http://www.facebook.com/pages/...-BBQ/164610370258833
After a weekend at the State Finals track meet, I was excited to try Pop's on my way out of town. I was quite impressed as I drove home with a full stomach...
Pop's is a "chuckwagon" style restaurant that offers take out only, although they do have a couple picnic tables outside if you are like me and have to dig in to your 'que before you get your car keys out to drive home. Although small, the building is nice and the menu is clearly displayed. They offer several drinks out of a cooler, so no fountain offerings which is no big deal to me but may be for others.
Upon entering I asked if I could sample some sauces and the worker gladly offered up a pile of meet and a small dip of each of their homemade sauces (7-8 I think). The house sauce, cleverly named SIN (So. Illinois Nectar) was a very well rounded vinegar based sauce that was good for any meat. It was a little thicker than many vinegar sauces, which was nice when applying it to ribs and chicken. They offer 3 types of mustard sauce, each of which was quite tasty. "Ol Yeller" was my personal favorite. They also have a molasses based sauce, which I was not a fan of, and hot versions of their house sauce. The worker (who I found out was the owner's grandson) gladly explained how each sauce was made which was nice.
As for the meat... The sample that was given to me included pulled pork, chopped brisket, and Italian beef. The Italian beef was quite good, and apparently it is a top seller with college students. The pork and brisket were both moist and tender, although there was not a strong smoke flavor with either. This was actually a good thing b/c I was able to really get a feel for the sauces as I sampled them.
For my meal I had smoked chicken wings (the day's special) and a half rack of spares. The same salt-based rub was used on both, and it was perfect for the chicken. The wings were a nice golden color and the smoke level was very good for poultry. Not too strong, and a little sweet. It is not easy to find good, true smoked wings, but these were right on. No frying, grilling, or whatever...just plain smoked chicken parts! The ribs were good too, however the rub didn't match as well with them as it did the chicken. The half rack was more than enough for me, as they tips were left on and there was plenty o' meat! I like my ribs with some strong bark on them, and since the rub was salt based, the bark was not significant. They were moist and tender, not over/under done. Overall good ribs, but rub just didn't match perfectly.
Had a cup of their house made coleslaw which used their SIN sauce as a base w/ mayo. Very good, high recommend!
Overall, a great true smoke stop. Everything tasted like it came from a good backyard BBQ, which is something that many restaurants miss out on.
After a weekend at the State Finals track meet, I was excited to try Pop's on my way out of town. I was quite impressed as I drove home with a full stomach...
Pop's is a "chuckwagon" style restaurant that offers take out only, although they do have a couple picnic tables outside if you are like me and have to dig in to your 'que before you get your car keys out to drive home. Although small, the building is nice and the menu is clearly displayed. They offer several drinks out of a cooler, so no fountain offerings which is no big deal to me but may be for others.
Upon entering I asked if I could sample some sauces and the worker gladly offered up a pile of meet and a small dip of each of their homemade sauces (7-8 I think). The house sauce, cleverly named SIN (So. Illinois Nectar) was a very well rounded vinegar based sauce that was good for any meat. It was a little thicker than many vinegar sauces, which was nice when applying it to ribs and chicken. They offer 3 types of mustard sauce, each of which was quite tasty. "Ol Yeller" was my personal favorite. They also have a molasses based sauce, which I was not a fan of, and hot versions of their house sauce. The worker (who I found out was the owner's grandson) gladly explained how each sauce was made which was nice.
As for the meat... The sample that was given to me included pulled pork, chopped brisket, and Italian beef. The Italian beef was quite good, and apparently it is a top seller with college students. The pork and brisket were both moist and tender, although there was not a strong smoke flavor with either. This was actually a good thing b/c I was able to really get a feel for the sauces as I sampled them.
For my meal I had smoked chicken wings (the day's special) and a half rack of spares. The same salt-based rub was used on both, and it was perfect for the chicken. The wings were a nice golden color and the smoke level was very good for poultry. Not too strong, and a little sweet. It is not easy to find good, true smoked wings, but these were right on. No frying, grilling, or whatever...just plain smoked chicken parts! The ribs were good too, however the rub didn't match as well with them as it did the chicken. The half rack was more than enough for me, as they tips were left on and there was plenty o' meat! I like my ribs with some strong bark on them, and since the rub was salt based, the bark was not significant. They were moist and tender, not over/under done. Overall good ribs, but rub just didn't match perfectly.
Had a cup of their house made coleslaw which used their SIN sauce as a base w/ mayo. Very good, high recommend!
Overall, a great true smoke stop. Everything tasted like it came from a good backyard BBQ, which is something that many restaurants miss out on.