Best BBQ in the DC Metro Area

[hannnah]

We finally managed to get to Willard's last week, and it's worth a visit. Their NC pulled pork and KC burnt ends were both tasty - maybe could have used a wee bit more mustard and/or vinegar in the NC sauce, but that's strictly a personal preference. I'd get either of them again.

Sides were good across the board - we got slaw, dirty rice, mashed potatoes, and a black-eyed pea/corn mix. If you like sweet cole slaw, you won't like theirs, but it was definitely fresh. Didn't make it to the desserts, but they had a good-looking selection. And, wonder of wonders, they have properly brewed sweet tea!

[fischwlu]

Check out Tom Sietsema's new review of Urban Bar-B-Que

[doctoro]

It seems to me because we are in such a transient area, that the opinions on

good bbq are varied, from the casual diner who seems to enjoy mediocre food as long as it resembles bbq, to the bbq afficionados who don't think there is really anything as good as what you find in the Carolinas or Tennessee,etc.

I am sure that most of the privately owned places in the area have some of the best bbq, but can also be the most inconsistant because they're probably not staffed to handle extreme situations as say places like Red Hot and Blue or Rocklands, etc. But I myself prefer taking a risk and going to places that seem to

take how they prepare BBq more seriously than the chain place. As far as chain eaterys are concerned, I tend to gravitate towards places that people have built up long before Washingtonian or the Washington Post does. One place comes to mind. Houston's in Rockville and Bethesda. Not the best ribs but very good ribs.

I like their steaks and salads, a little pricey but always a good meal. And when you want something cooked rare they always seem to come through. This place is always crowded and is for a reason the Q and the food are consistantly good.

I have heard of some places near Warrenton and the Richmond area with excellent BBQ, but I can't remember exactly what or where???

The Doctor Is Out!

[cjsadler]

Check out Tom Sietsema's new review of Urban Bar-B-Que

I stopped by Urban BBQ this past Friday, on my way up to Germantown. Had high hopes that this place might finally deliver some quality pulled pork to the area. But alas, it was not to be.... just mediocre. The smoke just wasn't there. Red Hot & Blue and Rocklands are still about the best you can do for pulled/chopped pork in in DC. However, the sides at Urban were terrific. Some of the best cornbread I've ever had, and fine beans and potato salad. The sauces are also good and all made in house. Plus, there's a tap of Dominion root beer on the counter that you can help yourself to. Nice guys who run the place, too. They obviously are making an effort to produce some quality chow. I'll definitely be back to try some of the other Q there soon.

Note: This place can be tough to find. It's around back of El Patio, off of Twinbrook Parkway.

[bx23$qa]

Doctoro, you might be thinking of Pig N Steak in Madison, VA, which is just off 29 southwest of Culpepper. The q there is pulled, not chopped or sliced. They serve it dry with plenty of outside (the black charred parts), which gives it an incredible smoky taste. My personal favorite way to have q there is with vinegar and red pepper flakes, but if you're a Western N.C. fan, there's tomato based-sauces too (no mustard sauces, however). If you get the platter, you get two throw-away buns and two sides. The slaw is standard white slaw, and I wouldn't recommend getting it. The baked beans are amazing--spicy and slightly sweet--and I usually get both sides of this. The fries are very thin and crispy, and you get piles of them--careful, though, this can easily take away from serious q-eating. The hushpuppies (not a side; they have to be ordered separately) are the biggest I've ever seen. They are round, not elongated, and are about the size of golf balls. They taste more like S.C. hushpuppies than other varieties in that there's no onions in them, and, if you're a northerner like myself, there's plenty of sugar on the table to sweeten them up. Actually, I think I've posted about Pig N Steak somewhere here. Anyway, I've been to a lot of q joints; my favorite of all time being Jimmy's in Lexington, N.C. Compared to Jimmy's, the q at Pig N Steak isn't too bad. Taken as a whole (considering the sides and whatnot) Pig N Steak is a great q joint. A word of caution: There's a Pig N Steak Too in Scottsville, VA, but it's no good. The q isn't as smoky, the beans are substandard, and the fries aren't as fresh.

