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REPORT: OK BBQ Tour 2016

Chris Hennes
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Shelby

Shelby

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AWESOME!  If it weren't for a previous commitment that I couldn't worm out of later today, we would have made the jaunt.  Would love to see everything and do some mega shopping at Trader Joe's.  I will live vicariously through you guys today.....and later, when at said commitment, I will be sneaking looks at my phone for updates.

 

PS--Is the dude in the front drinking a beer?  My hero, if so :D  Double points if he added tomato juice to it.

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Smithy

Smithy

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Be still, my heart.  The ribs are obvious.  Is that white chopped stuff pork loin?  And I echo Shelby's question about the bowl's contents.  Looks like some sort of relish to me.  Tomatillos? Pickles?

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Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
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David Ross

David Ross

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 Looks like the ribs were just rubbed with spices and then you can add the sauce yourself?  That's my personal preference rather than ribs soaked with sauce.

 

David Ross

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Smithy

Smithy

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So far, the ribs at Butcher's look the best, most succulent to me...and I'd kill for some of that brisket.  :x

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
Host, eG Forums - nsmith@egstaff.org

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"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

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Chris Hennes

Chris Hennes

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OK, I'm home now and have had some time to digest today's BBQ, both literally and figuratively.

 

I'll start with some thoughts on BurnCo (meal photos here)... the day's organizer and experienced competition BBQ judge @joiei suggested the ribs, so I ordered ribs, hot links (made in-house) and pulled pork as the meats, plus potato salad. The ribs were as good as advertised--tender but not mushy, very flavorful, with a superb rub on them. They came with a tiny squirt of BBQ sauce dashed across them, mostly for aesthetic purposes. I did not add any extra sauce, as I prefer my ribs dry. The hot link was also quite good, and definitely better than most pre-packaged options at other BBQ places. I was not impressed by the pulled pork, which was not particularly succulent or flavorful, and while the smoked potato salad was interesting, not all the potato chunks were properly cooked. This is a great place to visit, but I suggest sticking to the ribs.

 

Our next stop was Oklahoma Joe's (meal photos here)... a general-purpose BBQ place, so I ordered ribs, burnt ends, brisket, and coleslaw. The others got sandwiches of various kinds. Here the brisket was significantly better than the other options, in my opinion, despite the fat being cut off. The trouble with cutting the fat off is that as the meat cools and dries out it becomes significantly worse, so eat it fast if you get it! I thought the ribs were over-cooked and over-sauced, and I didn't much care for the sauce on the burnt ends here, it was a bit too ketchupy for my tastes. My wife reports that the coleslaw was pretty good because they added red pepper to it.

 

The last stop was about an hour out of Tulsa, in Wellston: Butcher's BBQ Stand (meal photos here). According to joiei the BBQ here was more competition style, slightly modified for a more general audience. In particular the ribs were overcooked a bit, catering to the "falling off the bone" crowd. I also found them to be a bit sweeter than I like, though I appreciated the bright acidity of the BBQ sauce they came with. Here the real standout was the burnt ends, which were very moist and flavorful. The chicken "nuggets" on the sandwich were also quite good, with a nice BBQ-chicken texture and flavor.

 

Thanks joiei for organizing this trip, it was a blast, and we had some really excellent BBQ. Oklahoma isn't typically thought of by outsiders as a major BBQ destination, but if you know where to look there is definitely BBQ worth seeking out here.

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Chris Hennes
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cyalexa

cyalexa

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Yes, it was a great day. My favorite was making real friends from online acquaintances, my second favorite were the burnt ends (chunks of smoked brisket point) at The Butcher. The ribs at BurnCo were also delicious. I agree with Chris that some of the potatoes in the grilled potato salad (that mystery side dish) were under cooked but I still enjoyed the dish. It had large chunks of green pepper and onion and a generous amount of bacon. 

 

@Shelby, I really wanted a beer at BurnCo but it was only 10:30am and I had to drive. It has been a while since I've had it but really enjoy ZingZang bloody Mary mix and beer (a bloody beer).  

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cyalexa

cyalexa

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I bought some heavy cream, coconut cashews, and the white cheddar and bacon popcorn. I wanted some chocolate covered espresso beans but they were out. The store seemed like others in the chain. Oklahoma Joe's was in Broken Arrow. 

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joiei

joiei

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I had a ball.  How does one spend a fun Saturday??  By having an Okie BBQ crawl.  THe weather was perfect, overcast but not drippy, a light jacket was perfect.  Let me tell you, eG folks are the best.  We are already talking about a possible crawl through Asia town over in OKC or a Mexican crawl possibly.  Back to the subject at hand.  I made some new friends today.  eG tends to do that.  If you have never met another eG'er then what are you waiting for?  Start your own meet-up, who knows I might even show up.  I have so many good friends from my early days of posting on these here boards.  Kansas City, DFW, Austin, Springfield, MO.  

 

Burnco, they all wanted recommendations, I go there for the ribs and if they have it the mac and cheese which wasn't available today.  I am scheduled to be in a sausage making class there later this month.  Everything at Burnco is cooked on 12 Hastybake grills.  Everything.  They have no stove, no deep fryer, nada.  Get the ribs.  I ordered a girlie cut of ribs for myself, 4 ribs and ate 3.  Now I have some bbq for breakfast.  I'm thinking maybe a fritatta, asparagus grits and a cup of hot coffee.  (aspargus grits, sort of like asparagus risotto).  

 

Oklahoma joes is not the place that was in Kansas City for many years and recently renamed Joe's Kansas City.  John Davidson was the creator of the original Oklahoma Joes smokers in Stillwater, OK.  A couple of years ago he opened his own OK Joes here in Tulsa (Broken Arrow). If you don't think people in Oklahoma are serious about smoked meats, the Hastybake grills are coveted and passed down in wills.  Have you ever tasted an Oklahoma tenderloin (a bologna chub) then your missing something in your life.  Back to today.  Chris ordered the special, a full rack of ribs, it was huge.  I have been there so I ordered the Z-man burnt ends sandwich.  I was trying to be careful because being a master bbq judge I know that too much of a good thing can spoil a great time.  I have been judging bbq for 12 years.  

 

Then we took at break wandering the aisles of the New Trader Joe's, the first one in OK here in Tulsa.  Thinnest crowd I have seen yet,  Lots of Arkansas tags in the parking lot along with some Missouri and Kansas.  I managed to walk on by the bacon-parmesan popcorn.  Control.  

 

THen after a drive down the turnpike to Wellston, we met up again at Butchers BBQ Stand.  Butchers is the creation of Dave Bruska.  If the name is familier, he was on the Pittmaster show.  Interesting stuff, made more for the dining public than for judges.  I'll never understand the people who want the meat falling off the bone, that means it is over cooked.  It should have a texture or chew and not be mush.  I just don't understand some of these Oklahomans.  At least no one was using Blues Hog bbq sauce on anything.  

 

Shelby, let me know when your passing through.  We can do a burnco run.  

 

Now for an early nap.  I don't think dinner will happen tonight.  

 

 

 

 

 

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It is good to be a BBQ Judge.  And now it is even gooder to be a Steak Cookoff Association Judge.  Life just got even better.  Woo Hoo!!!

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Jaymes

Jaymes

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Sigh.

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I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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