I have been doing research lately on regional styles of barbecue and their respective histories. Fascinating, really, the different cooking methods, different recipes, even different conceptions of what barbecue is. Carolina, Kansas City, Memphis, Texas; they all have their charms. Mesquite or hickory, slow smoking or crisping up on a hot fire - chicken or pork, or sausage or beef. It is indeed a wondrous world. There is something so primal about the smell of meat being smoked. It takes hold and makes you follow, though I can’t imagine what that must be like for a vegetarian. Smoke. Yum.
Got another kind of smoke for you to try, as Blackberry Smoke's new album The Whippoorwill came out yesterday. The are known for prodigious and historically crafted hair, and have achieved rock outlaw status. Ain’t nothing quiet about that. Their shows are wailing and quaking affairs. I have just been in a serious Southern rock and roll mood lately, so the gloves are off for both the food and the music. The Whippoorwill comes on the heels of 2009's album Little Piece of Dixie, and is produced by the band, along with Clay Cook, Matt Mangano, and Zac Brown.
For today’s taste, we bring you Blackberry Smoke via a clip from their Live From the Georgia Theatre DVD which came out last year. It is the title track of their new album, “The Whippoorwill.” This one sways soft and sweet.
-Jessie Scott
