Cravings - Episode 4 BBQ
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00:00 Cravings Nation, we are back and we are ready.
00:02 We are on the hunt for barbecue.
00:04 That's right.
00:05 This is not no nice hoity-toity food, okay?
00:07 We're getting our hands real dirty up in this.
00:11 I'm sorry.
00:11 Right.
00:12 And apart from chicken, we're also going to go out there
00:15 and try the wide variety of barbecue meats
00:17 that Trinidad has to offer.
00:18 Yup.
00:19 And you want to know our rules?
00:21 I'm going to tell you my rule.
00:22 Go ahead.
00:23 Rule number one, no forks.
00:25 That's right.
00:26 At last.
00:27 What's your rule?
00:27 Very, very simple.
00:29 No ketchup.
00:30 Barbecue deserves barbecue sauce.
00:32 No ketchup.
00:33 Okay, I won't doubt it.
00:34 Please don't.
00:35 All right.
00:36 Any other rules?
00:37 Actually, wait.
00:40 How about we talk about sides?
00:41 Oh, yeah.
00:41 All right.
00:42 Sides.
00:43 Fries, okay?
00:44 I like to concentrate on the meat.
00:45 I like to keep it simple.
00:47 Have a nice little touch of that little fried potato on the side.
00:50 Maybe.
00:50 Good to go.
00:51 That's it.
00:51 A great macaroni salad.
00:53 Macaroni salad goes fantastic with a barbecue.
00:55 I'm sorry.
00:56 Yeah, but it doesn't last as long.
00:58 Okay, well, let's get out of here.
01:00 Anyway, we have a long journey ahead of us.
01:01 I have no idea what that means.
01:02 Let's do this.
01:03 It doesn't last as long.
01:07 Get lost.
01:07 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:10 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:14 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:17 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:45 So when we talk in barbecue, the first place I thought of
01:48 was Rib House.
01:49 I come in here--
01:49 Rib House.
01:50 Yes.
01:51 Right, right.
01:51 For one thing, though, beef ribs.
01:53 Beef ribs.
01:54 But seeing that you like chicken--
01:55 I like my chicken.
01:56 We'll order some chicken for you, too.
01:57 Can I get some beef ribs with fries, and chicken
02:02 for this young man, and macaroni salad?
02:05 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:08 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:11 Rib House has a secret recipe about their sauce.
02:29 It's really distinct.
02:30 It's good.
02:31 It's sweet.
02:32 Let me give it a try.
02:33 Because you know I like sweet sauce.
02:34 So let's give it a try.
02:37 Hey, try some of this.
02:39 Oh, beef?
02:41 Fantastic.
02:41 Fall off the bone.
02:43 Just tender, sweet, and tangy.
02:47 That's good.
02:48 I've grown to love a macaroni salad with barbecue.
02:50 And this macaroni salad is good.
02:52 I didn't let you down, did I?
02:53 No.
02:54 This time, you actually did come through.
02:55 I know food.
02:56 So Mari, after all this tasting, what do you think?
02:59 Give me your ratings.
03:00 Maybe I'm a little biased, because I've
03:02 been coming to Rib House for years.
03:03 But definitely five happy Mari faces.
03:06 Wow.
03:07 A lot of barbecue to be tried.
03:08 So we'll see what happens.
03:09 But this is good barbecue, hands down.
03:11 All right, well, this is the oldest barbecue.
03:13 So where are you taking me next?
03:15 I'm taking you to the newest kid on the block.
03:17 Oh.
03:17 The Cravings Nation has been raving about this place
03:20 since we actually put out the message
03:22 we're going to try barbecue.
03:24 It's Rib Shack on Mucarapo Road.
03:26 [MUSIC PLAYING]
03:30 [MUSIC PLAYING]
03:33 What are we going to get, Mari?
03:53 OK, so I'm going to have the beef short ribs
03:55 with grilled shrimp.
03:56 Nice.
03:57 And on the sides, I'll have a Caesar salad.
04:00 Sounds good.
04:01 And--
04:02 And some garlic bread.
04:03 Yes.
04:03 I was trying to be healthy, but whatever.
04:05 For me, I like my chicken when it comes onto the barbecue.
