Who cooks better than a BBQ restaurant?


 
I'm disappointed usually if I do order barbecue from run-of-the-mill barbecue places.
If they keep food hot in steam pans, well you're going to get what you're going to get.

Brother and I ate at a chain barbecue place in Florida last year.....a Misson Barbecue.
On the way in we said "that's interesting there's no smell of smoke ......at all". We were going in about 8:00 p.m. so they probably quit cooking food hours earlier.

Well, there wasnt much taste of smoke either

Don't know how they cook their food, but it was kind of hospital cafeteria quality barbecue.

Then when my wife had some surgery her work had some barbecue from one of those places near us, same chain, sent to the house.

Let's just say that the sides were actually the best part of it.

I'm not exaggerating when I say I fed the brisket to the dogs.
Slices were about 3/4 in thick, fatty tough.

Worst barbecue I've ever had, hands down.
 
Disappointment. Cost. Effort. Safety. Well we do a lot of takeout. But we know its a third to fifth refrigerator opening. IOW our standards are lower.

My biggest gripe in the before times, was that we go out to eat to spend time with people. Well if I cook or pick up, and then we meet, there is a lot more time to talk to people. No parking issues and no....etc.
Now it is nearly impossible to enjoy any restaurant. Even our standbys and gotos have changed. Food is worse and the cost went ... through the roof. Like everything else.
 
Andy Linn said:
It's true new experiences can expand horizons. Maybe I didn't realize it was possible and want to incorporate that. Maybe it was just a change of pace.

I have gotten more creativity from this site than every barbecue joint I have stepped foot in combined - and that's been a few places.
Click to expand...

The problem with barbecue on-line ........... is I can't taste it. I see plenty of barbecue pics that makes my mouth water, but it still all about flavor.

And I will never make better barbecue until I try what other people are smoking.
 
Lynn Dollar said:
The problem with barbecue on-line ........... is I can't taste it. I see plenty of barbecue pics that makes my mouth water, but it still all about flavor.

And I will never make better barbecue until I try what other people are smoking.
Click to expand...

I agree, online reading and watching videos is not tasting. But it does have some positives. You can go back over reads and vids to extract all the information. I recently tried dry brining some top sirloin cap steaks 24 hrs. That test makes me want to do it as my standard. I wouldn't have changed my steak process if not for the video I had seen.

Even if I eat the food, I more often than not don't get the details of the process that made it. This is especially true of eating at a restaurant and even more so at a busy or famous place. But tasting great food IS the strongest inspiration. Maybe some day the internet will add tasting to its sensory experience capability.
 
Tony-Chicago said:
Disappointment. Cost. Effort. Safety. Well we do a lot of takeout. But we know its a third to fifth refrigerator opening. IOW our standards are lower.

My biggest gripe in the before times, was that we go out to eat to spend time with people. Well if I cook or pick up, and then we meet, there is a lot more time to talk to people. No parking issues and no....etc.
Now it is nearly impossible to enjoy any restaurant. Even our standbys and gotos have changed. Food is worse and the cost went ... through the roof. Like everything else.
Click to expand...
Yeah, we went to almost 100% cooking at home during 2020 after I retired in January. Mostly due to the pandemic, but also since we had more time. By the fall, we were returning to our favorite restaurant once a week, but the winter put a damper on it since it was mandatory outside only.

But after getting vaccinated in the spring this year, and the LA county laws allowing indoor dining opened up, we started eating out more. I don't think we'll ever return to the frequency of eating out we did before we both retired. We were both working jobs in engineering, which can often drain your energy mentally to the point you don't want to cook. You just need to eat. We were eating out virtually every night and spending an average of around $100/night. Now we have more energy and time to cook and frankly, I've begun to enjoy it more.

I will say, our favorite place, a little Italian cafe, has maintained the food quality and staff throughout the pandemic. While the prices have crept up, the experience is as good or better. I think they are trying harder now than ever before, since they realize it's for their survival. We tipped embarrassingly heartily during this pandemic, even on take-out from them. We had a great relationship with the wait staff and wanted them to weather the pandemic. Fortunately, other customers must have felt similarly and had the means to pitch in. We recently went to a wine pairing dinner there. We're happy it's still around.
 
Last edited:
I will try other people's small batch barbecue all day long, no question, and it's usually awesome, but that's as it pertains to other people with a BBQ passion as a hobby and not selling it commercially.

I never go out to a BBQ restaurant, ever. I get questions on Instagram from people who visit around or near my area (southwest VA, Knoxville, Chattanooga, western NC) about my recommendations for BBQ joints. I'm always confused by these questions, because they are usually from my friends who are also passionate about slinging 'Q. The only barbecue restaurant I can recommend in good faith is Ridgewood BBQ in Bluff City, TN. Even then, I haven't been there in nearly six years.

BBQ is just the last on my list of food I want to eat when I'm out and about. I'd rather go out to eat at a Vietnamese, German, Thai or pizza (there's a local spot a guy from Chicago opened, and the tavern style pizza is INSANELY good) restaurant. Food that I don't make often at home, or where it's going to be a pain in the rear to make at home. I'm always slinging 'Q, so I have no desire to eat it at a restaurant.

But if a buddy of mine is smoking some pork butts or ribs on a Sunday and says, "Hey, man! I'm throwing down some 'Q! Wanna come over, tear it up with me and watch some football?" I'm 100% down for that.
 
