For Lunch Today...

There are not many BBQ spots in or around NOLA, but the few that we do have put out a pretty damn good product. After living in exile in Austin for four years (no victory lap for this guy), I developed a hankering for BBQ which I brought back home with me. So whenever I get the itch, I head on down St. Claude to Poland Ave and make my way to The Joint.*

The Joint is such a dive, but that's what gives it its charm.** There are maybe 8 picnic tables and benches inside and a few outside, the A/C barely works, and the "bathroom" door is a curtain. But they make some great BBQ, so ambiance be damned.

In some regions, your choice of BBQ meats is strongly dependent on where you are. Brisket and sausage in Texas, pulled pork in the Carolinas, ribs in Memphis and St. Louis. Not the case at The Joint. They have Texas style beef brisket, St. Louis cut pork spareribs, Carolina pulled pork, smoked chicken on the bone, and a local Cajun specialty of smoked chaurice sausage. Can't decide which one to choose? No problem, go with the 3 meat combo plate. Oh and don't worry, they have both thick, sweet sauce for the brisket and thin, spicy sauce for the pulled pork.

As for sides, my favorite is the mac & cheese. The baked beans are rather light in color from the absence of tomato, but they are still sweet with either molasses or brown sugar. If you need a little greenery, order the salad with smoked tomato and onion dressing.

Finish it off with a slice of peanut butter pie for dessert, and you've got yourself one hell of a lunch. So head on out to the Bywater, tuck your tie inside your shirt (if necessary), and dive right into some great BBQ at The Joint.

* This "For Lunch Today..." goes out to Big Brutal Dave ("BBD"), an avid reader of the blog. He had some, shall we say, "complaints" yesterday:
BBD: f*king let me ask you this
where the f*ck was i supposed to go to lunch today
if yall didnt tell me
d*cks
Peter: You are in Baton Rouge, mother f*cker
We only do it for NOLA
BBD: so f*cking what
its bullsh*t
you didnt do it for nola today
thats what im saying
Peter: Agreed
At blackenedout we try to post everyday
Sometimes we need to bill though
BBD: well where should i eat
or should i have eaten

**I noticed on The Joint's website that it will be featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives," so some of you may think that I am guilty of plagiarism. But let it be known that I have been patronizing The Joint and calling it a dive long before Guy Fieri has. End of rant.