????

i advocate for heckys, but only the one in evanston

thoughts on leons @ fullerton?

you're the first person I've ever heard of who actually likes Hecky's. Maybe that should be your entry for that other thread.

i was somewhat disappointed with Leon's the one time i stopped by. i think i just expected *more* from the place, it seemed pretty plain to me.

last time i was at the map room they had some offerings from leon's (ribs, chicken, sausage) that was much better. the missing ingredient on my first trip may have been beer.

anyone been to smoque yet?

i'm a big fan of smoke daddy's.

are you talking about heckys in evanston or chicago? It matters

in evanston i never met a person who didn't like heckys

its alright, but way overpriced
location location

I'm talking Evanston. I drive by there all the time, but never ate there. Friends of ours are friends with the owners and they won't touch the stuff. They'd rather go to Merle's.

Off topic, but there is a place in Germantown, WI (by milwaukee) that has great Ribs, BBQ
Bruce Willis has eaten here from what i hear

was just there fri nite and drank out of Das Boot

also for chains, Famous Daves is a good place

please continue w/ Chgo BBQ. i need to know where to go

insane
(elco i mean)

one of my friend's is a friend of heckys too ... i went to school w/ kids in his family! i never heard anyone w/ anything but good words about the barbecue

i think the food quality at famous dave's has gone downhill in the last couple of years. i used to stop by for lunch 1x a month but it seemed like the food was getting worse.

Select Cut at halsted/diversey has excellent ribs (and burgers too!) but if you're in there your first choice should always be steak.

Co-sign.

I like Uncle Bub's, on Cass Ave, in Westmont

UNCLE JOHN'S

Smokin Woody's on Lincoln is good.

how's the place on western by the amc movie theater? i think its by western and diversey

This is one of those "I always mean to go there, but never have been" places.

Everyone I know that has been loves it.

yeah it's good

yeah, it's right at 2600 n. western. same as biggie -- i've driven by but haven't checked it out yet.

According to the BBQ afficianados, there are several places that qualify as authentic, toothsome, smoky BBQ:

The first tier would include:

Uncle Johns (my favorite)
Honey 1
Lem's
Barbara Ann's (Mack, who runs the pit at Uncle John's, used to run the pit here.)

All four of these places run on the standard Chicago aquarium smoker. Tips & links are standard Chicago BBQ, with my favorite links going to Uncle John's (and Barbara Ann's who both use a special recipe from Grant Park Packing). The ribs are great at all three of these places as well. They are spare ribs, the larger and more flavorful cousin of the baby back, and the also the standard rib cut in Chicago BBQ. Always ask for sauce on the side. I normally ask for a mix of hot and mild. Lem's has a particularly interesting sauce with strong notes of either nutmeg or allspice in it.

There has also been a lot of positive press and reviews from the foodies about Smoque BBQ. Smoque, like many of the sit-down places on the North Side of Chicago, uses a Southern Pride smoker. They also offer baby backs and a wide assortment of sides, as well as such traditional offerings as pulled pork and brisket, which most of the Chicago places don't do (Honey 1 does offer pulled pork these days.)

Some place between first and second tier would be places like I-57 Rib Shack, Exsenator's, and the sort.

Second tier would be Hecky's (Evanston location), Ribs N Bibs, Fat Willy's, Smokedaddy, and Leon's locations that have an obviously working smokestack (like the one on Archer near 47th), and possibly Carson's (although that may rank as 3rd tier for me).

Third tier would be Hecky's (Halsted & Division location), Leons that apparently don't have any smoke to their ribs, Pit Rib House in Hickory Hills, Patio

Bottom tier would be any places that have absolutely nothing to do with BBQ except for a liquid-smoke infused sauce and fall-off-the-bone ribs. BBQ ribs are not meant to fall off the bone--they should be toothsome, yet tender. The Twin Anchor and Gale Street Inn exemplify the style that I loathe, although I'm not sure whether they advertise their ribs as BBQ or not. I have no problem with anyone who likes the style, so much as you don't call it BBQ. If you do like the fall-off-the-bone-drink-through-a-straw-meat-jello ribs, I think Gale Street has the best of this style.

Uncle John's Bar BQ
337 E 69th St, Chicago

Lem's BBQ House
311 E 75th St, Chicago

Barbara Ann's
7621 S Cottage Grove Ave
Chicago, IL 60619

Honey 1 BBQ
2241 N. Western Ave.
Chicago, IL

Smoque BBQ
3800 N. Pulaski Rd.
Chicago, 60641-3139.

For true Chicago barbecue, I heartily recommend a trip to Uncle John's for a tip & link combo, hot-mild mix sauce on the side. Be aware that the nature of BBQ is such that it can be bit fickle. I haven't had a bad tip or slab at Uncle John's, but I have occasionally hit a less-than-perfect rib at one of the other places, including Honey 1 which may have the best ribs in the city when they're fresh off the smoker. Do not expect a large selection of sides or anything at your typical Chicago joint. All you'll get is fries and two slices of white bread on top of your meat.