[JPW]

Doctoro, you might be thinking of Pig N Steak in Madison, VA, which is just off 29 southwest of Culpepper. The q there is pulled, not chopped or sliced. They serve it dry with plenty of outside (the black charred parts), which gives it an incredible smoky taste. My personal favorite way to have q there is with vinegar and red pepper flakes, but if you're a Western N.C. fan, there's tomato based-sauces too (no mustard sauces, however). If you get the platter, you get two throw-away buns and two sides. The slaw is standard white slaw, and I wouldn't recommend getting it. The baked beans are amazing--spicy and slightly sweet--and I usually get both sides of this. The fries are very thin and crispy, and you get piles of them--careful, though, this can easily take away from serious q-eating. The hushpuppies (not a side; they have to be ordered separately) are the biggest I've ever seen. They are round, not elongated, and are about the size of golf balls. They taste more like S.C. hushpuppies than other varieties in that there's no onions in them, and, if you're a northerner like myself, there's plenty of sugar on the table to sweeten them up. Actually, I think I've posted about Pig N Steak somewhere here. Anyway, I've been to a lot of q joints; my favorite of all time being Jimmy's in Lexington, N.C. Compared to Jimmy's, the q at Pig N Steak isn't too bad. Taken as a whole (considering the sides and whatnot) Pig N Steak is a great q joint. A word of caution: There's a Pig N Steak Too in Scottsville, VA, but it's no good. The q isn't as smoky, the beans are substandard, and the fries aren't as fresh.

Pig n' steak rocks!

I occasionally stop by on my frequent trips up and down 29.

That is also the location of favorite road sign of all time -- "Stop Light .53 miles"

I just love the precision of it.

[doctoro]

I will definately check that place out, I just like the name of it.

No need for the fancy stuff as long as the meat is cooked right.

Pulled is the way I like it... Goin' to have to pig out at the Pig!

The Doctor is Out!

[mnebergall]

I have heard of a place called Jammin' Joe's Barbeque on Rt. 29 just before you get to Warrenton. I have not tried it yet.

[hillvalley]

We tried Urban BBQ in Rockville (at the corner of Chapman and Twinbrook Parkway, about two blocks north of Montrose and one block east of the Pike) on Sunday.

The five of us ordered ribs, brisket, smoked sausage, and a crab cake. The brisket was kinda blah, the crab cake was okay. But the sausage was good and the ribs were quite excellent.

I really liked their yellow sauce (plus, you can try any one of the dozens of other bottled sauces on the wall) too. The sides were merely decent but the cornbread (which comes with every platter) was very good.

We'll definitely go back for the ribs. Much better than any of the other options in Montgomery County IMO.

I had Urban last night.

Great ribs and cornbread. Tried the carolina and red suace, both of which were great. I agree with Sietsma, the greens needed a bit more of vinegar, but otherwise were great.

The hardest part was driving home and resisting the urge to eat on the road.

All in all, it's good "redneck" BBQ with Rockville prices.

[morda]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Ben's Whole Hog BBQ. It's kinda out there (in Manassas) , but at least it's closer than Charles County. At least I think it's closer. I think it took us about an hour to drive from downtown. Anyway, the last time I went there I had the best bbq ever. It was so good I didn't even bother with the sauces, although there were several to choose from. It was a while (maybe a year) ago, so I can't quite remember what we had. It was sold to new owners in the last few years, but I've been there since, so I can say that it's still good. Here is a little blurb from the Washingtonian:

http://www.washingtonian.com/dining/Profil...nswholehog.html

Ben's Whole Hog BBQ

7422 Old Centreville Rd.

Manassas, VA

703-331-5980

morda

[browniebaker]

Thanks, Morda, for the report on Ben's Whole Hog BBQ. I had been wondering whether it was worth the trip from D.C., especially following the change in ownbership. Now I'll have to give it a try.

