BBQ Snoot in Chicagoland?

OK, I'm really interested... St. Louis has them, and well, I can't make it back down there before I roll back to Connecticut (and they sure as hell don't have them there...)

Is there anywhere I might be able to find BBQ Snoot around here?

Thanks in advance!

Mike v.

HI,

I know there is BBQ snoot offered in the regions of the Shawnee National Forest at the southern tip of Illinois. I have heard of people making it for themselves. I will be thrilled if anyone knows of a place around Chicago, but I am not going to bet the farm.

Regards,

Haven't seen it on-menu anywhere (some of the Mexican "cabeza al vapor" places will fish it out for you barbacoa-style, but it's of course not St. Louis style BBQ). Chinatown (Seven Treasures, Shui Wah) will send out a plate.

One place to ask (in advance) in the style you're thinking is Smoke Daddy, which does ears (and occasional snouts) "for Fido." They might have the time and interest to do this (Honey-1 might, as well). Give them a call and ask them about serving up a plate on a slow day of their choosing; if you succeed, post to the events board, and I bet you'll get a few dining comrades.

S--

Most Mexican carnicerias and taquerias are cooking beef when they offer cabeza. Buche, or jowel, would be from the pig.

I think the OP's best bet would be to show up at one of our very fine carnitas vendors at showtime and duke it out with the abuelitas over the ears, snout and tail. Bring some wonder bread and you have a snoot sandwich.

I think the OP's best bet would be to show up at one of our very fine carnitas vendors at showtime and duke it out with the abuelitas over the ears, snout and tail. Bring some wonder bread and you have a snoot sandwich.

That's what I was shooting for (same thing with the Chinatown rec). And there are a few places that steam both moo and oink for tacos; my intent was to suggest finding the former might find ya the latter, but starting at a carnitas place (more common in the city, harder to find farther out) is a good way to go.

I've never seen puerco al vapor at a taqueria, other than the "carnitas" at Chipotle. Not saying it can't be done. Why not. No doubt healthier than carnitas.

mike.v wrote:OK, I'm really interested... St. Louis has them, and well, I can't make it back down there before I roll back to Connecticut (and they sure as hell don't have them there...)

I am heading to St. Louis next week. Where can you find BBQ snoots? I lived there for eight years and actually never had them in a restaurant. My cooks in St. Louis and Detroit would bring them in for our departmental "pot lucks" (and I always concerned those my "good luck") but never in a restaurant.

According to Lolis Eric Elie in his outstanding Barbecue book, "Smokestack Lightning", the place to go in East St. Louis for snoots is:

Moe's Bar-B-Q
502 South 22nd Street
East St. Louis, IL 62207
(618) 874-9418

The book was first published in 1996, and things have a way of closing up and going away in East St. Loo, so it's probably a good idea to call ahead.

Buddy

Uh, thanks, but that doesn't do much to answer the question as to where to find it around here.

I am heading to St. Louis next week.

Buddy was generously answering jlawrence's question. I think we've established that it's not attested here in Chicago except on special order, or via Mexican carnitas or Chinese char siu places if you do your own sauce doctoring, which wouldn't make the real McCoy. If anyone does know of a secret snootspot in Chi-town we're missing, I'm sure they'll post it.

Santander wrote:If anyone does know of a secret snootspot in Chi-town we're missing, I'm sure they'll post it.

Santander,

I'm sure they'd post as well, in fact I'd like to know myself.

First time I read Elie's Smokestack Lightning, a must read for any and all interested in BBQ, I went on a Chicagoland hard target hunt for BBQ Snoot. No, none, nada.

If Mike.v wants BBQ Snoot without taking a road trip seems he will either have to make it himself or follow the suggestions for doctoring up choice bits from easily accessible carnitas.

Enjoy,
Gary

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:According to Lolis Eric Elie in his outstanding Barbecue book, "Smokestack Lightning", the place to go in East St. Louis for snoots is:

Moe's Bar-B-Q

I always enjoy rereading Smokestack Lightning for the description of Moe's snoot sandwich.

