Yer Fave BBQ Spots!

[philadining]

He's calling his casual concept "punk rock BBQ."

Okay, I hope the food is good and all, but this is just about the stupidest thing I have ever heard.

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Come on man, doesn't eating in a mosh pit sound kind of fun?!?

And it makes sense, you know: Punk Rock is loud, fast and angry, and Barbecue is all about low, slow and ummm.... where was I going with this?

[Holly Moore]

Glad to help out.

The holding pen at the stock yards is pretty much a mosh pit. Punk rock could be a tribute to the slaughterhouse, itself.

Barbecue is the final step in the progression.

[mrbigjas]

He's calling his casual concept "punk rock BBQ."

Okay, I hope the food is good and all, but this is just about the stupidest thing I have ever heard.

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the comments on that article are hilarious.

[MarketStEl]

So what's this place that's going to serve "punk rock BBQ"? I can't seem to find the original post.

One thing I can tell you is that there is apparently a mighty hunger for good barbecue abroad in the land. I just found out from site owner Steve McCann that my writeup of Smokin' Betty's in my most recent PhillyGayCalendar.com column was the third-most-viewed column in July.

I'd say Smokin' Betty's is good, not great, but I was pleasantly surprised that they had pretty much gotten the basics right, especially given that its owners also own Devil's Alley, which didn't impress me, and that -- as I wrote in the column -- all the other signs this place had pointed in the wrong direction. I'd certainly rank it as the best 'cue joint (sort of: barbecue accounts for a minority of the menu items, although the sides are certainly barbecue-derived) within the boundaries of Center City.

[philadining]

Congrats to Bebe's for garnering a Best Barbecue from Philly Mag's Best of Philly. (I don't see an on-line link yet.)

Of course this issue of the magazine would come out right as Mark leaves town for a while! Here's hoping the rest of the crew holds down the fort if they get a rush...

[philadining]

Made another stop at Jimmy's on rt 30 in Malvern.

Brisket was pretty dry, but still incredibly tasty, it had great flavor from the smoke and the rub, so I didn't mind at all, I probably just dipped it in the sauce a little more than usual.

Ribs were similarly delicious, but had a weird texture to them - the fat was kind of stringy and chewy, I wonder if they hadn't really smoked long enough. Still the meaty parts were quite good, so again, I didn't really care.

Really like the collard greens here, mac and cheese is still merely serviceable.

Overall, still very good, and I'm already jonesing for more brisket.

Edited August 17, 2009 by philadining (log)

[Bluehensfan]

Made another stop at Jimmy's on rt 30 in Malvern.

Brisket was pretty dry, but still incredibly tasty, it had great flavor from the smoke and the rub, so I didn't mind at all, I probably just dipped it in the sauce a little more than usual.

Ribs were similarly delicious, but had a weird texture to them - the fat was kind of stringy and chewy, I wonder if they hadn't really smoked long enough. Still the meaty parts were quite good, so again, I didn't really care.

Really like the collard greens here,  mac and cheese is still merely serviceable.

Overall, still very good, and I'm already jonesing for more brisket.

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I tried Jimmy's and found the BBQ to be ok overall. The brisket and pulled pork were decent but the sauces were a bit too sweet that they serve on the table. The big question I have about Jimmy's is how they can possibly make cornbread so dry. It's amazing actually...but not in a good way!

[shellbellc]

Went to Jimmy's last Wednesday for the first time. Hubby got the brisket which had good flavor but definitely dry. Son got the pulled pork sammie, same thing there. I got the pulled chic and rib platter. Ribs were also ok, I liked the dry rub, had good flavor, meat wasn't fall off, which is good, they should have a little bit of pull! The beans were just that, I think maybe they used liquid smoke for flavoring in them...now the pulled chicken...I will go back for that over and over, it was moist, tender, wonderful flavor. My husband opted to keep picking off of my plate and leave his brisket alone!!! My corn bread was little dry but not that bad, just dry enough to cause need to whack it with a pat of butter (or two). It didn't fall apart like really dry corn bread tends to do...we'll go back to try again.

[Jimmy's BBQ]

Hi This is Jimmy of Jimmy's BBQ.

I am thrilled that you are discussing the food at Jimmy's.

I find the boards to be the best way to find out what people think of my food.

I would like to clear some items up.

We use a dry rub on all of our meats. There isn't any sauce added before you get it.

We smoke everything on site in our Ole Hickory smoker.

We use hickory and cherry wood- pork and brisket get 2 hickory and 1 cherry logs, and ribs/chicken/sausage/bacon get 2 cherry and 1 hickory logs.

We do not use liquid smoke for anything.

We smoke the beans for 3 hours. We smoke the bacon for 4 hours.

Pork shoulder and brisket are smoked for 12-14 hours.

Ribs are smoked for 4 hours and chicken 2 hours.

Of course everything is cooked until the proper temp is achieved.

Our cornbread runs dry and not dry. We are playing around with the recipe so it is not dry.

The brisket runs lean to "moist"(not lean). If you would like a less dry piece of brisket please ask for moist. You will get the fattier cut-which I think is the best.

