UAlbany Dutch Dining Hall closing sparks farewell barbecue bash

More than 40 years in operation, the State University at Albany’s Dutch Dining room is set to close at the end of the spring semester in anticipation of a state-of-art Campus Center scheduled to open this fall.

“This dining room has been meal time home for thousands of students and dedicated dining staff, said Jim Meagher, resident dining general manager. “We wanted to acknowledge that and say good-bye in proper fashion.”

To that end, Dutch Dining Chef Keith Smith led the orchestration of a Texas-style BBQ farewell bash. Smith, a native of Texas, freely admits he has “barbecue sauce in his veins”.

“Good barbecue involves an entire system of preparation,” said Smith. “First you must create a ‘rub’. Ours was a combination of thyme, cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, pepper, brown sugar, garlic and onion powder.”

Smith explains that the rub creates a barrier to keep the meats moist.

Three hundred pounds each of chicken, brisket and ribs and two hundred pounds of pork shoulder and three whole hogs were prepped for the 1200 students in attendance.

"It was the actual smoking of the meat that was most time consuming and intricate, taking three full days," said Smith. “Maintaining a constant temperature never falling below 200 degrees or above 250 degrees is critical. This is done to keep the meats moist and tender. Applewood was used to create a sweet and smoky aroma.”

“Smoking meats is a labor of love,” said Smith. “But it was well worth it. Students were asking about the event well in advance as the smell of smoking meats wafted in the air.”