Lolis Eric Elie wrote:The snoot announces itself on the tongue with a crisp extravagance of grease. It's not nearly as light as the conventional pork rinds that you can buy off the potato chip rack. They are more like cracklins with their combination of crisply fried fat on one side and the hard, crunchy skin on the other. It's the skin that gives you the most trouble. It seems that no matter what angle you take the snoot from, it's hard to bite into. Though it does have a soft underbelly, the snoot is well protected by an armor-like shell.

We refuse to give up. This is the local delicacy, so there must be some way to eat it. Finally Frank adapts a trick he learned from his daughter's rottweiler, Sheba. He maneuvers the snoot around to his hind teeth, where he can get a better grip. He closes his eyes and bites with renewed vigor but marginal success. "This is damn near uneatable," he says in frustration. With three quarters of the sandwich left, we give up.

Gets you jonesin' for some snoots, doesn't it?

G Wiv wrote: First time I read Elie's Smokestack Lightning, a must read for any and all interested in BBQ, I went on a Chicagoland hard target hunt for BBQ Snoot. No, none, nada.

For what it's worth, I, too, never came across snoots in any Chicago barbecue house (even at places that do ears and feet). Even in St Louis, I had trouble finding them (but I didn't look all that hard).

Drover wrote:Uh, thanks, but that doesn't do much to answer the question as to where to find it around here.

No, but jlawrence01, in the post just before mine, was asking where to find it in the St. Louis area where it is more common. I was answering his question. Sorry I have no answers for you on a local level. I do what I can. I'm only one man.

Buddy

snoot in chicago
dont know of any
i read about it in smokestack lightning as well
along with peace love and bbq by mike mills the two best books about bbq ive read
strongly reccomend them both
you get a copy used on amazon.com

snoot they talked about was in lexington ky
at lexington bbq if i am remembering correctly

they cook 40,000 lbs a week pver 50 % loss in shrinkage

snoot is the whole head of a hog

i know the cheek is thought to me the most tender and flavorfull part of a hot

i think after is is smoked it is deep fried at some places

then chopped into sandwiches

not my cup of bbq tea

if you really want it and cant get it anywhere else

i will get one of our chefs to read up on it and prepare it for you

let me know

if you really want it and cant get it anywhere else

i will get one of our chefs to read up on it and prepare it for you

let me know

That's a dangerous offer, Ray.

Seriously, if you want to do this sometime convenient for one of your places (slowest time of the week / season, etc.), post it to the Events Board, and I think you'll have a good number of $-paying customers.

Santander wrote:

if you really want it and cant get it anywhere else

i will get one of our chefs to read up on it and prepare it for you

let me know

That's a dangerous offer, Ray.

Seriously, if you want to do this sometime convenient for one of your places (slowest time of the week / season, etc.), post it to the Events Board, and I think you'll have a good number of $-paying customers.

Dave, that is a remarkably cool and generous offer. I don't know how many would need to sign up to make this worthwhile, but I'm in, absolutely.

Having been raised on pig's feet, and recently able to taste pig's tail, I'm missing only snoot and ears to complete a whole-hog experience. I'd definitely be interested!

Mhays wrote:Having been raised on pig's feet, and recently able to taste pig's tail, I'm missing only snoot and ears to complete a whole-hog experience. I'd definitely be interested!

If you ever ate headcheese, then you very likely ate it all.

Regards,

i will have my nephew call withicha packing today and find out availablity and costs
then i will be back to you

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:

Drover wrote:Uh, thanks, but that doesn't do much to answer the question as to where to find it around here.

No, but jlawrence01, in the post just before mine, was asking where to find it in the St. Louis area where it is more common. I was answering his question. Sorry I have no answers for you on a local level. I do what I can. I'm only one man.

Buddy

I only brought the subject up as I lived in St. Louis for eight years and never saw snoots, ot St. Paul sandwiches, or so many of the things that are always attributed to St. Louis. And when I lived there, I ate out more (and in a lot more hole in the wall places) than I do now.

