to eastern-style standards.

I'm sorry, but there is a big difference in the final cooking temperature of Lexington style and eastern style barbecue.

Lexington style is finished to a lower internal temperature. This leaves the collagen intact which in turn holds the meat strands together. When cooked a bit further the collagen dissolves and the meat strands fall apart...allowing the meat to be pulled or chopped to the consistency you find in eastern NC.

Both methods are traditional in their respective regions. I'm not sure why that is a problem?

As to cooking a shoulder for 2 days...I'm not sure why anyone would do that. We typically cook whole hogs for 6-8 hours and they fall apart.

I have no idea who this is, but it gives you an idea of how long bass can get...and this one was only 68# (fairly skinny fish too)...

Interesting. I've only ever seen it made with tripe.

Exactly, Naco. If it's "more done" you can't slice it. You MUST cook to a lower final temperature to slice and/or get a coarse chop.

This is basic knowledge.

Commercial fish aren't eligible for records.

Still, that's a huge fish tale...

But to correct the statement...the IGFA All Tackle Record Ocean Striper is 81#14oz. You quoted the record for landlocked striper @ 69#9oz. That is a very easy mistake to make.

No...you actually typed "It's not as horridly sweet in Europe."

The formula does change...

When not "dressed" we have found ourselves sitting at the Peninsula Grill bar having a drink and an app or desert...or just the drink/beer. It's a good atmosphere for such a small bar.

Nutritional information by country:

US 1.76 grams of sugar per serving gram
AU 1.83 grams of sugar per serving gram
UK 1.76 grams of sugar per serving gram
IT 1.81 grams of sugar per serving gram

That sort of debunks the idea that US Nutella is "horridly sweet" & other versions are not.

LoL

I have an opened zip bag of brown sugar in my cupboard that has been opened well over a month. It's as soft as the day I bought it.

Strange, eh?

Gulf Oysters are available all year.

You can try Moore's since it's your only option in the area...although I have to admit it's one of the worst examples of North Carolina barbecue I've ever had. I would prefer Smithfield's over Moore's (Smithfield's is a fast food bbq chain BTW).

I'd make a recommendation for great Thai food in Jacksonville, but it's an hour away.

Good luck...New Bern isn't exactly a food city. I don't know what's there now, but they used to have a handful of little places in the historic downtown. It's nice to walk around down there and explore the few shops.

Beaufort is an hour trip.

Having never been to the Macintosh...I would never turn down the Peninsula Grill...ever...

Never heard of it.

Chunky barbecue doesn't do it for me...especially when you're talking about eastern style. Now in Lexington they cook their meat to a less doneness (undercooked by eastern standards) where it doesn't fall apart. That is why you can order sliced and coarse chopped in western style barbecue...the collagens haven't fully dissolved. The bbq at Johnson Family is a mix of east & west styles.

But you said it right...to each their own. Glad you enjoy it...we all have our favorite spots.

Sanders was given the title of Colonel in 1935 and again in 1949. How can you say he wasn't a Kentucky Colonel?

Pork is no different than anything else. Why would you think so?

You're most likely fine...sniff it.

In North Carolina we're lucky in that we ship most of our crab harvest (the largest fishery in the state) north to the Chesapeake Bay states so that you all can enjoy it! LoL

Bananas produce a good amount of ethylene gas, a ripening agent. The broken stem offer them a place to release the gas faster than normal. This is why you can ripen a banana by placing it in a bag...you trap the ethylene.

By wrapping the end in plastic you help contain the gas to prolong ripening.

Bananas are also beneficial if you have other under ripe fruit laying around that you want to eat sooner than later. You can place that fruit in a bag with a banana and the same ethylene gas will speed the ripening process up for the other fruits as well.

Nothing fancy...certainly not high quality...but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

The best knife in my arsenal is an old carbon blade butcher's knife. The blade is completely brown (not rusted, but a solid patina). It is easy to sharpen and gets scary sharp.

Like Japanese knives you must wipe it dry immediately after getting it wet or the blade edge will rust. Sometimes I even spread a drop of oil over it just because I want it to know I love it. LoL

Does he have a reason to not like the flat, thick CI grates? Why does he like round grates...just curious.

I don't know the sizes, but you can probably switch out to Weber round, stainless grates if you like.

Regardless, for a gas grill I'd most likely go with a Weber for sure.

There is nothing wrong with "smoking" at 275 (or above).

Don't fret over the temperature too much.

Honestly, I'm not really suggesting the OP run out and get a commercial food processor.

It was originally meant as a light hearted joke. LoL

I do like talking about it, though.

Investment pretty much sums it up. Sort of like purchasing a VitaMix or a KitchenAid blender. The KA works fine, but the VM is stronger and will likely not wear out in my lifetime.

Between my VitaMix and Robot Coup R2 I never plan on making another blender or food processor purchase in my life. The expense is worth it to me...longevity & enough power to handle any job you throw at it. Yes, they are luxuries in the home kitchen...but should be economical in the long run. Performance CAN'T be beat!!!

My first Robot Coup R2 was for a seafood restaurant where we made cole slaw daily. The R2 chewed through thousands of heads of cabbage every year...year after year.