Don’s Specialty Meats: Who dat? Boudin!

If it’s made of meat and it’s Cajun, rest assured that you can find it at Don’s. Being a purveyor of all things meat, coupled with a curiosity about Cajun fare and a thirst for roadside culinary adventure and you can bet that we were stopping at Don’s at all costs. As we passed through Carencro, Louisiana we exited off the highway for a quick detour to the meat shop. Conveniently located across the street from a used car lot and a boiled crawfish shanty, Bryce, Kate and I elbowed our way into Don’s on Friday afternoon with our meat pie breakfast barely settled.

Part convenience store and part butcher shop, Don’s had about half a dozen items on the menu that I had never even heard of much less tried. Still burdened by the hearty breakfast, I only had room for a small snack at Don’s, so I opted for a Cajun delicacy that I had heard a lot of hoopla about: Boudin. Boudin (pronounced Boo-dan for those unfamiliar with the nuances of the Louisiana drawl) is a spiced sausage stuffed with a combination of pork (including organ meats liver and heart) and rice, and is a staple of Cajun foods. I took one wrapped to go from Don’s and enjoyed it in the truck. It had a pleasing snap from a natural casing, along with a robust meaty taste that finished with quite a kick from a combination of some spices and peppers.

It was my first introduction to Boudin and I’d certainly come back for more, given my general affinity for all encased meats. There’s a long list of Don’s delicacies on my list for future visits, and you should give it a try too.

http://www.donsspecialtymeats.com/

Lasyone’s Restaurant: Meat Pies with a side of Meat Pie

If you follow the blog closely you may recall from last year that I was rather crestfallen that we would be unable to sample the notorious meat pies at Lasyone’s restaurant in Natchitoches. Since I had spent the better part of the last year practicing how you actually pronounce Natchitoches (it’s Nack-ih-tish by the way), I assured myself that this year the meat pies would not elude me again The place is an anchor in Natchitoches however they keep some rather elusive hours so our trip out to Baton Rouge required military precision to hit this unique Louisiana landmark.

We arrived for a mid morning breakfast and settled into a table without any crowds. I took an obligatory glance over the menu, despite the fact that I had already fawned over it online for the last two weeks. When the waitress ambled over I promptly ordered up a meat pie breakfast with a side of - you guessed it- more meat pie. In fact some of us (Kate) were even wise enough to skip the breakfast part entirely and order meat pies exclusively. Consistent with all great places simplicity prevails at Lasyone’s as there is only one choice of meat pie on the menu which the waitress informed us was a combination of spiced beef and pork.

The pies are most aptly described as a fried empanada. However, unlike empanadas which can tend to get a bit dry, the Lasyone’s meat pie is moist throughout and needs no condiment to ease it down. They have a wonderful crispy crust that flakes away to a moist spiced ground meat center with just the right ratio of crust to filling to make them satisfying but not heavy. There is nothing complex or extravagant about the meatpies at Lasyone’s, they’re just good, simple food.

www.lasyones.com

University of Texas: Longhorns vs Bruins

This post will be rather short, because I’m starting to get geared up for the LSU trip this weekend, and because you’ve already seen a handful of posts from me about the Texas Longhorns anyway. I shouldn’t have to tell you that Austin is one of the premier College game day destinations in the country, and I certainly don’t need any motivation to head down there on a fall Saturday. This past weekend, the Longhorns were looking to avenge their last meeting with UCLA which came way back in 1997, when the Bruins mauled the Longhorns 66-3.

Unfortunately, this outcome was largely similar to the last meeting as UCLA scorched the burnt orange to the tune of 34-12. It really wasn’t even that close as UCLA dominated Texas on both sides of the ball, and handed them an extremely rare home loss during the Mack Brown era. Sloppy play would be an understatement for the Longhorns, as the offense coughed the ball up five times, while the nations alleged #2 rushing defense was stampeded to the tune of 264 rushing yards. It was an embarrassing performance for the Longhorns that Mack Brown and about 100,000 other folks would rather forget.

