Encounter 3: Champion's Barbeque

It has been a number of months since my last post, and in that time, I've found a place that I can return to and know that I'll have an enjoyable experience.  Because of that, it has led me to have fewer "encounters," as I know I'll have good meat from this place.  But the prospect of a trip to Orlando and the potential for a new encounter there spurred me to go ahead and add these next two entries, beginning with my favorite in this area, Champion's.

Champion's is a little place off of I-75 where it crosses 40, right behind a real estate agency.  It's a very small operation, which sometimes yields the best smoked meat you can find, and this guy does it pretty well.

Almost every time I've gone, I've had the spare ribs.  They have been consistently good, with a flavorful smokiness that is not overpowering, and a very nice seasoning rub.  The flavor stays with you, reminding you of how good those ribs were.  I have also had Champion's brisket, which is by far the best I've had in this area, but still cannot touch the brisket you get at a good barbeque place in Texas.  It had a good smokey flavor to it, though it was still cut very thin.  I understand now that this is an east coast thing, but it's an east coast thing that makes me long for the midwest again.

For sides, I have traditionally asked for beans and fried okra.  The beans I like, but they are mainly for my kids, who apparently cannot get enough of any type of barbeque beans.  The fried okra, though, is incredible.  Fried into nice balls of salty-seasoned perfection, I can eat these even after they've been in the fridge for a day and still like them.  Needless to say, I've been back a few times, and I guess I talk about it enough that a student of mine gave me a gift certificate at the end of the school year, which I promptly spent.

I seem to have misplaced the pictures I had of my first Champion's visit, so I guess I'll have to go out there and get some food sometime in the near future, just so I can put some pictures up on this blog that no one reads.