Durham BBQ - Elkton, MD

Durham BBQ

175 Fletchwood Rd
Elkton, MD 21921

 Durham BBQ kept itself hidden away just across the state line of Delaware in a shack really.  A few years ago they moved across the street to a small strip that allows for inside seating.  It's not vast or very restauranty...it's still mostly a take out counter that has a few tables out front.  But that shouldn't deter you in the least.

We sampled the ribs, pulled pork, ham, turkey and kielbasa.

Durham's meats don't really have a consistent style. You can't really say that it's all influenced from Texas or the Carolinas or the Midwest as different meats seem to be influenced from different regions.  The kielbasa, while having a commercial consistency, has good flavor. When at a BBQ restaurant I tend to think sausage...not kielbasa and have never really thought that much about the difference.  But I expect that sausage feels more homemade and kielbasa feels more commercial.  None of that should deter you from getting the kielbasa as it's quite satisfying.

The ham and turkey are both very clean tasting.  Not a lot of excess.  Just pure clean meat.

The pulled pork is pulled to very small pieces...almost chopped.  The other big difference is the sauce is already applied.  And it's fully mixed in.  Not just on top but fully mixed.  It tastes perfectly fine but the fact that the sauce is so intricate a component of the pork, I can't really tell about the pork itself.  

The ribs are the best meat they have.  These are a dry rub with a little bit of heat.  There is just enough spice to make it interesting.

We didn't have any of the brisket this time but I've had it before and there is a reason that I won't order it.  It's chopped and not sliced.  This isn't just about preferred presentation.  The cut of meat they use does not allow itself to be sliced.  I've had them slice it before and it doesn't work.  It just chuncks up rather than carves.  The flavor didn't overwhelm me and if you can't get it to me sliced, then I'm just not interested.

So, in order of preference...

Ribs
Ham
Kielbasa
Turkey
Pulled Pork

Now for the sides.

Beans.  Nothing special.  Just barbecue beans.  Cole Slaw.  About the same really.  Mac and Cheese.  I have a hard time not liking mac and cheese.  This is very basic and good.  Broccoli salad is good.  I'm a big fan.  The corn muffins are average.

I hope that if you are ever in the Newark, Delaware area, you'll give Durham a try.  It's a welcome experience in an area that isn't known for good barbecue.

Dinosaur BBQ - Syracuse, NY

Dinosaur BBQ - Syracuse, NY

246 W. Willow St.
Syracuse, NY 13202

http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/

I had the pleasure of lunch at the original Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse and always find the food, atmosphere and energy of this place quite good.  There is a lot of great history with this location as it is the original and started as a biker bar where they chose to add smoked meats to add to the beer offering they had. Even though it's not owned by the original owners any more, it's still a great BBQ restaurant...especially for the north east.

It was busy for lunch although we were able to be seated at the bar immediately where they server from the full menu.  I settled on the 3 meat combo where I sampled the pulled pork, sliced brisket and ribs.  While they provided the meat already sauced, that was perfectly fine. In fact, in the case of the brisket, it was welcome as the meat was slightly dry.

The pulled pork was pulled into smaller strings than what I often find in the Southeast.  While not a problem or a deterrent, I'm becoming more aware of not only flavor differences but also how the meat is prepared.  The pork had a good flavor and the sauce was a welcome addition as it was applied with the right amount.

The ribs had a good smoke and good "burnt ends" flavor on the edges of the end of the rack of ribs.

As mentioned the sliced brisket was slightly dry but the flavor was good and as I've come to expect from Dinosaur.  Good smoke ring that added the right amount of smokey flavor.

In order of preference...

Pork ribs
Pulled pork
Sliced brisket

Again...the flavor of the brisket was good. It's only at the bottom of the list because it was slightly dry.

Now for the sides...

I had the Simmered Turkey Neck Collard Greens and the West Texas Creamed Corn.  The collard greens were excellent.  Tender with a really good flavor. They can often be too bitter but not these.  They are highly recommended.  The creamed corn had a great unexpected smokey flavor that was fantastic.  Good and creamy.  The one criticism that I had was with the cornbread.  It was a little dry but I'll admit that I didn't even taste it until the end of the meal therefore my assessment may not be completely fair.

Overall a very good lunch and the Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse is highly recommended.