04:07 To keep it nice and simple, some barbecue chicken
04:09 always hits the spot.
04:10 So I think I'm going to go with the chicken and the pork ribs.
04:14 On my sides, I think I'm going to--
04:16 Why don't you try the broccoli, so--
04:17 The broccoli actually seems interesting.
04:19 So broccoli, slaw, and some mashed potatoes.
04:21 [MUSIC PLAYING]
04:25 [MUSIC PLAYING]
04:28 The chicken is so good.
04:46 It's tender.
04:47 It's juicy.
04:50 The barbecue sauce is just enough sweet and tangy
04:53 mixed together.
04:54 This beef, though, oh my gosh, you really have to taste it.
04:56 I will try the beef.
04:57 Nice and salty, smooth.
05:00 I recommend the pork ribs.
05:01 They're all to this world good.
05:04 Everything is actually quite good.
05:06 The coleslaw, fantastic.
05:08 The broccoli coleslaw is really good.
05:09 I would have to say this is one of my favorite barbecue spots
05:13 I've tried in Port of Spain thus far.
05:15 And I agree with Sean.
05:16 I think this is one of the best barbecue places I've been
05:19 to in a really long time.
05:21 [MUSIC PLAYING]
05:24 [MUSIC PLAYING]
05:50 Jerky's at last.
05:52 Simple, real-deal barbecue.
05:54 It's a mild jerk mixed with a trinny barbecue flavor.
05:57 So that's kind of why I have a bit of a bias towards jerky.
05:59 You know what's trinny is?
06:00 It's like they put their own thing on everything.
06:01 That's right.
06:02 You know what I want already, Mr. Jerky.
06:03 All right.
06:04 With no further ado, let's make it happen.
06:06 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:09 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:12 I like that.
06:34 [INAUDIBLE]
06:35 That's right.
06:36 Well, as you can see, pretty simple-- leg and thigh,
06:39 chopped up, garlic, dinner roll, and fries.
06:42 Let's do this.
06:43 But you go first, Marie.
06:44 All right, cool.
06:45 As a Jerky's virgin.
06:46 All right.
06:47 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:49 Now it's my turn.
06:50 This stuff is always good.
06:51 Mm.
06:52 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:55 What hits you?
06:56 What hits you first?
06:58 OK.
06:59 I'll show you barbecue sauce.
07:02 What I like is that little nice jerky undertone.
07:05 It's spicy, but not too spicy.
07:07 It starts burning.
07:08 But you do get the fact that it's well-seasoned.
07:11 And you get a distinct slight spices and burn from the jerk.
07:15 Jerky does it right.
07:16 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:19 Was it worth the traffic?
07:21 Yes.
07:22 All right.
07:23 OK, so the next one, pigtail in Valencia.
07:26 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:29 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:32 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:35 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:38 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:41 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:44 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:47 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:50 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:53 Hey.
07:54 Thanks.
07:55 We have a pigtail.
07:56 We're here for the pigtail.
07:57 All right.
07:58 That's right.
07:59 Yeah.
08:00 Thanks.
08:01 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:04 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:07 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:10 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:12 Thanks.
08:13 Thank you very much.
08:15 Oh, that looks interesting.
08:18 All right.
08:19 You got to get the meatiest one.
08:22 Yummy.
08:23 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:26 It's really salty.
08:29 Pigtail tends to be.
08:30 But the sauce is pretty good.
08:31 It's good barbecue, though.
08:33 I'm not a pigtail fan, but pretty decent.
08:37 A little car on top of this, huh?
08:40 Something.
08:41 It's salty.
08:42 It's fatty.
08:43 It's bony.
08:44 It's everything pigtail's supposed to be.
08:47 So if you love pigtail, I would have to say come out to Valencia.
08:50 Give it a try.
08:51 If you don't?
08:53 If you don't, don't come to Valencia.
08:54 Give it a try.
08:56 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:59 [MUSIC PLAYING]
09:02 [MUSIC PLAYING]
09:05 [MUSIC PLAYING]
09:08 [MUSIC PLAYING]
09:11 [MUSIC PLAYING]
09:13 All right, Cravings Nation.
09:14 It's your girl, Mari, here.
09:16 I'm without Sean because he's bailed out on me.