Right next to the big movie theater on Western and Elston.

I haven't been to Smoke Daddy for a long long time, but always found it slightly overcooked and dry.

EDIT: to deej. It's good + cheap-ish.

It's Fat Willy's. I love it, but I don't love their ribs. It has the best pulled pork I've tasted in the city. It's smoked chicken sandwich is also very good. They're "buffalo" wings are also very good...they're bbq'd and grilled though. Unfortunately, the ribs have been lacking the last couple times I tried them.

Alot of Q-heads swear that Honey-1 is the only decent bbq place on the north side of Chicago. Unfortunately, I've only tried the pulled pork...and it wasn't as good as Fat Willy's. I'm still looking forward to trying Honey-1's ribs though.

Haven't had a chance to try Smoque yet, but I've heard good things.

That's Fat Willy's. I'd say Honey 1, which is just down the street a few blocks, is better and more authentic, but Fat Willy's is a better place to sit down and enjoy yourself and a wider variety of food. At Honey 1, you just order at the window and there is a room adjacent with fluorescent lighting and tables where you can sit down and eat. Be warned, the South Side places I mentioned in my last post do not have a dining area of any sort. Honey 1 used to be located in Austin, and was the prime example of West Side BBQ in Chicago, but it moved about two years back to its current location. Honey 1 is run by Ray Adams, Sr., a black dude from Arkansas who knows his way around an aquarium smoker.

smoque has great fries and baked beans which is a welcome change from the usual but the one time i went i had the pulled pork sandwich and it wasn't really great. i tried my friend's brisket though and it was much better, supposedly that's the thing to get.

See, I think Honey 1 serves the best pulled pork in the city, by a longshot. However, it's WAYYYYY fucking overpriced. Last I remember, it was $7 or $8 a sandwich that contained half the meat of Fat Willy's sandwich. Unfortunately, Chicago isn't a pork shoulder kind of place, so inevitably the best pulled pork you can get is probably off your smoker in the backyard.

Leon's - I was really excited when this place was opening a few years ago. It really disappointed me when it did. Ribs aren't bad, but it's nothing to crave.

Fat Willy's - Meh

The best place I'd been to was Freddie's on North and Sheffield. I don't understand how or why a place that good could close. It's left a huge void since.

Normally if I want BBQ I like Famous Dave's. I know it's a chain, but I have yet to find a place around here that comes close.

Honey-1 was very good, but it certainly didn't blow me away. Interestingly, I found one of the best pulled pork sandwiches in the city at a non-bbq place: Coopers around 1200 W. Belmont. Timeout listed the sandwich as one of the 100 best things they ate in 2006. It's a bit non traditional (served panini style), but here's the description:

good lord binko great post

i like the pulled pork sandwich at heaven on seven

dunno why i felt like this was the right time in my life to start using emoticons but there it is

i recommend turning off emoticons and just using the normal :D

Making your own grilled food or BBQ is really relaxing and fun. If you have your own yard, get a grill for steaks, make yourself a smoker, and buy some charcoal and some wood-chips (hardwoods, you can buy them from some hardware stores, not usually groceries... If you buy loose chips make sure it is NOT treated wood because it has poisonous chemicals) and spend a day with some friends/family. Once you know what you are doing, going out for BBQ just isn't the same. And trust me, having your own smoker is amazing.
Making homemade beef jerky is great... Take a few pieces of charcoal, put it on top of some heavy duty foil, place a tray of wood chips on top, close up foil around the edges of the tray, wait for it to get smoking and make sure to add charcoal as needed for an even heat (around 140 F) and constant smoke, then put the thiiin strips of marinated beef (try flank steaks and play with marinates until you get something you like.. I'm a fan of a dab of sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, some lemon, soy sauce, cayenne pepper, salt, ground mustard, onion powder, and maybe some honey depending) on a rack up top where the most smoke is and let it cook for a few hours (4-5).
Your own specialty BBQ sauce is surprisingly easy to make and damn tasty, too.

I agree on both Smoking Woody's on Lincoln and Fat Willy's on Western.

There's a kick ass Korean BBQ across the street from Smoking Woody's, too.

Feed the chicken joint on chicago and western has a good pulled pork sandwich.

That sounds really, really good. I'll have to give it a shot sometime. I like my pulled pork simple: just pork shoulder, with a nice bark to it, maybe a dry rub, maybe just salt & pepper, with a thin, Carolina-style vinegar & hot pepper sauce to it. It disappoints me that Honey 1 doesn't offer a vinegar sauce, but the pork sandwich, without sauce or just the merest hint of it, is sublime. The flavor of the pork & wood comes through beautifully in a way it doesn't at Fat Willy's.

