Best BBQ in the DC Metro Area

[BobL]

Some of the best BBQ that I've tasted around DC is a place called Granny's on 10th NE a block or two N of Rhode Island Ave. They serve NC style BBQ that I haven't eaten the likes of in 40 years. They always have collard greens and some corn bread that is unique. They usualluy have 5 or 7 different kinds of BBQ available. Chicken, ribs, short ribs, pulled prok, etc.

The biggest problem is you never know when they will be open. It's very sporatic.

[bbq4meanytime]

The best BBQ I've had in DC are the pork ribs from the Rib Pit (3903 14th Street). This place is strictly a carryout and the term "dive" doesn't do it justice.

Just so you are forewarned, I'm talking about decades of smokey grime and bullet proof glass. But I really do like a slab of their pork ribs--and so do a lot of other people, because I always see lots of cars with MD plates doubleparked in front.  And the sides are pretty good soul food classics as well. They also have fried fish and sweat potato pie.

Speaking of Hogs on the Hill, does anyone know if there are any plans for the old Hogs on the Hill at 14th and U? I've seen people fixing this place up several different times over the years, without it ever reopening. It seems to be one of DC's cursed locations.

Butterfly-excellent call on the Rib Pit. I went last night after work and picked up a rack of pork ribs, mac n cheese and cole slaw.

The place is pretty austere. No exaggeration on the bullet proof plexiglass either, you have to exchange food/money thru a plexiglass turnstile. But the ribs are awesone, smoked pink inside but crusty on the outside, moist and just-about falling off the bone. The sauce is not sweet, a little tangy, with a slight hint of heat. The slaw was more vinegar than sweet but good. Didn't care for the mac n cheese, though. And I got a good tip from lady who was ordering fish on good fish sandwiches at another joint.

My wife wasn't impressed with other places I thought was tops and she loved the ribs from this place.

Edited February 7, 2004 by bbq4meanytime (log)

[butterfly]

Hey bbq4meanytime--

I'm glad you liked the Rib Pit. Out of curiousity, where's the place with the good fried fish?

[chapeaulong]

Dixie Bones in Woodbridge is one of my favorites. Ribs, chopped pork, blackeye peas, greens, and cole slaw all meet my necessary requirements for good bbq. And then some.

[Joe H]

Horace and Dickey's near 12th and H, NE but at its best it's only a shadow of Boyd's, the previous owner. Boyd dated back to the Maine Avenue seafood landmark, Benny's, which was around in the '40's and '50's.

[bbq4meanytime]

Butterfly, its the same place as Joe H mentions above, Horace and Dickeys. What a coincidence (or is it?). The lady told me to be prepared to wait in line for half an hour, even at 10:00 at night.

On another note, I was in Vienna yesterday and I think Hogs Breath moved or closed over a year ago because its gone and I think I remember seeing it and wanting to try it.

[Joe H]

I am old. Well, at least old enough to remember D. C. in the '50's. Maine Avenue then was totally differnt from today. My parents would drive down there on Saturday night to go to Benny's for fish sandwiches and french fries. The fish sandwiches were made with four or five fresh filets piled on top of each other with a mayonnaisey cold slaw and Evangeline hot sauce all served on Wonder Bread. French fries accompanied these which were fried in lard. Yes, lard. Fresh potatoes with the skin on and fried in lard. The closest thing today that you can find to these is NOT at Horace and Dickey's but at Faidley's in the Lexington Market in Baltimore. Horace and Dickey is the new name of what was called Boyd's in the mid '80's. Boyd actually worked on Maine Avenue and opened his own shop up on H St., N. E. before moving to the Horace and Dickey's present location. This is where he sold out to them. At some point they started using FROZEN filets which they breaded in house rather than fresh. The potatoes at some point became FROZEN and the later were fried in vegetable oil as opposed to lard. The cole slaw is still made from scratch but that is about the only thing that is left over from what once was WASHINGTON'S SINGLE BEST SANDWICH IN THE '40's and '50's, the fried fish sandwich.