I cook the ribs until they pull back on the bone and have reached what I consider done. They do not fall off the bone. I believe there should be a little tug to get them off the bone.

The comments have run the gamut on the sauce. I have people asking me to bottle and ship it to them. We also have customers who think it is too sweet. I think sauce is very subjective. We added a mild hot sauce for the brisket and a vinegar sauce for the pork earlier in the year.

Thank you for your reviews.

If you don't like something please bring it it to my attention. We aim to please.

Jim

[Mummer]

I've driven by a shuttered Dante's at dinnertime on Tuesdays and Wednesdays recently. It doesn't look inviting...

[philadining]

Wow, it hasn't been THAT long since I was in there, and the manager guy seemed all enthusiastic, talking about some ads he was planning to run, etc. But you never know... I certainly hope they aren't gone for good, those still are/were my favorite ribs in the city.

[Andrew Fenton]

That's a coincidence- I'd intended to stop by Dante's for lunch yesterday and found them closed. I hoped that Wednesday was their day off...

[lfabio2007]

We passed by... last sunday I believe. It was also very, very closed.

[phungi]

called Dante's today... disconnected... sigh...

[sunra]

Certainly not the best BBQ, but I am encouraged to see the Phoebe's BBQ on Umbria in Manayunk/Roxborough turning out a nice brisket, beans and coleslaw on a first visit yesterday.

Walked in to find a nice clean space with the scent of smoke and toasting chile peppers. I asked about the wonderufl smell of chiles, and the owner told me they make their own sauce, startin with the taosted chiles and other spices. That is nice to hear.

My son needed a quick bite before a game, and this was easy parking and on our way. He ordered a brisket sandwich with sides of beans and cole slaw. The brisket looked good, though a bit dry, had a nice amount of smoke. Unfortunately they put sauce on the brisket after slicing. Will definitely ask them to hold on put on the side next time.

Beans were excellent, large firm beans with a nice BBQ sauce, chile flavors and not particularly sweet.

Cole Slaw was freshly made, shredded cabbage and carrots, some mayo. This was a bit bland, in heed of more sour, salt and sweet. Still, fresh tasting and went well with the other item.

The owner was very friendly, enthusiastic about the food and smoking process, and eh told me they'd diliver to us in Lafayette Hill.

Again, not the best, but a solid good spot and better than many, e.g. Tommy Gunn's and the like. Worth supporting, imho.

[Mummer]

Hope it will become a favorite. Le Cochon Noir is scheduled to open this weekend at 5070 Parkside near the Mann. Jazz & blues on the weekends - seems to go with the cuisine. lecochonnoir.com

[jmbrightman]

those prices seem a bit (ok, extremely) high - $25 for a whole chicken, no sides, $12 for a chicken 1/4, $30 for a rack of ribs...

[philadining]

I'm not sure whether this is a dining or a cooking thing... it's kind of both, an event about making your own barbecue, but also a dinner featuring barbecue, so, I figured this thread would probably catch most of the Philly-are barbecue fans.

Over the summer I bought a book called "Low and Slow" about basic techniques for using a wood-fired smoker to make traditional barbecue. It's by Gary Wiviott, and is an entertaining, sometimes irreverent, guide to getting good results in a home smoker. I really like the book, and had some good success with ribs on a basic inexpensive Brinkman Smoker.

The folks at the Khyber Pass Pub have started doing barbecue in the restaurant, and decided to bring Mr Wiviott to Philly, and he's hosting a dinner this sunday (January 16, 2011, sorry about the short notice!) The food will apparently be based on some recipes out of his book, and also feature some of the barbecue from the Khyber menu, which he may have tweaked. And of course he'll give a short talk and answer questions.

I can't find any info at the Khyber web page, but there's info if you're on Facebook, or there's this page on UWISHUNU

Short version:

7pm, Sunday Jan 16, 2011

Khyber Pass Pub

56 S. 2nd Street, Philadelphia

khyberpasspub.com

215-238-5888

I don't know if you need a reservation, but the listing seems to encourage it.

I'm going to try to go, largely as an opportunity to eat good barbecue, with the talk as a bonus.

Or maybe it's the other way around: to hear an entertaining talk about techniques of smoking meat, with dinner thrown-in. (I have to admit, I'm kind of a Wiviott disciple, his takes on what's important and what isn't in the techniques of smoking just really make sense to me.)

Here's hoping he leaves some of his barbecue magic behind, we can always use more good barbecue in this town.

Speaking of which, anybody tried the barbecue at Fergie's since Mark Coates (of Bebe's fame) started cooking there?

Edited January 14, 2011 by philadining (log)

[shellbellc]

Has anyone tried Phil's BBQ in Collegeville??

[cdh]

Wanted to report a tasty unsauced smoked pulled pork sandwich is to be had at the Jamison Publick House up in Geryville, PA, just off of 663. Neat space as well... the 1750's era building has been stripped down to the stone walls and rough hewn beams. Haven't eaten through the rest of their menu, and the BBQ was a "special", and reported as "the owner's hobby", but it was well done...