Clem's

I am very happy to be home. Spending most of the week in seminars didn't leave much time for looking for new places of interest in State College, PA. Clem's is neither new nor new to me, but there is good reason to stop there on the way home from these festivities, and we always do. Located just outside of Blairsville, PA, about an hour away from Pittsburgh, it has a big old wood barbeque pit. They make ribs and chicken, and serve all the usual sides-potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans- and have several excellent brands of root beer.A person can be very happy here.

I have never stopped at Clem's, day or night, when they didn't have cars and trucks in the parking lot. You can smell the place before you see the "1/2 mile to Clem's" sign, and it smells spectacularly good.A while back they burned most of the place down with an overenthusiastic fire, and we were having some withdrawal pangs and anxiety. But they rebuilt, and the place looks just exactly the same. If it wasn't entirely lacking in artful display, I'd say they'd aged it, to
take off the new shine. I think it's just the woodsmoke though; things do get dusty pretty fast.

Clem's sauce is great, and you can buy a big old reusable quart ball jar of the stuff for $6.50. It is neither bland nor superhot, just kind of the perfect essence of red barbecue, where the individual ingredients are not discernable. I bought some, of course, and what I do with it is so completely nothing special, that I would be embarassed to tell you if it wasn't so good. I put a piece of pork shoulder in a slow cooker, pour the bottle over it and cook it all day. That's all. I do it a day ahead, chill it, peel off the fat on top, shred the meat, and serve it on toasted onion rolls with aforementioned sides.

This should be followed by pie. watermelon. or ice cream. But you knew that.

Comments

[steven]

Welcome home. Regarding the slowcooker...this is cheating! I won't have it!

[lindy]

steven-Of course. Sometimes, I cheat, and sometimes I spend hours roasting almonds. Depends.

[zp]

I didn't really know that. Somehow, I missed out on proper bar-b-que entirely. Can you tell me; is cooking on the sidewalks of Pittsburgh something with a bit of tradition? Two dubious (to my untrained bar-b-que palate, at least) operations: one on Forward near the movies, one in Greenfield across the street from the GE.

In other news, while you were away I introduced myself, virtually, to Rebecca aka Mommy at Eat.

[Julie]

I am making sure that my next trip to western Pennsylvania is routed to include a stop by Clem's. Sounds like a great place to break for lunch.

And welcome back -- you were missed!

[lindy]

zp-I'm not a barbecue expert at all. I have had some really good ribs and greens that my friends brought over from a place in Oakland.I don't remember the name, but plan to go and check it out.
Hi julie-I'm glad to be back. Think you'll like Clem's-they have some picnic tables, so you can eat there if you want to.

[Rebecca]

Thank goodness you're back! It just felt funny to check your blog and not have you cooking.

I don't think there's a thing wrong with your slow-cooker barbecue; it sounds delicious to me.

While you were gone my kitchen was dismantled and it's at that stage where it looks like it will never be finished; my posts are all theories, rants, and restaurant reviews these days.

[steven]

You know I'm just jealous, right? My OCD-ish personality won't let me do anything easy.

[lindy]

Hey Rebecca-looking forward to hearing about the kitchen saga, missed you guys.
steven-I can be pretty OCD-ish myself at times, as you may have noticed. I, uh, vary. I think "skittish" might be the word? Though it looks a funny word, now that I type it.

[lobstersquad]

Oh my. barbecue is by far the best thing ever, and we are totally deprived here. I love making my versions with pork ribs, but of course they lack the smoky taste.
Btw, am looking for your mujadarrah recipe and can´t find it on your blog.Deep frustration.

[lindy]

l'squad: You probably can't find it because I spell it differently every time. It's at http://www.lindystoast.com/2006/02/praising_mujada.html

Sorry.

[Kimberly]

Pork shoulder barbeque in the slow cooker has been popular around our house for some time. The sauce we use is a variant on a Cooks Illustrated recipe, and is a bit tame for my Texan tastes, but suits my husband's Yankee palate. As we don't have a stove (or sink, or any kitchen at all) right now, it will probably become a standard in the repertoire this summer.

[Kelby Crum]

Hi Where did Clems in Blairsville move to Thanks Kelby Do they still have semi truck parking?

[lindy]

I didn't know it was gone, Kelby. Last time I was there, it was, too.