David Hammond wrote:

Santander wrote:

if you really want it and cant get it anywhere else

i will get one of our chefs to read up on it and prepare it for you

let me know

That's a dangerous offer, Ray.

Seriously, if you want to do this sometime convenient for one of your places (slowest time of the week / season, etc.), post it to the Events Board, and I think you'll have a good number of $-paying customers.

Dave, that is a remarkably cool and generous offer. I don't know how many would need to sign up to make this worthwhile, but I'm in, absolutely.

Dave

I remember finding one of my Grandfathers old dutch cookbooks from the farm and opening to a random page where the first ingredient listed was: 1 whole hogs head split.
I never got to taste the results of that recipe but jowl was always a treat when relatives brought it up from the south and I haven't met any pork product yet I didn't agree with.

Please count me in

Cathy2 wrote:

Mhays wrote:Having been raised on pig's feet, and recently able to taste pig's tail, I'm missing only snoot and ears to complete a whole-hog experience. I'd definitely be interested!

If you ever ate headcheese, then you very likely ate it all.

Regards,

Well, since having your sonofabitch stew and a cow in my freezer, I've pretty much covered bovines nose to tail and spine to hoof!

I'm still curious about pig face parts: I assume that they're fatty and crunchy...I've always regretted passing up the crispy pig head that was in the rotisserie chicken case at City Fresh Market.

Mhays wrote:I'm still curious about pig face parts: I assume that they're fatty and crunchy...I've always regretted passing up the crispy pig head that was in the rotisserie chicken case at City Fresh Market.

Personally, if you gave me a pigs head, I would place it in a pot of boiling water and make up a huge pot of posole.

hello
here is the poop on snoot

i can get a 60lb box
should yeild around 25 lbs of meat

i will get more specific instructions
but for now the plan would be to smoke them
then deep fry them
then chop it into finely chopped sandwich meat
with a small amount of vinager,pepper, salt, small amout to tomato type sauce
and serve sandwiches with additional sauce on the side
we have a very flavorful hot sauce named firey alyce that might be a wellcome addition to snoot

so
i need 3 days to get the product from the good folks at witicha packing

if anyone wants to make a plan i am willing to cook it and serve it
and demonstrate how we cook it at our place in wood dale

and if interested give a tour of sbr and answer any bbq questions and just hang out

anyway you want to do it if you want to do it im open
i just dont want to organize it

if anyone wants to make a plan i am willing to cook it and serve it
and demonstrate how we cook it at our place in wood dale

This is like Christmas in July. Let me talk with some of the other BBQheads behind the scenes here and we'll figure out who on the LTH side can take a lead. Thank you for your openness to this idea and general participation here - you bring so much to the table.

Does anyone know where to find raw pig snouts(I think they become snoots only after cooking)? I would like to make some at home. Found them at a Caputo's a few years ago.
Thanks

This post has finally gotten me to stop lurking. I was just in St Louis and then in KC for work a few weeks ago and enjoyed two days of BBQ extravagance. Having finally recovered from excessive smoke inhalation, I am wondering what happened to Ray's generous offer of making snoots for us? I checked the events page and didn't see anything posted, and I am hoping that this just slipped away and it is not too late to salvage.?! On a related note, the best thing I ate on my trip was the snoots at:

C&K barbecue
4390 Jennings Station Rd ,
St Louis , MO , 63121

I think he is just waiting for any interested parties to organize it and contact him..Id be in for this as well

I was the initial rabble-rouser, but then a new house and pregnant wife caught up with me (and things only get more exciting in the next three weeks). I'd be delighted to attend, but have one too many things on my plate to organize (and one too few snoots on my plate).

Only tangentially relevant to this thread, but this past wekend I had an unbelievably good dish at Blue Hill in NYC, made with snout that had been cooked sous vide and then crisped in the salamander. At $30, the texural and flavor profile of this dish could only be rivaled by the $9 (guessing here) fried pork ribs at Sun Wah.