On another note, when it comes to tailgating, I’d have to put UT fans up there in the elite echelon of places that I have visited. Some of you may think you have this tailgating thing nailed because you show up with a hibachi and slam a few Hebrew Nationals and hockey puck burgers on there. Or perhaps your wife makes her famous cheddar dip and potato salad served on matching team color plasticware?

I have two words for you. Trailer. Smoker.

There is neither rival nor substitute for the meat that comes from a smoker, and until you have one of these, your tailgate is amateur at best. Trailer smokers like the one pictured litter the parking lots in Austin on gameday. They are everywhere, and decked out in all kinds of custom Longhorn colors and accessories. All these smokers puffing away lend a remarkably unique scent to the tailgating scene outside Darrell K. Royal Stadium, and there are few aromas more appetizing than gentle plumes of hardwood smoke chugging out of blackened steel chimneys.

Special thanks to our friends Jared and Kimberly, who are always a pleasure to hang out for any Texas games. Further thanks to her sister Karen for the Austin hospitality and their father Steve for generously helping with tickets to the game.

SMU: Mustangs vs. Horned Frogs

As hard as it is to believe, I’ve lived in Dallas for well over three years now and never made it to an SMU Football game. Despite living within a few miles of the stadium, the Mustangs were never too high on my list of teams to visit. While the program has improved considerably in recent years under the leadership of gunslinger head coach June Jones, I still wasn’t ready to dedicate an entire College Football Saturday to see a game there. Fortunately, SMU had a fantastic Friday night matchup on their schedule as the Horned Frogs of TCU were making the trek over from Fort Worth. Spending a Friday evening under the lights of Ford Stadium sounded like the perfect opportunity to check out my first game there.

SMU, or Southern Methodist University, for the uninformed, has a markedly different feel than all the other Texas schools we have been to. The atmosphere at SMU is largely a function of the demographic that comprises the school. SMU is a rather expensive, elite private university, with a campus that abuts the “Highland Park” section of Dallas - one of the most affluent neighborhoods in the State. Expectedly, the school has a decidedly “preppy” student body and I saw enough Khakis and loafers running around to fill out a young Republican convention. I wasn’t sure if this was tailgating or a Gap ad with a bunch of David Spade clones.

To SMU’s credit, however, the “Boulevard” is a breathtaking tailgating spot, as tents and grills line a shaded promenade of towering Post Oaks.

The game itself was actually quite competitive through the first half. While I expected TCU to come in and dominate en route to another unbeaten BCS run, the Mustangs actually put up quite a fight. Athletically, they matched up surprisingly well with the Horned Frogs, and broke a couple of impressive big plays. The Mustangs even took a quick lead coming out of halftime with a key interception. Unfortunately, that lead and the SMU celebration was short lived, as the Horned frogs returned the ensuing kickoff for 83 yards, and scored a few plays later. TCU never looked back from there, and kept their unblemished record in tact with a 41-24 win.

Regardless of the outcome, it’s easy to see the SMU program is one on the rise. There is some talent on the field, and their offense is clearly capable with June Jones. Unfortunately, their execution was sporadic on this night and it cost them. However, if they can nail down some of those executional hiccups, the Mustangs will be a formidable opponent in the future.

Ford Stadium was a pleasant venue, and we scooped up a couple of endzone lawn seats on the cheap from the stadium box office. Given the proximity of TCU, the stadium was jam packed for the evening as 35,481 fans filled the stands – a record crowd at Ford.

Special thanks to our friends Jenny, Jonathan and Heath for joining us for a perfect Friday Night of Football!

Grambling State: Tigers vs Tigers

Easily one of the more intriguing games on our schedule this year was a trip to Grambling, Louisiana to the campus of Grambling State University. Grambling is certainly one of the more renowned historically black universities, and occupies a rolling stretch of woodlands in North Central Louisiana. In addition to being an all black university, Grambling is worthy of intrigue because its prominence and national reputation belie its deceptively small size. The fact that Grambling has nationwide recognition is a remarkable achievement for a school with less than 5,000 enrolled students. In the national college football landscape, Grambling certainly plays larger than it actually is (you won’t find me driving 4 hours to go to a Skidmore College game) so we made the journey to experience it first hand.