09:18 For whatever reason, he has a life.
09:20 Anyway, right.
09:21 Okay, right, so I'm meeting Chef Gregory at this place in Shibona called Al-Hak. Apparently, the barbeque there is super good.
09:28 So we're gonna check it out and then we're off to start.
09:32 [Music]
09:58 Mari! Hey, what's up Greg? What's going on girl? How you doing?
10:01 Alright, so we're here at Al-Hak. I'm excited for you to take me on the journey.
10:06 Alright, you're the icon at Shibona's. Let's go! Alright.
10:10 [Music]
10:20 Okay, so besides the fact that all you need here is halal, what else is very unique about Al-Hak?
10:26 Well, the fact that it's an icon, national icon starting off in Shibona's 25 years ago.
10:32 But more importantly, the sauce. The sauce, what's so special about the sauce?
10:36 The sauce is the playmaker of barbeque. And this sauce is a fruit-based barbeque sauce.
10:41 So what do we have here? Well, I think the lamb is really the thing to go with because they really know their lamb.
10:46 Alright, well let's just get straight into it. But, hear what, the viewers have told us that here has one of the hottest pepper sauces.
10:54 Case in point, very hot pepper sauce.
11:00 Seeing as I can't eat pepper sauce, I was thinking maybe you could tell me.
11:05 Tickle me, tickle me.
11:07 Anyway, you can tell me what it's like when we get the lamb. What do you think?
11:11 Well, you have milk? Alright, rock and roll.
11:14 [Music]
11:16 Lovely presentation.
11:18 [Music]
11:21 Mmm. I'm actually tasting a little bit of gyro.
11:24 But it's not overpowering?
11:26 It's like a little subtle trinny. Right. Good.
11:30 So tell me something, wanna try this pepper sauce now?
11:33 Yeah, let's do it.
11:35 Alright, Mari, oh my god, Mari. Could you bring a glass of milk, please?
11:39 [Music]
11:43 Don't bring any milk. What do you think about the pepper sauce?
11:45 Alright, what I think, it's very flavorful. You could probably lose about 10 pounds of weight just signing up here.
11:51 Well, let me get on board with this.
11:53 Alright, wait, wait, wait, hold up, hold up, there's a hazard there right now, hold on.
11:55 This here is milk. When pepper gets too hot, this is what you just drink.
12:02 Let's get straight into this barbecue sauce.
12:04 Alright. Let me see. Woo. Oh my god, pepper in this too or what?
12:08 That nice fruity aroma. That acidity of the barbecue sauce.
12:13 One thing though, right, they seem to have made this barbecue sauce to age a while so the flavor is kind of settling.
12:20 But one thing you want to do is that you want to make sure and keep the barbecue sauce at room temperature before you serve it on the beach.
12:26 So you don't put cold sauce on hot meat. Right, gotcha.
12:29 Right, but have a very good flavor, the pineapple chunks give it a nice flavor.
12:33 And I'm sure they use some local pineapple here. You know, a lot of people just use the canned pineapple.
12:37 But when you get that local pineapple, just take this piece. Definitely taste it like it.
12:40 Everything's subtle but working really nicely.
12:43 We cooked it on the bone.
12:44 I understand why Alhaka has been open for so long. Good job.
12:49 Okay, you're sweating so we need to cool you down a little bit. Right? Where are we heading to next?
12:54 Place number two, we're heading south man. Way south.
12:57 Right, let's go. Come on.
12:58 Alright. Let's rock.
13:01 Goodness.
13:03 [Music]
13:06 [Music]
13:09 [Music]
13:36 [Music]
13:38 I am super excited to try this place. Really?
13:46 You know why? Apparently when you come south and you want barbecue, here's the place to be.
13:51 The original barbecue hut.
13:53 Yup, and if you notice, it kind of looks like a circus, right?
13:56 A circus of meat.
13:57 Well, unlike circuses, which are a little chaotic, this place, very systematic.
14:03 Plenty of order.
14:04 Look at that mass production going on in the back. Look at this line.
14:07 Line here in order too, but real quiet too. Here's something real loud.
14:11 Mass production in the back here, girls.
14:15 [Music]
14:32 Okay, we got enough meat to last us for like six years.