That said, BBQ is a weird subject. Some people (I'm not saying you, but I just want to warn others checking out these places) simply don't like authentic BBQ. Some people believe it's all about the sauce. I've seen BBQ competition in Chicago where the winners boiled their ribs before putting them on a grill! Egad! That ain't real barbecue! Some people react with puzzlement when a rib doesn't turn into jello and just fall off the bone. It depends what you're used to. The places I'm recommending are based on Southern barbecue ideals: low and slow cooking over a wood fire and/or hardwood charcoal. The meat will be tender, but still offer a bit of resistance or pull when you bite into it. There will be an ample smoke ring in the meat. (The outer part of smoked meat has a characteristic pink ring that is caused by a reaction with carbon monoxide and the cells. If it has no smoke ring, it's not barbecue...except with the possible exception of Rendezvous in Memphis that is famous for their ribs, even though they are technically grilled and not smoke--I'll let them pass on this requirement.) Sauce on ribs is fine, but a truly great rib is one that only needs sauce as an accent. The taste of the smoky pork is the central experience to good barbecue. If you don't have that, you just have shitty meat doused in sauce. Oh, and the sauce should never ever contain any Liquid Smoke in it. If you've smoked your meat, you should have more than enough smoke flavor. Liquid smoke ruins it for many people. I'm not adamant about this, but some people are extremely averse to the taste of liquid smoke.

I'm completely with you with respect to jello-ribs. The texture of that meat literally make me want to vomit. Meat is not supposed to fall off the bone. Whoever coined that as a compliment must have been one hell of a con-man.

I'll have to give Honey-1's pulled pork another try. I like Fat Willy's because they automatically serve it without sauce. I forgot to ask for no-sauce at Honey-1...so maybe the sauce just drowned out the flavor.

That said, I'm not adverse to a place that just has a good sauce, and I do like some sauce baked on my ribs.

Personally, because of the price difference and the amount of meat you get, I too would go to Fat Willy's for pulled pork. Fat Willy's pork is certainly good enough for me.

If you go to Fat Willy's, get the mac and cheese. I know what you're thinking but it is just ridiculously good.

I concur. Actually, that's how I first discovered Fat Willy's--it was by having their Mac 'n Cheese at one of those locally catered free lunch weekend deals they used to have at The Map Room. (Perhaps they still do).

i like fakey bbq too

Binko knows his shit. BBQ (and grilling) is about tasting meat. The best BBQ sauces/spice rubs build off of the meat flavor and enhance rather than cover it up.

binko, seems to me that it's too complicated to decide if bbq is really bbq or not. can't i just eat it and if I like it, then proclaim my love for it, regardless of how it was prepared or whether it fits in with the grand bbq tradition or not.

I don't want to take a class on bbq, I just want to eat it. This reminds me of wine tasting. Dammit, either it tastes good or it doesn't. All the rest is mumbo jumbo.

Co-sign.

Honey 1 was featured on this week's edition of Check Please!

I wonder if Binko has a "flame sleeves shirt."

No, it's quite easy. Low and slow over wood.



Yes you can. I'm not stopping you. In the end, it's about how the food tastes. Remember, I said I have nothing against people who like meat-jello ribs and even recommended Gale Street Inn as the best of this style, if you're into it.



BBQ is a very personal thing for a lot of people--just go to Texas and tell them you had better BBQ in Chicago or something and you'll see what I mean. If somebody comes up here from Texas or Arkansas or whatnot and asks for BBQ, it helps to have a frame of reference. I recommend Fat Willy's as the best BBQ for people who casually into BBQ. I recommend Uncle John's, Honey 1, et al., for people who are hardcore into BBQ. If you like brisket, you're pretty much shit out of luck except for Smoque. Knowing the different styles and different tastes of people helps when recommending something like a BBQ joint especially.

I'm in the sauce camp. I want to inhale the fumes from my plate when it first arrives and momentarily lose consciousness. Its the deliriousness that i love.

Tee hee.

For me, it is also a lot about keeping the tradition of Chicago BBQ alive. It's a great regional style of BBQ and it is slowly dying . It's part of our history, part of Chicago, and I'll be damned if I lose these places because of Famous Daves or Chili's or Claim Jumper or whatever. These men who run the grills--Mack over at Uncle John's, Ray at Honey 1's, James (Pitmaster Emiritus) at Lem's--are not just cooks. They are artists with a passion for their meat and the product they put out and the people they serve. These are skilled workers who have honed their craft over many, many years, brought their cooking traditions down their family line, and produce some of the best damned food in the city. They are true Chicago heroes in my book, and I don't give a shit if you think I'm being scholarly about my approach to ribs. There is a rich and deep history to BBQ and I, for one, am fascinated by it and will do my best to preserve it. You're welcome not to read my posts, if you don't want to, but it is about taste in the end and, to me, the best taste comes with the traditional preparation methods.

mmm... briscuit...

what are the 4 corners of BBQ?

is it Texas, Kansas City, North Carolina, & Memphis?

sometimes i just gotta fuck with some boiled ribs from portillos, i am not gonna lie

in nick's perfect newspaper, binko could write an article about bbqs