Cornbred Barbecue - Ames, IA

Saturday, April 24th 2021 was the first live show I’ve had since the summer of 2020. There was only 4 shows, to my memory, in that entire year. I was playing in Ames, Iowa as a part of the Goldfinch Room series. It was my third time playing their great songwriter’s showcase and the third location they had hosted me at. The same went for Casey Joe Collins. He was completing the cycle as well. Together, we played on the stage of Stephen’s Auditorium on the Iowa State University campus. We had a lighting tech, a sound guy, and a wonderful green room. They had just gotten everything finished in this new backstage space. A green room that wasn’t complete when the Tedeschi Trucks Band played the auditorium a while back. Hard to believe we followed in their footsteps. I can’t imagine a better way to jump back into things than with how we were treated that night. Everything went smoothly and the crowd of concert goers were so receptive to our performances and stories. Though, I will admit, that I was a ball of nerves before the show, having not played for close to a year. I had to get my hands on some comfort food before the show. Boy, did I find it. 

That’s what I’m doing here at The Baked Bean Blog. Talking comfort food.

The entire meal was served family style on a tray lined with butcher paper and sided with sliced white bread. This was an authentic BBQ experience, right in the middle of Iowa. This little blog is dedicated to baked beans, but I feel obligated to say that the brisket and ribs were the best I’ve ever had. Their housemade sausage was also to die for. Authentic BBQ. We got two sides with our meat. The “Hallelujah Potatoes” which are aptly named. The other side was “Apple Pork & Beans”. Being family style, these beans were served up in a large enamel dish. This was a multi-bean concoction that was cooked to perfection. Aside from the beans, there were several additions that really set this dish off. Best I could tell, there were bell peppers and onions in the mix. A great textural addition were tender chunks of pork shoulder. There’s the pork of its namesake. In an unexpected, and yet unseen, addition to the dish, Cornbred included diced apples for a great sweet addition. The first part of their name. The vegetables, pork shoulder, and apples were all cooked to perfection and created a fantastic mouthfeel with different additions to this dish. All of these were served in a mild, sweet sauce and there was a noticeable smoke presence in the dish, as well. This thing was perfect and then some. 

Ratings (On a scale of 1-5)
Appearance: 
Flavor: 5
Mouthfeel: 5
(Perfect score!)
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Total Score: 15

For what it's worth,
Tedeschi Trucks Band: 5

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