Up until now, Red Hot & Blue has been the closest that I (a transplanted Nashvillian) could find to Memphis-style ribs, but I am not that thrilled with their side dishes and desserts. The potato salad is terrific, as are the batter-dipped spicy fries. The baked sweet potato with brown-sugar-butter is good, too. But the greens are way too bland,the corn muffins too sweet (Please bring back the fresh-baked rolls!), the cole slaw just okay. The desserts are too pre-fab.

[otello]

Because I have aparently have nothing better to do, here is the list of BBQ places mentioned on this thread. If you have an address/link for any of these places, please PM me or add it here, and I'll add it to this list. I did not include places outside of the DC/Balt metro area (e.g., NC, etc.). I know that there are more out there, so let us know (especially the 15 or so places in Charles County).

Old Glory

Red Hot and Blue

Anette's BBQ Heaven

Van Dorn Shopping Plaza

279 South Van Dorn Street

Alexandria, VA 22304

703-823-5393

FAX 703-823-5917

Hogs Breath BBQ & Catering

153 Glyndon St SE

Vienna, VA 22180

703-281-7487

Boulevard Woodgrill

Johnny Boy's Ribs, on Rt 301 just south of the Rt 6 crossroads at La Plata

Charles County has the best bbq in the greater D. C. and Baltimore areas since open air pits are allowed. There are at least 15 of these with Johnny Boy's the most famous.

Kenny's

Rib Pit - 3903 14th Street

Boss Hogs in McLean

BBQ Country

Docs on Rt 50 in Aldie, VA

"Chef Fred" who sets up a pit on Rt 211 10 miles outside of Warrenton from spring until fall

Granny's on 10th NE a block or two N of Rhode Island Avenue (11th and Franklin)

Dixie Bones in Woodbridge

Horace and Dickey's near 12th and H, NE

Willard’s BBQ, Chantilly

O'Brien's on Gude Drive in Rockville

Allman's in Fredericksburg

Famous Dave's

Urban Bar-B-Que Company

2007 Chapman Ave. (at Twinbrook Parkway), Rockville, MD 20852

Phone: 240-290-4827

Jammin' Joe's Barbeque on Rt. 29 in New Baltimore just before you get to Warrenton

Pig N Steak in Madison, VA, which is just off 29 southwest of Culpepper

Pig N Steak Too in Scottsville, VA

Charlie’s on Gude Drive in Rockville

Ben's Whole Hog BBQ

7422 Old Centreville Rd.

Manassas, VA

703-331-5980

Adam's Ribs (5 locations): http://www.adamsribs.com/

Rockland's (3 locations): http://www.rocklands.com/default.asp

Capital Q

http://www.capitalqbbq.com/

707 H Street, NW

Washington, DC

phone: 202-347-8396

Edited April 2, 2004 by otello (log)

[otello]

my thread killing skills are unbelievable, aren't they?

[bbq4meanytime]

Actually, I passed Smokey Joes (ot by Warrenton) yesterday but didn't stop. Its one of my next places to try. My belly was full from eating BBQ down in McGahesville, VA (near Massanutten Resort).

[hillvalley]

What's the word on Urban BBQ in Rockville? The people I usually eat with usually insist on going to Red Hot & Blue or Houston's.

(yes, I know...)

I have become a big fan of Urban BBQ.

The ribs are as good if not better than anything else I have had around here. My current obsession now is the pulled pork. I am far from a BBQ officianado, but the pork tastes the way I think it should (or as it has been described around here). Juicy and full of flavor. The throw some of the rub on top with adds a tiny bit of kick.

I like all three sauces and having the variety to choose from. Usually I end up combinging the tomato and vinegar based sauces. I haven't tried any of the sauces on the wall 'cause the dining in options suck. There is a high table with stools that can seat about 4-6.