When the Post named the half smoke as unique to D. C. and representative of a Washington tradition they blew it. No one at the Post ever tasted a fish sandwich on Maine Avenue in the '50's to know just how good this could be.

[Joe H]

I should add to this that in the '50's native Washingtonians stood in several lines. One was on Sunday mornings at Stephenson's in Anacostia for pies ("black and white checkerboard boxes"). The other was a D. C. tradition at Benny's on Maine Avenue on Saturday nights. Benny's line was well over a half hour long.

[Joe H]

One more afterthought to my post above: I mentioned Wonder bread. The Wonder bread bakery was on Georgia Avenue by the old Griffith stadium, near where Howard University hospital is today. The "smell" of that bakery in combination with going to a baseball game at Griffith stadium was a big deal for Washingtonians. Wonder bread was also a big deal. Benny's, serving their fish sandwiches on Wonder bread (baked nearby) was part of the D. C. tradition. Ideally, the fish on the sandwiches was caught in the Chesapeake Bay.

[jessker]

When I was in high school at Bannker in the 80s (across from Howard) the Wonder Bread factory was still open. You could smell it through the open windows. We used to go and buy damaged goods in the factory store. Now it is a mall, I think.

[fischwlu]

Thanks Joe H for all of your wisdom. I have only lived in the DC area for a year so I loved to hear about the places that are off the beaten path and do not get attention from the Washington Post.

I went to Rocklands in Arlington for the first time last Saturday. Perhaps my expectations were too high but I was not too impressed. I ordered a quarter rack of ribs, which were nice and meaty but not too moist. The mashed potatoes were dry and needed seasoning. My favorite parts of the meal were the macaroni and cheese and the onion rings. The macaroni had a wonderful homemade texture and the coating for the onion rings had more flavor then any I have had before. Hopefully I can visit the Rib Pit soon, since the ribs sound like just what I am looking for.

[bbq4meanytime]

Fischwlu, sorry Rocklands didn't do it for you, but I was never impressed with their BBQ. Try Boss Hog's in McLean for good NOVA BBQ. Spotty hours, though. I think they're open Sat for lunch if you can't amke it during the week (and I think they're closed for dinner, or at least they were a while back).

Joe H, thanks for your posts, I too find them interesting and informative.

Looks like I'm going to try to find Grannys next (although I'm not a huge fan of Carolina BBQ).

[Joe H]

I don't want to anger everyone on this board but there is very good bbq inside the Beltway. But, for me, part of the taste of serious Q (and I''ve done 8,000 mile driving trips on business with stops on successive days at legends in a dozen cities throughout the midwest and south, even being credited in several of Jane and Michael Stern's books, i.e. Dreamland in Tuscaloosa, McClard's in Hot Springs) but for real, serious bar b q you MUST leave the Beltway. And there is really only one destination: Charles County.

I apologize for all of my self indulgent hyperbole above. But Charles County, Maryland is the ONLY place within several hundred miles of here that allows OPEN PIT bbq. It's not just Johnny Boy's; there are actually a number of "joints" that are seriously good. And, this last is another point: it is more than just the Q. It is also about where you eat it. If the sauce drips on the floor and you have to wipe it up, well, you need to go elsewhere. There is much to be said for crusty floors! Even dirt floors and picnic tables and the "perfume of the pit." There really is good Q inside of the Beltway. But it just tastes much better when you eat it in a place where normally you wouldn't even consider setting foot inside!

[doctoro]

If anyone ventures out to Chantilly Va.

Right near the Dulles Expo Center, there is a place on Willard rd. Next to a

Mini Mart. Called Willards BBq, we ate there and were expecting a suburban

type of bbq, but they do a really nice job. Very good red beans and rice,

Good homemade slaw and salads, nice smoked catfish burritos to.

Give it a shot you won't be dissapointed.

I'll go there again.

The Doctor is Out!

Edited February 10, 2004 by doctoro (log)

[BobL]

bbq4meanytime - Before going looking for Granny's try finding a phone # and calling. As I've said they're sporatic as to opening. I haven't been able to figure out their schedule.

