Comestiblog

Dinosaur Bar B Que—Jurassic Pork in Harlem

It was cold night in a marginal part of town.  The music inside the honky-tonk biker joint was loud, we were hungry, and the wait for a table seemed interminable.  After finally being seated and served, my first ravenous bite justified all the effort it had taken to reach that point.  This was real barbecue!  Although that took place some seven years ago, I still savor my gustatory memories of the original Dinosaur Bar B Que in Syracuse, New York.

In late 2004, roughly a year after my Syracuse feast, I welcomed the prospect of Dinosaur's new Manhattan venture with eager enthusiasm.  Early tepid reviews, however, delayed my initial visit to the Harlem branch by several years.  Should I have waited so long?

On a recent visit to the NYC Dino, we were greeted with the familiar 45-minute wait for an indoor table.  Fortunately, outdoor seating was on a first-come, first-served basis.  We promptly scored a private, full-sized picnic table outside on a lovely summer's evening.  Best of all, we avoided the deafening decibel levels of the dining room.  It almost appears as though the interior space had been manufactured to resemble the one in Syracuse—right down to the noise level.  One could say that Dinosaur really knows how to put the din in dining.  Just steps from the Cotton Club and Fairway, the contrived biker ambiance seems incongruous with its surroundings.  The clientele was composed of mainly yuppies; the few bikers we spied had ridden in under their own pedal propulsion.

Regardless of what critics may have said, the barbecue here is every bit as good as the upstate original, and exceeds the taste and quality of many a Southern pit.  With its $27.95 Sweetheart Deal for Two (a full rack of pork ribs, four homemade sides, and two pieces of honey hush cornbread), this Dino has soared to one of the top spots on my list of favorite barbecue joints.  The ribs are marinated for 24 hours with Dinosaur's Action Spice Rub and slow pit-smoked to perfection to yield a meaty, fall-off-the-bone tender rack.  A light glaze of Dino's original Bar-B-Q sauce adds the perfect finish.  Nevertheless, there's additional sauce at each table for those who like more.  Unlike many, this one is rich and flavorful without being a ketchup bomb.

A great rack: The Sweetheart Deal for Two

For our sides, we chose cole slaw, Creole potato salad, Bar-B-Que beans, and simmered collard greens (vegetarian!)—each very tasty.  The relish and Cajun spices in the potato salad added a welcome tang.  Of course, cornbread is de rigueur with barbecue.  Dino's honey hush beauties are moist, and have the right degree of graininess in their texture.  My only complaint is that we were limited to a mere two pieces with our Sweetheart Deal—two more would have been twice as sweet.

Though usually a wine drinker, I prefer suds with my 'cue.  As one might expect, Dinosaur has a well-chosen selection of beers on tap.  While my Comestaccomplice ordered the Blue Point Toasted Lager, I chose the Middle Ages Syracuse Pale Ale.  Less bitter and a bit smoother than mine, hers was the better brew for barbecue.

Dinosaur Bar B Que's are among the most satisfying ribs I've tried, and worth the heartburn.  Needless to say, a full rack and all its accompaniments are more than ample for two.  Why did I wait all these years to try this place?

Dinosaur Bar B Que

646 West 131^st Street (SE corner 12^th Av), Harlem, Manhattan

(212) 694-1777

http://www.DinosaurBarBQue.com/
http://www.facebook.com/DinosaurBBQ

By train: 1 to 125 Street (walk west on 125^th to 12^th Av)
By bus: M4, M104, Bx15

Curtis' Bar·B·Q: Smoke and (Bus) Mirrors in Putney, Vermont

Were it not for the billowing smoke and hunger-inducing aromas wafting though the air, it would be easy to miss the two blue school buses that house "The 9^th Wonder of the World."  Curtis' Bar·B·Q, just up the hill from exit 4 on Interstate 91 in Vermont, is in its 41^st season of serving southern-style barbecue in the quaint village of Putney.  Over the years, this seasonal, unassuming stand has garnered a loyal following not just locally, but well beyond these verdant hills as well.

What brings people back season after season?  The answer begins with the man behind the grill.  Curtis Tuff, a native of Macomb, Georgia, was a migrant farm worker who followed harvests from Florida to New England.  In 1961, Curtis' itinerancy came to an end, however, when he found steady work picking apples for the Darrow family at Green Mountain Orchards in Putney.  To augment his income, Tuff used his know-how to prepare pig roasts for special events at area schools.  Using temporary cooking pits he fashioned from cement blocks, as well as a sauce based on his grandfather's recipe, Curtis gradually introduced Vermonters to real southern barbecue.  It wasn't long before word-of-mouth generated consistent demand for his cooking.

The aforementioned cement blocks proved unwieldy and short-lived, however.  That's where the school buses entered the scene.  Employing a little Yankee ingenuity, the Southerner outfitted the vehicles with a fire pit crafted from a 275-gallon oil drum, halved lengthwise, and vented through the roof with stove pipes and a fan.

By 1968, Curtis' Bar·B·Q was a going concern.  With his newfound grilling mobility, Tuff took his barbecue act on the road to nearby locales including a number of school campuses.  His popularity among lucubratory students earned him the unofficial title of "The 9th Wonder of the World," a slogan he uses to this day.

The limited menu of pork ribs and chicken hasn't changed much over the years.  Nevertheless, it was enough to draw the attention of The New York Times, whose favorable, 1988 article helped Tuff find permanent parking spots for his blue school buses.  The newer bus serves as the main stand, with a small counter and two of its windows flipped up to accommodate customer orders and pickups.  To the right, under a corrugated metal roof, the affable, 72-year-old Curtis Tuff can be seen grilling meats amid clouds of smoke.  He still uses his halved oil drums, now mounted atop an old hay wagon.

Service seems to be instantaneous.  I scarcely had time to put away my change when my order was ready.  Seating is available at picnic tables that flank the unpaved parking lot.  A new open-sided picnic shed seems somehow out of place.  Though it is the only structure on the premises that does not appear ramshackle (or perhaps because of that), the older seating area with umbrellas—nearer the road—tends to be more popular.

Cooking time is roughly 80 minutes for a slab of ribs; 90 minutes for a three-pound chicken.  Curtis refuses to use charcoal, opting, instead, for hardwoods—which include, of course, maple.  The meat is done to perfection, its succulence imbued with a rich, sweet, smoky flavor.  Though the barbecue sauce delivers the right amount of heat, its tang verges on being overly vinegary.  The flavor reminds me somewhat of Tabasco®.  There's a practical reason for the acidity, however.  Because the recipe predates the advent of refrigeration, vinegar was added as a preservative.

Small portion (2) of Ribs

Although barbecue may not be the first thing that comes to mind when visiting the Green Mountain State, Curtis' quality and convenience make this a perfect stop for a quick bite while leaf-peeping.  The experience is quite satisfying.  While wiping his mouth and preparing to leave, a person at the next table declared, "Another great meal!"

Curtis' Bar·B·Q

7 Putney Landing Road (I-91, exit 4)
Putney, VT   05346  (map)

(802) 387-5474

Open April through October, 10:00 A.M till dusk.  Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

http://www.curtisbbqvt.com/