I assumed that when I moved to Miami I would
have a bunch of free time to write my blog. I don’t. In the nine months since
I moved here I have managed to write only a handful of posts. Which is tragic,
considering how much awesome food is available here. This last week I was inspired
by the one thing that I am (gastronomically speaking) most passionate about :
BBQ.
My previous post examined the top five BBQ
restaurants in Miami, with Shorty’s as the clear winner. Recently, whilst
driving north from The Keys back to Miami, I noticed a little place just off
US1 : Shiver’s. It’s pronounced shy-vers,
by the way. And that picture above-left wasn't taken in 2015! Because this place is not in the city (it’s on the border of
Miami-Dade and Monroe counties) I can’t add it to the previous post as an update,
that just wouldn’t be cricket at all. To keep it fair, I ordered the pulled
pork plate with fries and BBQ beans, plus I accidentally ordered an
additional Andouille sausage on the side. Not sure how that happened?
In summary : heavenly. The fries were good, but
that isn’t really important, the beans were the best I have had for a very long
time (impossibly tasty) and the pulled pork was crazy flavoursome, it melted in the
mouth the way that only the very best slow-cooked pig can! The décor was
excellent (i.e. basic, sticky, with plenty of wood), as was the atmosphere;
when I first drove past there was a long queue, which I have only ever seen at
Shorty’s.
Big question : is Shiver’s as good as Shorty’s?
I would more easily choose my favourite Beatles LP (Abbey Road obviously,
because of the B-side medley) but I think I have it nailed. If I was judging it
on the pork alone, un-seasoned from the pit, Shiver’s would win hands down.
However, as previously stated, Shorty’s season their pork so well it just gives
it the edge. If I could work out the perfect combination and ratios of
the sauces available in Shiver’s to elevate the pork, it really could win. I
feel dirty saying that, like I am cheating on my favourite pig-wizards. The
fact that Shiver’s is an hour + away is good and bad. Good : it will always
feel like a treat. Bad : it will take me many trips to discover whether the
pork can be seasoned well enough to
overtake Shorty’s. Oh, and the sausage was excellent too.
Some interesting themes there : beans, ‘base’
meat vs. seasoned meat, sausages. A useful Segway into some Miami hotdog talk.
There are two contenders for the best-dog-in-Miami
contest : Dogma (north on Biscayne) and Sweet Dogs (on Calle Ocho, in the heart
of Little Havana). Both are great dogs, but in very different ways. Dogma is
Shiver’s : if I was just eating a plain dog I would go there every time. The
Polish smoked, in particular, is the bomb; so big and so tasty. Sweet Dogs is Shorty’s
: the dog is good, but it is the toppings that make it great. Each Sweet Dogs
dog is named after a Miami sports team, and the Marlins dog is poetry personified
: banana peppers, plantains, fried egg, chopped onions and a guava-BBQ sauce. A
truly exceptional combination. Sweet Dogs also do awesome BBQ beans, literally
impossible to separate from those served at Shiver’s. I would go to either
establishment and be happy with just a simple (but substantial) portion of
beans!
Again, hard to choose, but I think that
Dogma wins. This is for one simple reason : the ‘base’ dog is so good
that (even with average-good toppings) it wins through every time. Actually, two reasons : they sell garlic fries; which are simply covered in freshly chopped garlic and taste so impossibly good. Also, it’s nearer
to me and (crucially) between me and the airport; a late night return to Miami
often will include noshing a big Polish sausage on the way home. In fact, that is where I am writing this from. I'm sitting here, thinking about sausages, at 33,000 feet.
So, is there an overall conclusion? No, not
really. I just promised I would find the time to
dedicate to my blog this week. And it was beans, BBQ and dogs that came
to mind.
Shiver’s
BBQ, 28001 South Dixie Highway, Homestead, FL 33033 | shiversbbq.com
Dogma, 7030
Biscayne Blvd., Miami, FL 33138 | dogmagrill.com
Sweet
Dogs, 4749 SW 8th St., Miami, FL 33134 | sweetdogs.net
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