Chateau Diaries: barbecue

My love letter to Southern Barbecue Sauce.

 Sometimes being homesick looks like tears from missing friends and family, or familiar sounds and smells. And sometimes homesick looks like missing familiar food like goldfish, that gluten free bakery around the corner, or—wait for it.

BARBECUE.

Cue the BBQ Ribs.

While looking for a restaurant that would satisfy our entire family, I found a restaurant called Buffalo Grill. In France. Think Texas Roadhouse. Nope, not joking.

I certainly did not expect Michelin-star-quality food here, but good? Yes. I expected it to be good. More than edible. We are in France, after all.

We ultimately decided to go here because the menu had burgers and ribs. Burgers for everyone else, and barbecue ribs for me.

Praise. The. Lord!

I was so excited for these ribs. I love barbecue. All kinds. Pulled pork, brisket, ribs. Right now I can almost taste the ribs with barbecue sauce. The kind that’s been smoked all day and just falls off the bone. Tangy and sweet-definitely messy. Add some coleslaw and jalapeno cheese grits and yes-the angels are singing! And just so we’re clear, the red kind of sauce-get out of here with your vinegar or mustard based sauce.

But let just tell you, don’t trust BBQ sauce outside of the south, ‘ahem’ France.

Whether it’s North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, or Texas, southerners know barbecue sauce.

In all fairness, my ribs were cooked. They didn’t make me sick, which is always a win, and they were very accommodating to my gluten allergy, but there was just no comparison. I didn’t taste or feel the tang. You know, the sweet tang that hits you right behind your teeth. My hands didn’t get quite as messy as they usually do. At one point I even contemplated eating my ribs with a fork. Nope, I’m not kidding. What is happening to me?

I know Southern Living has countless recipes to choose from, but maybe they don’t know about Southern Living here? Or maybe they’ve never been to the south. I think it’s worth it just for the sauce. Go get you some barbecue sauce, France!

So, Travel Tip from a not-so-professional but somewhat experienced traveler.

Leave the BBQ to the southerners!