Yer Fave BBQ Spots!

[Bluehensfan]

Firehouse BBQ is the best by far in the area if you ask me: Firehouse BBQ

I still miss the Smoked Joint! Famous Dave's is OK (and a chain). Tried Sweet Lucy's and was very underwhelmed (but I am sure there are a number of fans out there for Sweet Lucy's) except for the great cornbread.

Edited January 16, 2008 by Bluehensfan (log)

[Andrew Fenton]

Huh, there's something weird about this thread... where did the original post go?

Anyway, Philadelphia BBQ is for the most part only so-so. But within that range, is there anywhere that can even come close to Sweet Lucy's? I certainly haven't found it.

[john b]

My backyard is my favorite.

Sweet Lucy's when I don't have the time to make BBQ at home.

[RonV]

I heard all the hype about Sweet Lucy's. First try I had takeout, and underwhelmed was the right word. Figured the drive home was the killer. Tried again and ate there and just wasn't blown away. I know that doesn't help since I have no examples, but I'm willing to listen if anyone wants to offer a specific dish to try. Both times I tried a combo of several different things trying to get a taste of it all.

Smoked Joint was one of the worst dinners I've eaten in Philly. On the other hand, I always go to Famous Dave's with very low expectations and end up leaving incredibly happy. The gf loves BBQ, so we're always on the lookout. If anyone has an under the radar gem, I'll be looking to try it out.

[MarketStEl]

You want my fave BBQ spot?

Here ya go. You might want to rest up first -- you're going to have to drive for a good long while.

Oh, you mean fave local BBQ spot?

1. Wherever I'm smoking ribs.

2. Everything else rates as Will Do. I do recall a place near Belmont/44th and Lancaster that had decent ribs but forget its name.

I had the Quadruple Bypass at Sweet Lucy's and found it very good, almost Kansas City quality -- but the beans weren't all that hot. I haven't eaten in at Famous Dave's, but I have had some of their 'cue, and it is indeed not bad, no mean feat for a chain. Their spicy sauce I especially like.

[Siouxsie]

I don't know where my original post got to! I double-posted by mistake, blanked one out, and now not sure what happened. Anyhoo, the post was inspired by having just met the owner of Phoebe's, which is located at 22nd and South, while waiting for a parking spot in a totally different part of town. Long story short, he mentioned in chatting that he had bought Phoebe's and I see the online reviews are pretty positive. He mentioned the original owner was from Oklahoma, which I guess is not specifically a BBQ hotbed, but the little I had time to learn was that theirs is a tomato based sauce and the meat itself is smoked with a dry season rub.

So, that's the gist of my original post. Thanks!

Siouxsie

[MarketStEl]

He mentioned the original owner was from Oklahoma, which I guess is not specifically a BBQ hotbed[...]

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Funny -- the Q joint everyone in Kansas City raves about these days is Oklahoma Joe's.

The guy it's named for is from there, but he no longer has anything to do with the restaurant. According to the Web site, he sold his smoker company and closed the original Stillwater location, and his Kansas City partner -- a legend on the competitive barbecue circuit -- bought out his share of the second location on the Kansas City, Kansas, side of the Wyandotte-Johnson county line.

Kurt Vonnegut fans will appreciate the owner's team name. The team racked up a slew of Kansas City Barbecue Society* awards before its chief chef decided to put down roots and go commercial.

*The KCBS is the organization that officially sanctions barbecue competitions and trains judges for them.

[rlibkind]

Funny -- the Q joint everyone in Kansas City raves about these days is Oklahoma Joe's. . . . .

Kurt Vonnegut fans will appreciate the owner's team name.

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Schlachthaus Fünf. Love it!

[bjcohan]

Ah, Sandy, I wish I had read your recommendations before I went to KC on business a while ago. I did spend more than one evening there at Jack Stack's and loved it so that I have done their mail order thing a couple of times. It's still glorious but definitely loses a lot in transit. I still have dreams about their Pork Burnt Ends. <sigh>

I heard mixed reviews about Sweet Lucy's but liked it a lot both times I've tried it.

Nothing like homemade, of course...

Barb

Edited January 17, 2008 by bjcohan (log)

[Bluehensfan]

I heard all the hype about Sweet Lucy's. First try I had takeout, and underwhelmed was the right word. Figured the drive home was the killer. Tried again and ate there and just wasn't blown away. I know that doesn't help since I have no examples, but I'm willing to listen if anyone wants to offer a specific dish to try. Both times I tried a combo of several different things trying to get a taste of it all.

Smoked Joint was one of the worst dinners I've eaten in Philly. On the other hand, I always go to Famous Dave's with very low expectations and end up leaving incredibly happy. The gf loves BBQ, so we're always on the lookout. If anyone has an under the radar gem, I'll be looking to try it out.

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If you don't mind a long drive to Kennett, Firehouse is generally very good.

