Up-State New York n' Smokin'

No I'm not being lazy and avoiding posts. I've been travelling through New England/Up-State New York / and the Mid-West for all of July and blog-posts haven't been at the top of my to-do list (they fall short of lobster rolls, incredible architecture, and tall ships).

Although I plan to jump back into smoker recipes and pressure-cooking recipes, I thought I'd do a quick blurb on smoker cooking during my travels.

When you think of smoking, you don't normally think of Up-State New York and/or New England - you'd be more apt to think of Kansas or the deep south. But let me tell you, smoking is alive and well in the North East.

We passed many a smoker places - in hindsight I should have taken pictures of all that I saw as it truly is surprising. But what I will tell/show you is the place where we did stop and partake of a delicious smoker meal.

The Tail o' the Pup is a smoker joint just north outside of Lake Placid. We had seen it a couple of years ago when driving through, and always regretted not stopping. On this trip, we made it our initial destination (shortly followed by Lake Placid).
The Tail o' the Pup not only does smoked foods, but also seafood boils. Very cool. It's not upscale, but it is delicious, and the perfect outdoor eatery. The outdoor space (which is much larger than the indoor space) is perfectly designed for some laid-back hanging out while chowing down on big food. Since we were there around 2:00 p.m. we didn't see it, but they do have live entertainment on an outdoor stage.

In order to maximize our tasting of all things smoked, we shared the meat platter. Complete with pulled pork, beef brisket, chicken, and ribs. All were tasty, and had a delicious charcoal flabour. If I had to pick the pulled pork would be my fav (my husband voted for the beef brisket).

Apart from that, I should mention, Lake Placid is a beautfiul place.

We stayed a few nights at this great hotel called High Peaks resort which is right on the main street and overlooks Mirror Lake. Fantastic. The little townsite is very nice with all the essentials (Starbucks). Also, the roads around the area are amazing, particulary if you have a motorbike or a sports car (twisty, smooth and scenic).

I should also mention this fantastic side-trip we did to Burlington, Vermont where we had a smoked meat sandwich at Leunig's downtown. It was beyond amazing.

So there it is boys and girls. A quick update.