My love affair with meat extends to my circle of friends. Let me be more specific, I am not the only one in my circle of friends that shares a love affair with meat. And like the shampoo commercial from the 70's, "and they told two people, and they told two people, and so on, and so on, and so on." So in a real world "Six Degrees of Bacon" (no need for Kevin here), I know a lot of people who know a lot of people who love meat. And this story falls into that category.
In 1993, I moved to Chicago and met a friend, a college classmate in fact who I did not know in college, and so began what is now a 21 year friendship. I was his best man in 2004, he mine in 2009 and the beat goes on so to speak. In 1998, I became friends with a co-worker (she out of the NY office, me out of the Chicago office). In 2000, she moved to Chicago, at which point I introduced her to a guy who she married four years later. Yep, same guy.
So, what does all this have to do with meat, you ask? Good question. A couple of years after their wedding, I drove down to Cincinnati to spend a weekend with them, a cold January weekend. Dinner was ready when I got there, a 10 hour crock pot recipe of BBQ Beef Brisket. Yes, these friends love meat like I do. And it was phenomenal. I obtained said recipe on the spot, and it has been a staple in the King household ever since. But, there is more! Her brother was the maker of the BBQ sauce in the recipe! Apparently, what was once a backyard hobby became a bit of an enterprise when he unexpectedly took 2nd place at Memphis in May and concluded that he HAD to do something with this little concoction. And so he did. And thus became "Fat Dan's BBQ Sauce". Tag Line: Dan's Fat, the Sauce Isn't. Now, I know there are times when people say, "So and so makes the best <fill in the blank>". Well, Dan made the best BBQ sauce I've ever had. And that is a HUGE statement, given what comes later in the story! Dan sent me home with a couple of cases of sauce, on several occasions, and it was always a crowd pleaser. Not long after I was introduced to Fat Dan's, I learned that Fat Dan's was going to be no more. Dan and his partners never viewed it as their "full time job", and none of them ever wanted to leave their full time job to make a real go of it. So, they sort of packed up shop, and ended it there. A year or two later, I flirted with the idea of buying the recipe and the name and giving it a go in Chicago. But I never did, and now, the years have passed.
Since then, I have struggled to find the right replacement. It had heat, to be sure, balanced with some sweetness that both pleased you and kicked you all at the same time. Finally, I have now found my "go to", a best-in-city BBQ joint that just so happens to be owned by friends of ours (see what I mean about Six Degrees of Bacon?), Smoke Daddy. Smoke Daddy on Division/Wood in Chicago is the penultimate marriage of great BBQ and sports bar. And trust me, there aren't many of those. Usually if you do one well, the other suffers. These guys nailed the combination. AND...they nailed the sauce. They have several, and each are outstanding. For this brisket, I used the Sweet & Smokey.
So, let's talk recipe. Paulina's Beef Brisket (and I've got to put a little shout out to Paulina's Brisket...there truly is NO comparison), about a 3.5 pounder is perfect. Set it at room temperature for an hour and give it a good rub of Kosher salt and ground pepper. Layer the bottom of a crock pot with one thinly sliced onion, place the Brisket on top of it (fat side up), sprinkle one diced jalapeno pepper, one packet of onion soup mix, and one bottle of Smoke Daddy Sweet and Smokey BBQ sauce. Cook on High for one hour, Low for 8 hours, and shred it and eat it. Paired with my wife's homemade cole slaw and homemade mashed potatoes, and yesterday was Memphis in February!
Back to Fat Dan's. There were two ingredients that I know made it a bit on the unique side, apple sauce and mace. With those as my starting points, I will commence yet another quest. This year, for Day of Meat in August, I will attempt to recreate Fat Dan's. There will be a lot of trial and error, I am sure. But I will pursue this goal. Dan, if you see this, and you think to yourself, "I should throw this guy a bone", a) if you literally threw me a bone I might actually fetch it and b) please do so. I will honor your recipe and if I can successfully recreate its incomparable deliciousness, let's talk about the launch of Fat Dan's 2.0.
9 down, 48 to go!
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