[Andrew Fenton]

I heard all the hype about Sweet Lucy's. First try I had takeout, and underwhelmed was the right word. Figured the drive home was the killer. Tried again and ate there and just wasn't blown away. I know that doesn't help since I have no examples, but I'm willing to listen if anyone wants to offer a specific dish to try. Both times I tried a combo of several different things trying to get a taste of it all.

I'm a fan of their brisket: it's smoky, and tender-but-not-too tender. Skip the sauce, though. And some of the sides are really good, like the beans, green beans and collards. Also, very good sweet tea.

Interesting that Phoebe's has a new owner. I've always thought their 'cue was okay, but undistinguished; maybe it has gotten better?

[Rich Pawlak]

Sweet Lucy's sets the bar pretty high for 'cue in our area, and it's pretty average stuff everywhere else. Phoebe's has never been the same since its original owner passed away. When I was an undergraduate at Penn, whenever a group of us visited , she would come over to our tables and bring additional ribs and such, syaing that we still looked hungry. Miss Phoebe was an angel to us.

About two years ago, I grabbed a rack of ribs at The rib Crib in Germantown, and they were quite good, decent ribs, but not nearly as good as Sweet Lucy's.

[Andrew Fenton]

I've only been to the Rib Crib once, and I wasn't too impressed; the ribs had that tough texture you get from ribs that have been parboiled, then smoked.

[Tim Dolan]

Tommy Gunn's in my 'hood is the ultimate head scratcher. Most of their stuff is average but their pulled pork and spare ribs, when done correctly, can range from very good to borderline great (imho, certainly no bbq expert).

When they're on top of their game, which was most of the time when they first opened, the definitely satisfy the bbq craving and justify not having to drive all the way up to Sweet Lucy's. But over the past few months they've been all over the board, ranging from how-is-this-place-still-open bad to why-isn't-it-always-like-this good?

One pet peeve of mine is that they don't let their pulled pork simmer in a pot of bbq sauce. They leave it plain and give you sauce on the side to sauce it as you like. I suppose this is done to showcase the smokiness of it, but I like the idea of pulled pork simmering away in a pool of bbq sauce, just getting more and more tender and delicious. But that's just me.

[SaxChik]

having just moved to west chester, dr sax and i tried mabel's on market street early in december. i had the bbq'd brisket, baked beans and sweet potato pie. dr sax had bbq'd chicken, collard greens and some sort of starch (can't remember exactly what he had). i thought the food was really good! the brisket was tender, the sauce was good and the beans were OUTRAGEOUS! you need to like sweet baked beans, but i thought they were fabulous. i need to go there and see how they cook things next time (dr. sax brought in take-out). i will go again soon and post pics and more reviews.

[MarketStEl]

I've only been to the Rib Crib once, and I wasn't too impressed; the ribs had that tough texture you get from ribs that have been parboiled, then smoked.

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Free-associating to one of the more-memorable-for-its-mediocrity Q experiences I have had around here, and for what it showed me about the need for Philadelphians to learn more about what makes great Q -- or even passable Q, in this case.

A friend of mine who I hadn't seen in a few months (he lives in Delaware and studies at Villanova Law) contacted me about getting together one day this past summer. I suggested going up to catch some acts at the West Oak Lane Jazz and Arts Festival, and he agreed.

Hunger pangs struck soon after we arrived at the main stage in the 7100 block of Ogontz Avenue. As luck would have it, there was a BBQ place in the strip mall on the east side of the block with a line stretching outside it and a bunch of "Best of" awards from publications in the area hanging on its walls.

We both figured, This should be good. And we got in line.

Both of us ordered ribs -- a whole slab for him, half a slab for me.

As my friend proceeded to make quick work of the ribs, he said, "These are the best ribs I've ever had."

"I've had much, much better," said I. "For starters, these were parboiled." And I pointed out the completely gray color of the interior of the ribs. I will give them this: they weren't tough. Just a little chewy (and a little fatty), that's all. The sauce was all right too.

But I knew that if real Q fiends had either voted in those newspaper polls or served as judges for their awards, there wouldn't have been a single "Best of" anything hanging from the walls of this place.

[serpentine]

One pet peeve of mine is that they don't let their pulled pork simmer in a pot of bbq sauce. They leave it plain and give you sauce on the side to sauce it as you like. I suppose this is done to showcase the smokiness of it, but I like the idea of pulled pork simmering away in a pool of bbq sauce, just getting more and more tender and delicious. But that's just me.

It's to some extent a regional thing. Lemme guess, it's western North Carolina style?

