Cheating in Raleigh with Philip

September 29, 2009

Our man Philip rocked out the old year and into a new decade with a Cheater BBQ birthday party this past March. Philip comes from an old Boones Mill, Virginia, clan who strongly believe that good eating is essential for family togetherness.

The cheater cupcakes made with a mix, but crowned with homemade butter cream and toasted coconut were a big hit.

The cheater cupcakes crowned with homemade butter cream and toasted coconut were a big hit. Philip, you're going strong!

R.B. and I traveled to Raleigh, NC, where Philip now lives to help out with the cheating. We had crocks filled with smoky pulled pork and brisket, slaw and sauce, plus Philip’s favorite salmon, his mother’s famous oyster loaf and pimiento cheese, lots of deviled eggs, and a fantastic modern take on braunschweiger pate crowned with a free-form floating vegetable design in glistening beef aspic, and of course, a special cocktail.

Yeah, we had fun and the food was fantastic. Lots of happy togetherness.

Not one of the guests worried about the cheating part of the barbecue. They just ate it all up. And these are folks from Virginia and North Carolina where they know a thing or two about “real” barbecue.

The party table with all the good looking food--no barbecue purists picketed outside.

Here’s a look behind the scenes.

Philp's brother Steve built an entire back porch for the party while we were inside cheating.

Philip's brother Steve built an entire back porch for the party while we were inside cheating.

R.B. manned the cheating station. He's rubbing down the pork butt.

We're rubbing down the pork butt before it starts smoking in the crock-pot.

Now we're rubbing down the brisket before it gets smoked in the oven. We love foil steam pans. See that big bottle of liquid smoke. We used pretty much all of it for the party.

The pork butt is ready to go. R.B., you can wash your hands now.

The pork butt is in the crock, the brisket is in the oven slow-smoking away. R.B., you can wash your hands now.

Carolyn took care of the deviled eggs--a Bernard party must. Come to think of it, mine too.

Carolyn took care of the deviled egg station--a Bernard party must. Come to think of it, mine too. Every party could stand a platter of deviled eggs.

R.B. took time to do a dramatic reading from the book while everying was cooking.

R.B. took time to do a dramatic reading from the book while everything was cooking.

Philip's aspic design looks like those stained glass pieces he did back in college.

Philip's aspic design for the pate looks like the stained glass pieces he did back in college. That's Max to the left. He's interested in shiny artistic objects that smell like beef.

I helped Philip unmold his masterpiece, well, one of his many masterpieces.

Party time!

We all wore name tags noting the year that we met Philip. Adam somehow got a few extras. Someday he'll rule the world.

We wore name tags noting the year that we each met Philip. Mine said P'80. We go way back. Adam, a more recent P friend, snatched a few stray name tags. Someday this dude will rule the world. You heard it here first.