The following is an online extra from the BBQ Roundup in our July issue, on its way to newsstands now.
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You might say that barbecue runs in Tom Cooper’s blood. As a child, every time his peripatetic family moved, Cooper’s father took them to the local smoke shack for a lip-smacking Eastern North Carolina barbecue sandwich swimming in peppers and vinegar. The first bite he remembers was at Ralph’s Barbecue in Roanoke Rapids. Though he’s hazy on the year, it predated 1952, the year Ralph’s moved to its bigger location in Weldon, North Carolina. From an early age, barbecue seeped under Cooper’s skin.
Ten years ago, Cooper and his older brother, Chip, became Memphis Barbecue Network judges, long before Tom’s son, Brad, founded Steam Bell Beer Works in Midlothian and Canon & Draw Brewing Co. in The Fan, two outposts of the same family business. (Tom Cooper heads marketing for both breweries.)
“The judging criteria is basic,” Cooper says. “Appearance is first. Before you put anything in your mouth, you visually inspect and look for the smoke ring, a 1/16 to 1/8 [inch] pink ring rimming the meat. You also want to see some bark, the outside crust that’s a combination of the rub and what the meat was brushed with. Some folks call this charred ends. Next is taste — the meat should be so good it doesn’t need sauce. Third is tenderness. We were taught that the best Memphis-style pulled pork is most properly pulled apart with a soft yank — no tugging. The meat shouldn’t fall apart in your hands, either.”
After Cooper began testing for MBN, veteran judges explained that there’s a downside to sampling so much exceptional ’cue: “What used to be your favorite barbecue restaurant won’t be so good anymore.” Cooper affirms this truism, though he still has a soft spot for Ralph’s.
Cooper’s local recommendations: Buz and Ned’s Real Barbecue, King’s Barbecue in Petersburg, and Q Barbeque