Undoubtedly, much of Grambling’s fame can be attributed to their celebrated “Tiger Marching Band”. Made famous for their talented and unconventional performances, the Tiger Marching Band is showcased on national television every year during the Grambling vs. Southern game at the end of the season. The Bayou Classic is likely where most college fans have become familiar with them. However, the Tiger Marching Band has a laundry list of accolades that likely few other university bands in the country can match including several television commercials, a handful of presidential inaugurations, the first Super Bowl and many other honors.

A great video on the band and it’s history can be found here:

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Weekend/american-snapshot-grambling-state-marching-band/story?id=9463629

And a high quality video of a typical halftime performance can be found here:

Grambling is also well known for their former head coach Eddie Robinson. Robinson is a legend among College coaches, having amassed 408 career wins in his fifty six year tenure at the helm of the Tigers. This puts him in second place among all time wins for college coaches behind John Gagliardi of St. Johns, Minnesota. To put Robinsons longevity in perspective, Joe Paterno has to coach for another 11 years to equal the tenure that Eddie Robinson had at Grambling. In his honor, Grambling dedicated the Football Stadium “Eddie Robinson Stadium”.

Eddie Robinson stadium, aptly named for the legendary head coach, is an interesting venue. It’s not entirely a “stadium” per se, but more of a giant hole excavated into the ground filled with bleachers on opposing sides. It’s actually quite unobtrusive on the Grambling campus and difficult to spot until you know where you are going. While certainly not an enormous venue (stated capacity of only 25,600) it certainly puts you right on top of the action, and is surprisingly the largest stadium capacity in Division 1-AA football. Though on this particular day, only 7,057 packed the stadium for the home opener.

To me, the most impressive aspect of Eddie Robinson stadium is the fact that they bored a hole this deep into Louisiana soil without hitting water.

On the field was a SWAC battle of Tigers between Grambling State and Jackson State. Or, as they are referred to by the PA Announcer, the “G-Men” and “J-State” - evidently they are into the whole brevity thing. While the game itself was certainly not the level of speed and gameplay that we are accustomed to during our travels to BCS contenders, it was a hard fought and competitive game until the end. There were a handful of bone jarring hits that drew audible reactions from the crowd, and watching Grambling running back Frank Warren rumble for 256 yards on the day was an impressive display of talent. The game decision actually came down to the final play, when the Grambling defense stepped up and stuffed Jackson State on fourth and two with six ticks left on the clock to hang onto a 28-21 victory.

The Tiger Marching Band of course, was the true spectacle that we awaited at halftime, and they certainly did not disappoint. It’s truly in a category of its own when it comes to University bands that we have seen. While I was certainly impressed with the traditional drill of the Texas A&M Marching band (http://www.pigskinpursuit.com/2009/12/and-now-formed-at-north-end-of-kyle.html), the Grambling State band simply transcends any traditional band routine that we may be familiar with. While the performance starts out rather traditional (and impressive in its own right) it slowly builds into the unique blended art form that it eventually becomes at its apex. The Tiger Marching Band elevates the conventional halftime performance into a unique blend of symphony, theater, dance and art.

At the finale, the band actually starts playing and interacting with the crowd. It basically becomes a jam session where the fans and the band are rhythmically bobbing to the same performance, each feeding off the others energy and engagement with one another. It was more akin to being at a rock or rap concert, than a football halftime show. Amazing.

In the end Grambling was an extremely unique experience that we were thankful to have. It is undoubtedly a college football atmosphere steeped in tradition and pageantry well beyond its size, and made it well worth the trip out there.

Now for the answer to the question that everybody wants to know but is afraid to ask: No, we were NOT the only white people in the stadium on Saturday, although we were the only ones in the stands. Grambling’s kicker Zoltan Riazzo and a handful of other Caucasian players can be found on the Grambling and Jackson State rosters.