14:36 Alright, let me see what we got here.
14:37 This beef steak, well seasoned.
14:41 Really.
14:42 What I'm finding with a lot of these different meats, very soft, very tender, not very dried out.
14:49 Sauce is king. You'll never forget that.
14:52 Barbecue king fish.
14:54 Barbecue king fish, but it's not too limey. You get that grill flavor.
14:59 You know what's ironic? They don't use any gas. It's strictly charcoal.
15:04 Now, charcoal in itself, all of the, it's a dry high heat, so you can put wet flavorings like pepper sauce.
15:14 Ooh, you getting that kick from that fish?
15:16 Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's good.
15:18 So we got lime here.
15:27 Gonna try the beef. Sweet and tangy.
15:32 It is.
15:33 Good combination. Shrimp.
15:35 Mary, do you mind passing the box this way so I can try the shrimp too?
15:41 Now you notice that this shrimp, the shell is on it, so it's staying plump and moist.
15:48 Nice. Chops all those flavors in.
15:49 Correct.
15:50 Could be a little more seasoned. For me, overall they have a great selection of meats.
15:55 I mean, there's a lot of variety.
15:57 True.
15:58 They have a lot of consistency in their sauce.
16:00 It does.
16:01 But I'm gonna give the barbecue, the original barbecue, a 3.5 rating when it comes to their meats.
16:06 Hurry up, girl. Let me go. Time running.
16:08 We still in South, and we looking for the barbecue.
16:12 [♪♪]
16:15 [♪♪]
16:20 [♪♪]
16:23 Okay, so we finally made it to Rio Claro.
16:44 Back to breakfast.
16:45 So a bit of a drive, but you know, we have to come and try the smoked shank.
16:50 This is one of the places we were told has the only smoker in this part of Trinidad. Right?
16:55 Indirect cooking.
16:56 Well, this meat better be worth it.
16:58 I think I'm worth it, guys.
17:01 I'm here at long last.
17:03 Always late.
17:04 Drop that shank, boy. Looking good.
17:06 But you know, at least, you know, Sean takes things to a different level.
17:10 So explain your outfit, please.
17:11 Very easy. Because this is the best barbecue, so I just came dressed for the occasion.
17:15 All right, so let's get busy.
17:17 Well, I must admit I like your dress code because you come for good food.
17:21 Absolutely.
17:22 And this is the smoked shank, and welcome, guys.
17:24 All right.
17:25 And seeing as believing, I'm gonna show you that smoker that you all are excited about.
17:27 All right. Let's do this.
17:29 This here is the animal.
17:31 Wow.
17:32 This is the smoker.
17:34 One of Brad Wright and my arrow here.
17:36 I'm a team, and I designed it, and we built it right up in my workshop.
17:39 And this side here, there's a lot of shells.
17:43 That does a lot of cooking.
17:45 Wow. You can instantly get that very smoky, woody smell, right?
17:49 And the meat, yeah.
17:50 I love that.
17:51 A lot of fat rendering. We do pork shoulders.
17:53 We do beef brisket.
17:54 We do chicken.
17:55 So speaking of meats, which ones are we gonna try tonight?
17:58 All right. In for a treat, we're gonna get some pulled pork, where we do the over shoulder.
18:02 Smoked up like about 8, 10 hours.
18:03 All pork in the winter.
18:04 Really nice, tender meat.
18:05 And of course, classic beef brisket.
18:07 That's the whole brisket corner.
18:09 The best.
18:10 I'm a brisket lover, so I'm all about that brisket.
18:12 And brisket is a must-have.
18:14 I think you'll like this here.
18:16 After you have this here, you're gonna f***ing love it.
18:18 Those are some big words, you know.
18:20 So let's see what happens.
18:21 Let's go have some good food.
18:22 Yeah, let's get into it.
18:23 I'm trying to pull a pork first.
18:37 Wow.
18:38 The pulled pork is absolutely juicy.
18:43 I mean, it's just succulent.
18:45 It's...
18:47 Before you even get into it, you smell that like smoky wood.
18:50 There's not much I can say about the pulled pork.
18:52 I mean, it's just perfect.
18:53 I don't think I can top that.
18:55 I'm gonna go with what Sean said.
18:56 It's very moist.
