Eating BBQ out sucks

[Greg Powers]

I told the manager of a rib joint once that his ribs weren't nearly as good as mine, he asked and I answered. Left him speechless.
On the other hand, we went to the Armadillo Palace in Houston a few years ago and it was excellent!

 

[JRPfeff]

Go to Oklahoma Joes in KC and tell me if you still feel that way. It is the best bbq I've ever had.

Chris - I don't think anyone here would criticize Oklahoma Joes or any of the top notch KC barbecue pits. On my trip to Kansas City I found all of the barbecue I tried to be outstanding.

Speaking of bad barbecue and KC ...
Last summer I went to a restaurant in Wisconsin with a guy from KC, a friend who produces commercial barbecue sauce and Brad Olson. The place was supposed to have good barbecue. The guy from KC was smart enough to order the fish fry, but the other 3 of us had the "barbecue." It was fall-off-the-bone slimy and had never been near a molecule of smoke. The sauce guy asked our waiter to find out from the chef what kind of smoke wood they used. He never came back with an answer.

 

[John Zell]

http://podnahspit.com/

Been there and it's outstanding

http://franklinbarbecue.com/

Want to go there

jz

 

[CullenJ]

We're kind of blessed here in the Memphis area. There are plenty of average joints (though I would argue that Memphis average is better than most places' best), but we have some great ones too.

I love cooking my own. I will always favor my ribs and my brisket, but sometimes it's just so much more convenient to go somewhere else.

 

[Frank H]

We're kind of blessed here in the Memphis area. There are plenty of average joints (though I would argue that Memphis average is better than most places' best), but we have some great ones too.

I love cooking my own. I will always favor my ribs and my brisket, but sometimes it's just so much more convenient to go somewhere else.

id love to get to Memphis , or KC , or Austin sometime , and I agree ....sometimes you want to be waited on. Good BBQ in New England is pretty rare. I will almost never order ribs out because I've been disappointed so many times.There are a few good spots around Boston , though.

 

[Brian_S]

Care to share where you went? I've done many of the BBQ places in JAX, I now prefer the ones with best sides or non bbq items that I like when others want to go.

 

[S.Six]

I don’t go out to eat BBQ any more ether. I much prefer to make my own. Tastes better and more bang for my buck.

 

[Dave Penn]

You have to remember, too, that making bbq ahead and holding it for an indefinite amount of time until somebody shows up to eat it is tough to do. My q wouldn't taste as good if I had to pull it off the smoker 12 hours or a day ahead of time and re-warm it if/when some company showed up. Also, from a cost standpoint, you'd go broke serving q that had as much labor in it as the stuff we make at home.

I totally agree, though. I never go out for q. In fact, I rarely order big hunks of meat of any kind when eating out - because I'm almost guaranteed to be disappointed.

 

[Andrew Binkard]

http://franklinbarbecue.com/

Want to go there

So, so, so worth the trip and wait. I really can't say enough. One of the few places that really is all it's cracked up to be. The only negative reviews come from people who don't like waiting in line and for some reason the line was a surprise for them. They have people selling drinks and renting chairs, for goodness sake. It's not that bad. That being said, the quality of the food really is unlike anything else I've ever tasted. I feel like I'm getting somewhat in the same ballpark as his ribs, but the brisket is just... something else.

 

[Frank H]

You have to remember, too, that making bbq ahead and holding it for an indefinite amount of time until somebody shows up to eat it is tough to do. My q wouldn't taste as good if I had to pull it off the smoker 12 hours or a day ahead of time and re-warm it if/when some company showed up. Also, from a cost standpoint, you'd go broke serving q that had as much labor in it as the stuff we make at home.

thats a good point. Probably why the best Q is from these small places where they cook early in the morning and just sell it til it's gone. They don't try to be open all day and night 6 days a week..

 

[T.Brown]

I will readily admit, I am a barbecue snob. If it's not low and slow cooked, you can taste the lack of smoke and break down in fat and tissue and the lack of love. For years I have been critical of commercial barbecue restaurants, probably because I notice that most don't smoke at all. Either bake or boil, then throw on the grill in front of the customers with some sauce and call it barbecue. As a matter of fact, on the occasion that I do eat out, if I pull into the parking lot and don't see or smell smoke I move on. But to be fair, I recently went to The Joint in New Orleans and have to give props to damn good barbecue. In fact, they have patio tables out back where they keep their smoker so you can see that monster in action. Restored my faith in those that pursue doing this as a business... Good barbecue requires time, and time is money, but if the product is worth it then I am willing to pay a fair price for not having to do it myself.