[Craig Reeves]

For me, the finest rib joint in the world is 17th Street Bar and Grill in Murphysboro, Illinois. It's owned by Mike Mills, whose Apple City BBQ team won Grand Champion at Memphis in May three times. He also has restaurants in Marion and O'Fallon, Illinois, and two joints called Memphis Championship BBQ in Las Vegas. His cookbook "Peace, Love and Barbecue" is a good 'un as well.

www.17thstreetbarbecue.com

C

[john b]

For me, the finest rib joint in the world is 17th Street Bar and Grill in Murphysboro, Illinois.  It's owned by Mike Mills, whose Apple City BBQ team won Grand Champion at Memphis in May three times.  He also has restaurants in Marion and O'Fallon, Illinois, and two joints called Memphis Championship BBQ in Las Vegas.  His cookbook "Peace, Love and Barbecue" is a good 'un as well.

www.17thstreetbarbecue.com

C

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Which SEPTA line will get me there?

[Mano]

My backyard is my favorite. 

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1. Go to Ace Hardware and get a Brinkman Electric Gourmet smoker for $65. Lowes, Home Depot and Amazon (if you want it delivered) should price match. Get some wood chips for smoking (apple, cherry, oak or whatever is sold by the bag, but not mesquite; it's too harsh). I ordered my wood on line.

2. Make a batch of rub that should last about eight racks of ribs:

3/4 cup table salt

2 cups brown sugar, dried

10 teaspoons chili powder

6 teaspoons ground cumin

4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

4 teaspoon granulated garlic powder

4 teaspoon onion powder

Feel free to fiddle with the above recipe by adding dry mustard, lemon pepper, ground basil etc. Or do a Google search and make any of the dozens of rubs that may strike your fancy.

3. Buy ribs on sale at $2/lb. Remove membrane from back of ribs using a paper towel to grip.

4. Rub ribs with rub.

5. Smoke ribs in the Brinkman until they reach an internal temperature of 160 F.

6. Set ribs in foil, add a cup or so of apple juice to return some moisture to the meat and wrap.

7. Place in oven or back in the smoker until ribs are 172 F.

8. Unwrap ribs and cook on grill or smoker to get a slight crust on the ribs. Should take no more that 10-15 minutes.

9. Serve with rib sauce on the side.

10. Eat, drink and be merry.

11. Smoke a good cigar and say "thanks" when everyone kvels, "these are the best ribs...!

Edited January 19, 2008 by Mano (log)

[sunra]

We are huge fans of BBQ(and pizza, beer, and anything well executed with lively taste!).

I would say my favorite BBQ is ANY true BBQ that I am eating either at the moment or en route to eat for my next meal. I mean, of course, cooked low and slow(as evidenced by the pit temp, real hardwood, tenderness and smoke ring).

I have been inspired by a friend who runs a homebrew shop in Philly(and turned me on to his home BBQ efforts) and a book called 'Cooking with Smoke and Spice', which I am sure you are familiar with.

That being said, I like my home BBQ a lot. I will go 10-16 hours, if at all possible at 180 degrees for any large item, and at least 6 hours for pork ribs.

Unrelated to true BBQ, but also a favorite of mine, is the foods cooked on the endless variety of grill arrangements. I have done a rack or pork ribs over direct and indirect grilling in about 2 hours, and they are very tasty!

As for heading out for BBQ a local favorite(and we miss the long gone Lester and BB's Lawnside on South Street) favorite has become Tex's BBQ, a roaming outfit in Montgomery County.

Here is a link to some pics: http://www.texssmokinbarbq.com/Photos.html

And here is a link to their website with schedule: http://www.texsbbqpa.com/

Of course, ANY BBQ is a good thing!

[percyn]

Tex's brisket sandwich is awesome and I suggest eating it on the spot vs take-out, due to the risk of it drying out a bit.

[gbredben]

Sunset Restaurant And Barbeque, located on Route 9 in New Castle, DE. Located on Route 9 one block north of the exit for Route 9 and I-295, last exit before the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Nice roadside operation with fantastic ribs. Also serves fried fish and great sides.

[jmbrightman]

Sunset Restaurant And Barbeque, located on Route 9 in New Castle, DE.  Located on Route 9 one block north of the exit for Route 9 and I-295, last exit before the Delaware Memorial Bridge.  Nice roadside operation with fantastic ribs.  Also serves fried fish and great sides.

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thanks for the recommendation. I will be near there Tuesday and will give them a try. I am a big fan of Fat Jack's beef ribs - does Sunset do beef ribs, or pork only?

[gbredben]

Sunset Restaurant And Barbeque, located on Route 9 in New Castle, DE.  Located on Route 9 one block north of the exit for Route 9 and I-295, last exit before the Delaware Memorial Bridge.  Nice roadside operation with fantastic ribs.  Also serves fried fish and great sides.

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thanks for the recommendation. I will be near there Tuesday and will give them a try. I am a big fan of Fat Jack's beef ribs - does Sunset do beef ribs, or pork only?

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They only do pork spare ribs, but the racks are nice size.