Louisiana Tech: Bulldogs vs Midshipmen

While Louisiana Tech by itself would never merit a four hour roadtrip for even the most diehard of College Football fans, since it was a mere five miles from the Grambling campus it presented the unique opportunity to hit a doubleheader on Saturday. After making a quick getaway from Grambling, we hustled over to Joe Aillett Stadium in Ruston just in time to sneak in midway through the second quarter. Terry Bradshaw would be proud.

Joe Aillet itself was a surprisingly pleasant venue. While certainly not cavernous in size (30,600 stated capacity), it was a remarkably intimate and clean atmosphere, and had the simple charm of a beefed up high school stadium. We found free and easy parking about twenty five yards from the entrance, and sauntered into our seats effortlessly. Small stadiums do have some advantages over their larger, crowd choked bigger brethren. It also had a markedly different family oriented atmosphere, and makes for a enjoyable Saturday evening for Ruston residents. Given the small stature of the school, I was also quite impressed with the student section, which was fully occupied, standing and boisterous for all four quarters.

On the docket for the Bulldogs this evening were the the Midshipmen from the Naval Academy. Being an ND Alum, I’m all too familiar with the triple option attack from Navy, and they prove a formidable opponent no matter who they are playing. Of course Lousiana Tech as a member of the WAC conference is no stranger to shootout type games, and one can only imagine what happens when Boise State comes rolling into town later this year. To my surprise, the contest was actually quite close until midway through the third quarter, when the Navy grinding attack finally took its toll, and they punched in a few touchdowns. The Middies then ground out the clock and cruised to a 37-23 victory.

In all, we were quite charmed with the Louisiana Tech game, and certainly glad that we made the five mile detour from Grambling. While more relaxed than some of the larger venues we visit, Louisiana Tech has its own unique charm and there are far worse ways to spend a beautiful Saturday night than under the lights of Joe Aillet Stadium.

Country Tavern BBQ

Country Tavern is a bit of a legend among Texas BBQ joints, and while not located in the famed “Barbecue Triangle” of Central Texas, it’s still widely considered one of the preeminent pit stops for purveyors of smoked meat. Tucked a few miles off Interstate 20 in Kilgore, Country Tavern made for the perfect diversion during our four hour jaunt out to Grambling.

Like any Texas Barbecue joint worth its chimney, Country Tavern is not without a bit of controversy over the last few years. Having been in business since 1939, Country Tavern has earned its reputation among the best in the state by churning out high quality cue’ for eons. However, a few years ago, they abandoned 70 year old location in favor of a squeaky new building. The stodgy faithful of Country Tavern have been quick to assert that the new location doesn’t quite turn out the same quality meat as the old location. Unfazed, we decided to give it a shot anyway and we strolled into the shadowy interior of Country Tavern and settled into a plush booth.

I was quite pleased to discover that regardless of the new building, the quality of the food was still top notch. The sausage was pleasantly spicy with a good snap to it, though I would have preferred they not slice it prior to serving. The brisket was solid, but not exceptional. It had a solid depth of smoky flavor throughout and just the right amount of rendered fat, but a more pronounced crust and smoke ring may have preserved some of the moisture a bit better.

The ribs were probably the winner overall for me despite the fact they were a bit non-traditional from a Texas sense. The ribs were tackified and sweet on the outside having been basted during the smoking process (the sauce had completely crusted onto the meat and fortunately they were not wet). The result was a sweet, almost candy coating on the outside of the ribs, which, paired with the inherent saltiness of the meat and infused smoke, created a delightfully complex flavor experience. They were actually very reminiscent of Chinese style spare ribs, but with a more robust smoke profile.

The only surprise at Country Tavern, unfortunately, was the ticket the waitress gracefully handed off to me at the end of the meal. I nearly spewed Big Red through my nose when I looked down and saw nearly fifty dollars staring back up at me in black and white. Our meat plates were nearly twenty dollars apiece…. I immediately calculated how much Snow’s brisket I could get for that hefty price, or a new snowblower.