Just Wonderin' - The Result of the Poll

[Troutman]

First thanks for the 62 respondents who provided voting on my very unscientific statistical poll. The idea was more personal than anything, when you see postings of various cooks here in the Pit, which ones does your minds eye react to positively the most. I realize that technique, degree of complexity, plating, photographic presentation and a variety of other factors come into play but I was just looking to break it down to the raw basics.

I'll give an example. I love seafood. My parents hated it so they never cooked it in our house growing up. As such every chance I had as a kid when we went out to a restaurant, I would order it. When I moved to the Gulf Coast I couldn't get enough, and still can't. Next to say a good ribeye, a piece of well cooked fish or some shrimp is the thing that gets my taste buds most excited. But that's usually not the case for the population as a whole. I'm sure there's a variety of reasons why but I find it a little disheartening when I present a rather complex seafood dish, it doesn't get the attention of say a well cooked pork chop.

No big deal really but it got me to thinking, what do the majority of folks like to see when trolling the Pit? The results are pretty much as expected it's definitely beef, followed very closely by pork. Within beef it seems steaks and other specific cuts are the clear winner. What I found a bit odd was large cuts of pork (say a pork butt) seemed a little more popular than a large cut of beef (say a brisket).

Also, although not too surprising, lamb didn't get a lot of love either. Again I'm a big lamb fan and have it almost as often as pork. But hey, you do you as the saying goes. Make of this as you will, I just thought a few of you might have the same basic question, what do the folks like to see in our posting of various cooks. Thanks for helping out those who voted

[smokenoob]

I think most people don’t have access to or haven’t tasted many of the incredible fish available. I grew up in Illinois, we ate fish sticks on Friday. I was never motivated to cook fish then. Once I moved near a coast (I’ve lived by Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf), and experienced many great fish, I eat it 1-2 times a week.

[Andrrr]

That’s certainly true for me. We have our lakes with freshwater fish and all, but if I lived by the ocean I would undoubtedly eat way more fish than I do now.

[58limited]

Same here. I moved to the Gulf Coast in 1999 and it took a few years before I appreciated the availability of wonderful fresh seafood. I kinda take it for granted now but living even 200 miles inland the seafood is just not as good.

And if you are lucky enough to work in an industry where sales reps will take you off shore for fresh tuna - well, your life will change.

[LA Pork Butt]

I think price per pound may have been a factor for lower rating especially on lamb, but also many folks aren’t as familiar with it. Where I live choice brisket on sale costs twice as much as a Boston Butt on sale. While steak is pricey, too, there fewer pounds to buy when cooking for a smaller number. We are not big steak people, so that is just a guess.

[prepperjack]

I agree, but it has its benefits. I would have never smoked a chuck roast before the price of brisket got so high. But, man, do I love smoked chuck roast now - its one of my favorite cooks, and its something I can easily afford to do whenever I get the hankerin'.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

I love lamb, just don't have access to the cuts I love the most at an affordable price

[hoovarmin]

I never saw the poll but if I had, I would have voted seafood all day long.

[smokenoob]

well then you rigged it in favor of meat……meathead! 😁 jus kiddin’

[RichieB]

I'm not a fish liking person. Smoked salmon (lox) and canned tuna, that's it. Now shell fish is a whole other category. I don't think I ever met a shell fish I didn't like.

[synodog]

This right here…I used to be “afraid” of shellfish but no longer. 😂

[Bob K]

Interesting how upbringing affects it. I grew up in New England near the coast, fish market on every corner. We had seafood like cod, haddock, flounder, halibut all the time - cheaper than most other proteins until the chicken craze took off. In the summer we'd get "culls" - lobster missing a claw - on sale for $1-2/lb. So when we were kids, it wasn't odd to hear "aw maaan, fish again?!" (especially during Lent!).

I realize now how fortunate we were to have so much cheap, fresh seafood. At the same time, now I can take it or leave it. Don't hate it, but to me it just tastes like whatever it's marinated or prepared in. Never seems as satisfying or sating to me as really any other protein (well, other than plant-based, I guess). Funny how that works.

[Redwng]

I grew up in Michigan where the only way I ever had fish was fried. I grew up thinking fish was always fried and frequently over cooked. When we moved to SC we went to Hyman's Seafood in Charleston because someone recommended it. I looked around and everyone had fish although they have a fantastic bunch of burgers, cheesesteaks and sausages. They had three different portion sizes you could order so I ordered the large Cajun grouper imperial (with crab meat and hollandaise) and when I tried this I thought I went to heaven. Not overcooked, flaky with the sweet crabmeat and hollandaise and I was "hooked" (no pun intended).

To this day we prefer some good fish over a steak or pork chop any day of the week. When we lived in Panama City Beach we had a 28' Proline with twin 225's and always had fish in the freezer. The boat is gone but we always have fish in the freezer to this day and cook it many different ways.

[DaveD]

A big reason we don't eat more fish is that it's gotta be fresh... so we would want to have it the day we bought it, or at latest, the next day. And as minor a deal as that sounds, it often is enough of a barrier to skip it for something else. Typically requires timing our weekend chores around it, and often other things have gotten in the way.

And it's just fish for me, nothing exoskeletal except shrimp and, in some forms, crab (especially crab cakes). I want them bones on the inside please

[RichieB]

In the 80s and 90s when I worked in Boston proper, there was The NoName. It was off Atlantic Ave. And a go to for lunch and dinner when going out on the town. The fishing boats would be docked behind the restaurant. They'd be off loading fresh catch from that night. Again, not a fish eater but their fish chowder was bliss. And of course I'd get a lobster, crab or shrimp of some sort. No more there. And the cool thing NoName. There was no sign identifying the restaurant. Just a door.

[Alan Brice]

We used to have a quaint little Indian style restaurant in the University district. The name of the place was Emanon. The food was fabulous. No name spelled backwards.

[mrteddyprincess]

I'm landlocked in Central Indiana, but I think because we have a sizable population in this area, we get really nice access to "fresh" seafood. I have three markets I can go to in my area where the seafood is flown in from the previous day. My sister-in-law lives in Hull, MA, and when I go there to visit, I'm all about the seafood, especially fresh oysters. But two years ago she was visiting us in IN and I found oysters from NY that were the best either of us had ever had!

[Red Man]

I also missed the poll, but I definitely love seafood. Great fresh seafood available here in the PNW.

[Uncle Bob]

I was a bit surprised that fish came in behind lamb, but suspect that it's because too many haven't lived where quality fish is prepared with care (as reflected in some of the commentary here). Given my Mediterranean ancestry we enjoy a wide range of seafood and preparations. One of the very few things I miss from leaving the Seattle area are the seafood vendors at Pike Place Market.

[Troutman]

This was what prompted me to take the poll in the first place. I did one of my signature dishes recently, stuffed whole flounder, and it got what I'd consider a mild reaction. I'm certainly not that disappointed, I make what we like regardless of what others think. But both lamb and seafood need to get more love and a better following here in the Pit. Both are made for the grill and/or smoker. Beef ain't the only thing for dinner