Hitting the Road: Cheyenne Frontier Days
Long time no talk GrubGraders! As some of you know, I’ve been ditching my usual snack reviews as of late, mostly on account of a hectic travel schedule and other work related endeavors. Case in point, I was barely able to get over my recent trip to Buffalo, New York, before setting my sights halfway across the country to one of my favorite states in our country…Wyoming!
Smells like...victory...
Yes, Wyoming. Make all the jokes you want about my apparent backwardness when it comes to travel and leisure, but frankly there is no place else I’d rather be in the good ol’ US of A than in some open field under a big Wyoming sky. Unfortunately, it’s a fantasy that is easier said than done, and one which doesn’t always equate to good eats. Luckily for me, my recent trip coincided with Cheyenne Frontier Days, an annual city-wide celebration of all things western and cowboyish.
Looks Western and Cowboyish to me...
Like most fairs and fair-like events, Frontier Days is crowded with the usual assortment of funnel cake stands, ice cream booths, and kettle corn venders. However, there are definitely a number of uniquely western offerings available as well, with gigantic smoked turkey legs, bison burgers, and skillet-cooked sirloin meals taking center stage. Knowing I’d have many more chances to sample Wyoming’s and Colorado’s best in buffalo burgers during other parts of my trip, I ended up heading over to Big Bubba’s Bad BBQ stand to grab a Tri-Tip Sandwich.
I want that smoker!
Despite my eastern roots, I definitely have a western bias when it comes to barbeque, and given the still limited appeal of tri-tip outside of California I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to sample what many aficionados consider to be one of the most “underrated” cuts of meat on the market. I’ve had some decent tri-tip steak in my day but I have to tell you that the sandwich from Big Bubbas’s beat them all. The meat had clearly been smoked in a huge smoker adjacent to the stand, and it displayed an impressive smoke ring that gave off the slightly sweet-smoky flavor of oak. The rub must have been fairly simple but was no less flavorful, while the heaping portion of salsa I dressed the meat with was both fresh and light – a perfect pairing for the succulent sandwich beneath. The meat itself was very lean yet not chewy, and was stacked in generous enough amounts to weigh down the helpless steak roll beneath. At $8.75 this was not a cheap sandwich by any means, but it was executed flawlessly and – given the readily available supply of salsa, onions, and chili powder to dress it up with – was still a good value and an awesome dinner.
Page 1 of 2 | Next page