BTW, they do have other kinds of BBQ than NC style. But this Carolina boy uses that as a gauge.

[bbq4meanytime]

Joe, I agree about the ambiance factor in eating/rating bbq, but sometimes we suburbanites just have to go with the tastebuds. I'd be interested in your recs for good bbq inisde the beltway (I think its the point of this thread ). I'm sure its out there.

Bob, don't mean to imply I don't like Carolina BBQ, just that I'm a tomato-based sauce fan myself. I may be taking a short trip down to Asheville, NC soon and if I do, I plan on hitting no less than 3 places along the way. Any chance you know the address to Granny's?

Doc, I live out by Dulles and will try to hit Willards soon, maybe this weekend I have no limits when it comes to bbq. Good thing my kids love it too (then again that was no accident)

Edited February 10, 2004 by bbq4meanytime (log)

[mnebergall]

But Charles County, Maryland is the ONLY place within several hundred miles of here that allows OPEN PIT bbq. It's not just Johnny Boy's; there are actually a number of "joints" that are seriously good.

Some names and locations would help.

[Joe H]

There are at least 15 or more places with open pits in Charles County. Sevral are warm weather only operations.

In Carolina the best eastern is Pete Jone's Skylight Inn in Ayden. Southern Living magazine called this the best overall bbq place in America several months ago. For western Carolina, arguably, the most famous is Lexington but the town it's in, Lexington, has 15 or 20 places and almost all are good.

Willard's is good but the strip shopping center is a real turn off for me. But those are my values and I place probably more importance on a negative ambience than most others.

Years ago there was a place off of 16th Street in Mt. Pleasant called Scott's. It was excellent. O'Brien's on Gude Drive in Rockville had Sonny Bryan's Q from Inwood Avenue in Dallas but after a murder their business disappeared and eventually it closed. There was also a place near BWI in a ramshackle building that was excellent. But it moved to Ft. Meade and the Q just never tasted the same. When all of these closed for years there was a real dearth of good Q here and it became an annual rite to drive to either Johnny Boy's in La Plata or Allman's in Fredericksburg. I have not been to Johnny Boy's in two years and am sorry that it may have gone down hill.

[BobL]

"Any chance you know the address to Granny's?"

Not the addy buy it's on the corner of Franklin & 11th St NE. You can't miss thae building, it flaming pink.

[bbq4meanytime]

Willards BBQ

I tried it tonight and I thought it was good, but not great. The ribs looked perfect, but were a tad bit on the chewy side. Now I know the meat shouldn't be completely falling off the bone, but these were a slightly chewier than I like. And I think dry rubs ribs should stand on their own, even if you're a sauce person (which I am) but about halfway thru half a rack I really lost interest. The sauces were too tangy (tomato based). I really liked the "jamaican jerk chicken", which ironically was neither true jamaican jerk chicken nor traditional BBQ chicken, but good nonetheless. I'll go back to try the pulled pork and brisket sometime, though. My son will like it.

Famous Dave's

My wife picked up some ribs, pulled pork and some sides about a week ago. I know this is a chain, but as far as chains go, I thought the ribs were tasty. Reminded me of decent backyard charcoal grilled ribs, but not really a true pit smoked rib. One of the better local chains IMO.

In the next few weeks I hope to find Granny's in DC.

[Free Wilma]

Rocklands in Alexandria is now open. I drove by earlier today but it was too early to stop in for lunch. It looks bright and clean, with some seating. It's just off Duke at S. Quaker Lane; around the corner from the Wendys.

[silentbob]

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.

[mnebergall]

Is anyone familiar with a place called "Jammin' Joe's Barbeque" on Rt. 29 just before you get to Warrenton.

[bbq4meanytime]

Jammin Joes, if thats the place in New Baltimore on Rt 29 in a little shack with a hella smoke coming out of it, its my next stop. My mom-in-law used to live 2 minutes away but we never got to try it. Hope to get there soon.

[mnebergall]

I was thinking of working a trip to Jammin' Joe's into my pilgrimage to the Wegman's grand opening this Sunday.