Wine dinners are usually formal affairs. This one is all about sandy toes, smoky air, and a friendly BBQ rivalry between two iconic American styles.
The five-course menu is served beachside, with each course showcasing two barbecue interpretations. The evening begins with canapés and cocktails at sunset. Guests can try hush puppies with gravlax, crème fraiche and caviar, fried okra with ranch dip, Texas sausage rolls, seafood ceviche cups, and mini Frito pies with campfire chili and cheddar. A Tito’s Texan Vodka cocktail in hand and a turn at the Lassoo Bull game set the tone for what’s to come.
When the BBQ battle begins, each course will feature two interpretations of the same dish. Expect oysters on the half shell with charred watermelon mignonette, smoked pork shoulder sliders, catfish done two ways, and the much-anticipated rib showdown: Texas-style dry rubbed versus Southern-style wet. The main event pits Texan 12-hour beef brisket against North Carolina smoked whole hog, all served with inventive, family-style sides like cast iron honey butter cornbread, truffled potato salad, cowboy baked beans, and crunchy pineapple sesame coleslaw.
Everything will be fired up on the impressive Komodo BBQ machine, with a flight of house-made barbecue sauces to match, from Carolina mustard to Alabama white. Light, easy-drinking wines will be poured with each course, complementing the bold and smoky flavours.
The night ends the way a BBQ should, with good old-fashioned American apple pie, bonfires on the beach, s’mores, bourbon under the stars, and maybe a little friendly bragging about which style won the vote. Hats are on us, and the best-dressed wrangler will ride home with a Karma voucher.
