THEY’VE GOT THE MEATS

CRAVINGS

AT FAT CITY BREW & BBQ, QUALITY MATTERS

BY NORA HESTON TARTE / D DAN HOOD

Chef Don King, the owner and grill master behind Stockton’s Fat City Brew & BBQ, is a genius when it comes to cooking meats. From his tri-tip to pork ribs, pulled pork to ground beef, every dish he turns out tastes amazing in large part because of his cooking technique and spice blends. Next up on the scale of importance, however, is the quality of the meat. Regardless of what you are cooking, the brand and type of meat used will make a difference in your end product, even if you’re a culinary genius like Don.

“People do know the difference,” Don says of the different tiers of meat. Brisket—one of Fat City’s best sellers of which they sell out every day—is one of the best examples of how meat matters. “You can definitely tell the difference between a prime brisket when cooking briskets,” he says.

Don plays to the strengths of each supplier out there. Instead of choosing one place to source all of his meats from, he buys a little from each place nearby with the knowledge of who does what best. That’s why he purchases pulled pork from Sysco Central California (where they carry the Seaboard brand he likes) and briskets and ribs (also Seaboard) from Express Restaurant Depot in Stockton. The Chef’s Store, also in Stockton, is where he buys tri-tip and ground beef. For the most part, he's going for high quality, choosing prime cuts of meat instead of select or choice (which has a lower fat content). When it comes to his tri-tip, however, the secret is he uses select because the prime cuts will simply fall apart. At home, he says he’d go prime, but when you need a large batch to keep, select is actually best.

One of the reasons his brisket is so popular is because Don sources only the best USDAcertified prime angus brisket. You can see in the way the meat is marbled that it has a high fat ratio. “When you’re smoking [meat], you want something with a high fat content,” he explains. “Prime is the top; the best you’re going to buy.”

For pork, which isn’t really graded, it’s about the brand, Don says. Seaborg is one he trusts because the ribs he buys don't dry out while cooking. Instead, they stay tender and juicy.

There’s a lot of science behind grilling and meat selection, but the proof is in the end product. Don’t take our word for it, try for yourself. Fat City BBQ is open six days each week, Tuesday through Sunday.

FAT CITY BREW & BBQ

1740 Pacific Ave., Stockton (209) 323 4920 FatCityBrewBBQ.com