I have only tried a few of the sides, but my favorite are the mashed potatoes. The greens are too sweet for my liking, although they are full of pieces of bacon. I pour some of the vinegar based sauce over then which helps. The roll is a roll, but for Montgomery County the corn bread is pretty damn good. Especially when dipped in pork juice.

They are now doing a buy 6 meals get one free deal. I only have two more to go!

[mnebergall]

There needs to be a more organized eGullet investigation of the local barbecque scene in the DC area and its environs. However, I feel it will entail roadtrips. I say this after having dined on leftover barbequed brisket with bootleg Kansas City sauce.

[sara]

Does anyone else recall the Dixie Pig from Rt 1 in Alexandria, from the early 80s?? Back when the Multiplex was a drive-in?

[mnebergall]

Does anyone else recall the Dixie Pig from Rt 1 in Alexandria, from the early 80s?? Back when the Multiplex was a drive-in?

Yes, I recall it and I have eaten there. A good friend of mine who is a lifelong Alexandria resident recalls the days when the NAACP used to picket the Dixie Pig because they would not serve blacks. Also, there used to be a Dixie Pig on Powhattan St. just north of Old Town. Now it is an Italian joint of some sort.

[Al_Dente]

Does anyone else recall the Dixie Pig from Rt 1 in Alexandria, from the early 80s?? Back when the Multiplex was a drive-in?

Yes, I recall it and I have eaten there. A good friend of mine who is a lifelong Alexandria resident recalls the days when the NAACP used to picket the Dixie Pig because they would not serve blacks. Also, there used to be a Dixie Pig on Powhattan St. just north of Old Town. Now it is an Italian joint of some sort.

This place has always puzzled me. It still has a sign saying "Dixie Pig", yet it has another sign with an Italian name on it. Also, it rarely seems to be open.

[sara]

Didn't realize the place was still even there! What kind of food is it now--Italian??? I have a wonderful lithograph of it that I bought at the Torpedo Factory. My family used to take me there every week...didn't know about those racist policies tho!

[cjsadler]

What about Mighty Midget? I've been meaning to try it ever since it was mentioned (very favorably) in that WP bbq article last year. 202-A Harrison St, Leesburg

[bilrus]

What about Mighty Midget? I've been meaning to try it ever since it was mentioned (very favorably) in that WP bbq article last year. 202-A Harrison St, Leesburg

I am actually panning on going there this weekend if I get a chance. I drove past it last weekend and it is smaller than I had even pictured. But I figure it is worth a shot - I'll report back.

[mnebergall]

Didn't realize the place was still even there! What kind of food is it now--Italian??? I have a wonderful lithograph of it that I bought at the Torpedo Factory. My family used to take me there every week...didn't know about those racist policies tho!

A lot of Alexandria used to be segrated, the schools, the movies theaters, the restaurants. My buddy could not go to the movies at the Old Town Theater. His parents sent him to Blessed Sacrement and Bishop Ireton because the schools were segregated.

Al_Dente, The original Dixie Pig used to be on Rt. 1 across from the Beacon Mall. They tore it down and put in a Rite Aid drug store.

To get another view of what life in Alexandria used to be like, check out the Supreme Court case of Sullivan v. Little Hunting Park.. (I used to be on the LHP board of directors.)

I still think there needs to be an eGullet BBQ "fraud squad" who's mission it is to travel around and inspect the local BBQ intellegensia. I would only be active one-day every month or so when the "squad car" would travel to make its inspections. I volunteer to be "wheel man."

[DonRocks]

I still think Buz and Ned's Real Barbeque is almost worth the drive to Richmond.

[sara]

I'll give you my report on Buz and Ned's at the end of July after my visit to Richmond (no, I'm not going to Richmond just for the Q, my dad lives there!! Ugh...)