18:58 It's really a very classical preparation.
19:01 The pulled pork just melts in your mouth.
19:04 It does.
19:05 The brisket is nothing short of phenomenal.
19:09 It is everything a brisket is supposed to be.
19:12 And just like the pulled pork, it's just simply goodness.
19:16 There's nothing...
19:17 There's not much else I can say about this brisket.
19:19 Tell me a little bit about the sauce.
19:21 What is the sauce composed of?
19:24 It's more local herbs.
19:26 I use a bit of, you know, the shadon beni,
19:28 some sweet peppers, some...
19:31 What else?
19:32 A vinegar base, of course.
19:34 Vinegar base.
19:35 Yeah, that is what pairs nicely with smoked foods, as you would know.
19:38 The sides here are very interesting too.
19:40 Very southern American.
19:43 Southerners in southern United States.
19:45 What's the stuff with?
19:48 Cheese, vegetables, a bit of seasonings as well.
19:53 The sautéing is done in the smoker.
19:55 The cornbread is also fantastic, man.
19:57 It's just nice, light, and fluffy.
19:59 Yeah, I can't wait to have two.
20:01 I'm gonna get some of this sketty muffin.
20:04 Looks like a macaroni and pie, but...
20:06 That is the real trick right there.
20:09 Really, the thing behind the sketty muffin is,
20:12 you know when, long time,
20:14 Mamie make the macaroni pie,
20:15 and everybody rushing to the corner of the pie
20:17 because of that little crust on the end.
20:19 Crunchy, that's right.
20:20 I love when I'm shuffling.
20:21 That's a nice, flirty pie.
20:24 This presentation of this baked potato,
20:27 very impressive.
20:28 You know, my rating, five out of five.
20:30 Thank you, sir.
20:31 I'm not generous with compliments,
20:33 but the end result.
20:34 I'm gonna go with a five out of five as well, definitely.
20:38 You know, I tend to be a harsh critic.
20:41 I would love to give you less than five,
20:42 but this is nothing but perfection.
20:44 Everything is perfect, including the environment.
20:47 I mean, this is just beautiful.
20:49 Thank you very much, sir.
20:50 So two thumbs up, chef.
20:51 Thank you very much.
20:52 Two thumbs, two toes.
20:53 Cravings Nation, get your butts here.
20:57 (upbeat music)
21:00 Okay, and we're back.
21:05 It was a bit of a journey, but quite worth it, okay?
21:09 We went from the rib shack in Port of Spain,
21:12 Rib House in St. James, Al Haq in Chagonas,
21:16 the barbecue, the original barbecue hut in South,
21:20 and then we ended with Smoke Shed in Rio Claro.
21:25 That's right.
21:26 So we got it all.
21:27 I would say the topper topper for me
21:29 was definitely the beef ribs in Rib House.
21:32 I'm gonna stay true to my roots.
21:34 What about you?
21:35 For me, it's pretty simple.
21:36 While Rib House was good,
21:37 I have to say the Smoke Shed in Rio Claro.
21:40 Believe it or not, Rio Claro, great brisket,
21:42 and fantastic pulled pork, so that's a winner.
21:45 That is true.
21:46 All in all, it can't really go bad with barbecue,
21:50 so I think everybody kind of hit the bar there
21:53 when it came to taste,
21:54 but, you know, sauce, Rib House for me.
21:58 Rib House had good sauce.
21:59 However, the rib shack, that sauce was fantastic.
22:03 Fine, we'll agree to disagree.
22:05 That's a winner for me right there.
22:06 But guys, check them all out.
22:08 Quite worth it, all right?
22:09 Absolutely.
22:10 And we're out.
22:11 We're done with the meat talk.
22:12 Let's get out of here.
22:13 Yeah.
22:14 Mmm. Mmm.
22:15 I mean, this really didn't even require
22:17 the barbecue sauce, which is--
22:18 Mm-mm.
22:19 But we do have to put in the sauce as part of the thing.
22:22 So it was fine, though.
22:23 Milk!
22:24 Your cup, yeah.
22:25 All right, food.
22:26 Milk.
22:27 Mmm.
22:28 Whoo!
22:30 Whoo!
22:31 (upbeat music)
22:33 you