It is funny I was on a cruise when a man from Texas every night ordered a well done steak and A1 sauce and I wanted to gag about it. So clearly not everyone from Texas knows how to eat/make beef.
How sure are you about the man’s authenticity? I mean, even the character Rich Texan from The Simpsons admitted to originally being from Connecticut. I say this because as a 6 generation (at least) Texan, my own mother would always grill her steaks well done, and used A1 sauce. Originally I thought it was my father’s own doing, but he just grilled them to the specification my mom liked them. So when he past away, I was shocked to learn that nothing he cooked changed.
I get my Texas heritage from his side, my mom however was born in WA, with her clan mostly being from OK, which is well known for keeping TX out the water (because it sucks). That’s why I mentioned “out of state parents.” Because as a child, I didn’t like BBQ, as hard as that can be for someone growing up in Texas. Most of Frisco and the surrounding cities are inhabited by these people, a great deal from CA even! Very few people around there born in the 20th century were actually born in Texas, let alone from the DFW area. That’s probably why they won’t care at all about how offensive SpongeBob is, and how culturally insensitive that Sandy character is. I was shocked that Universal licensed this IP, I mean, both SpongeBob AND Patrick say some pretty hurtful things. But it’ll bring in the adults, who cluelessly don’t care, so whatever. I mean, it’s not like I’m going to boycott it.
It is funny I serve Pulled Pork and/or Brisket at every party at my house and all the kids love and eat it. One mother was shocked her kids ate it but they ate it and loved it. I sent some home with her because she said her husband would never believe her. So if it is good BBQ kids will eat pulled pork. That is my go to food since I have a smoker, my own recipe, and it is CHEAP when feeding a lot of people. I actually never understood BBQ sauce on Brisket until I eat it out and realize how bad most places cook Brisket. I don't understand why people say it is hard to cook, I have never had issues cooking it. But I do agree theme park Brisket is normally not great. I will eat my pulled pork plain, but I also make homemade BBQ sauce with a kick so I will use that too. Never ever put store bought on though. But I hate pulled pork at most restaurants and you are correct you need BBQ to make it edible.
Brisket IS hard to cook. Using a smoker is the correct way, the problem is that it has to spend hours cooking. That’s why it’s so bad at most places. The cheat is to smoke it outside for a few hours, and then pop it in the oven so you can at least control it better.
The absolute worst cheat is plopping it in a slow cooker. That’s what my mom does. It’s better than any she grills, so we don’t complain. We just forgive her.
However, I think they absolutely will try a BBQ place and if it fails then will change it. Dollywood has BBQ and they have some fantastic local BBQ places there.
Have you ever eaten at Dickey’s Barbecue? It’s a Dallas based fast food chain with a lot of different locations nationwide. This is what I’d imagine BBQ at a theme park to be like. Not terrible, but not great. Pretty much this will be for tourists, not locals. Locals will already have their own favorite establishment, so if that’s what they truly want to eat, they’ll just go there.
BREAKING: Theme parks are not purveyors of fine dining and perfecting selected cuisines, rather they prefer profit. More at 11.
But seriously, no matter where a park is located they are not worried about making sure their food is the best or close to the best in relation to where they are located. They want easy, quick, and profitable.
Not true at all. I have been to several parks that strive to put their best foot forth when it comes to their food. That's all I will say on that as to not derail the thread, but more parks take pride in their food offerings and look to offer the best than you think.
You forget though, this is a regional park meant for kids and their families. They aren’t after the trendy childless foodies who need to try everything fancy the day it comes out to post up on their Instagram wall. You may get a seasonal cupcake, churro, or cookie, you know, things kids would like, but that’s probably it. Rainforest Café already has a DFW location. Having worked my first job there, I can tell you that “there can be only one!”