According to the people who count, my family, I do. I'm sure they are just being kind.
My son was in Austin for two weeks before the Pandemic started and said my brisket would rank near the top.
Again I'm sure he was just being kind because he doesn't have to pay for it at my house.
 
George P said:
According to the people who count, my family, I do. I'm sure they are just being kind.
My son was in Austin for two weeks before the Pandemic started and said my brisket would rank near the top.
Again I'm sure he was just being kind because he doesn't have to pay for it at my house.
Click to expand...
a brisket prepared by and shared with dad! that's going to score pretty highly on most anyone's card.
 
I have a general rule for dining out. Don't go to a place that can't make a dish better than I would make it unless it is a dish I do not have the resources to prepare. I haven't been to an Applebees, Famous Daves, or Chilis in at least a decade, probably longer. BBQ fits into the exception, however. The number of variables in BBQ create an impossibility in recreating restaurant food.

Example: my second favorite local BBQ place has "The Milwaukee Rib" which is butchered with the pork belly still attached. Honestly, not my absolute favorite rib preparation but definitely not something I could source on my own. I'll get these ribs a few times a year because it is such a unique cut. I like this place because they are doing non-traditional BBQ that fits into Milwaukee's awesome culinary scene.

I consider myself a damn good cook and I have some excellent equipment but I can't replicate the culinary experience of many of my favorite local restaurants; BBQ and otherwise. Pizza, like BBQ, requires some very specialized equipment. My oven will never cook pizza like a proper deck oven and my Weber and KettlePizza are a fun but not realistic version of a real wood-fired pizza oven. I create great pizzas in both my oven and on the grill but they can never be the same as a pizzeria pizza.
 
That is a tough subject.......

From my perspective, the home cooked meal, in this case BBQ gets a lot of special treatment. Constantly monitoring the cook, making small adjustments and giving it all your time usually results in a top tier cook. I would cook 1 brisket, or 1 pork shoulder, not a whole menu of items at the same time if that makes any sense which like I said results in most cases a cook better than most of the food from a bbq joint dine in or take out. We are also not in BBQ central but there are a bunch of BBQ/smokehouses around.

That being said, we did spend a fair amount of time away from restaurants, most of 2020 we didn't get much chance to get out and eat. We do have a few favorites that make traditional central Mexican food for one and another one that makes the best non chain home cooked meals we have had out of any restaurant. Both are an hour drive away which is basically as far as we will go for good food. Once we were able to get out again and get back to eating some of our favorites again, we became a bit surprised. The quality had drastically declined at most of our eating places. We would try one of our places, be disappointed but we would always give it a second try just to make sure it wasn't a fluke. Sure enough when we went to go back later on again it was the same thing.....just not very good. There are many things this could be..........I have improved my cooking techniques drastically or it could be the shortage or workers as I did notice different faces in the staff or it could be other things I don't even know.......but we do know we were disappointed in a few and probably will not return to those places.

Pricing of the food has increased considerably too, we can all see that when we are out getting our groceries or what we need for that cook ect.
Higher food costs.....for some reason higher drink costs.........equals higher bills, and higher tips........it really just costs a bunch more to go out. Simply stating I bet it is 20% more I think would be a fair guess. When it costs us over $100 to go out for a couple plates and a couple of drinks we starting choking back the amount of time we spend going out to eat. We can still get some fair priced grub for sure......such as pizza and Thai and Vietnamese food and others similar to that. A couple take out Thai dishes and a soup to split generally comes to about $25 to $28 and this is a lot of food for 2 of us. We tend to just do one of those I listed if we want to have an easier night or it has ben a long week ect.

It is too bad, I can get in the whole medical situation everyone has been in since about January 2020 but that is worse than talking politics but it really has put a strain on the industry for sure.......and I don't think that it something that is a big concern to some. I have family over for food and just this past weekend we had friends happily come over and the husband comes right up to me and says I have never had a bad meal here.....
It is a great compliment. To go along with cooking at home almost all the time is it is actually great, I get better with my dishes and it keeps me busy and we have a great time doing prep work and cleaning together........
 
our local places produce what I call generic bbq, its ok but with barely any smoke flavor....definitely no wow factor, bbq off the wsm blows it away frankly
 
Here in Sonoma county, there are a handful of BBQ restaurants that produce ok barbecue. I have never had barbecue in California that comes close to what I’ve had in Texas and in the Carolinas. I scratch my head cause as soon as one opens, it quickly closes. For me, Busters Southern Barbecue in Calistoga (opened in 1965) is the exception (very good BBQ). Food is cooked outside in the open air. When it’s gone, sorry.
Not sure that Sonoma is as BBQ devoted as other parts of the country and places around here charge a lot for BBQ.
But to the point of the thread, BBQ restaurants are, well, restaurants… portion control, fixed menu, cost margins, local regulation for smokers, etc.
We as home Qers, have few restrictions. I can use any rub, sauce, mop, heat, and or wood that I want, any time I want.
Long story short, as has be so well pointed out on this thread, we are passionate about our BBQ and we are dinner, not batch restricted. There lies the difference……
 
Darryl - swazies said:
That is a tough subject.......

From my perspective, the home cooked meal, in this case BBQ gets a lot of special treatment. Constantly monitoring the cook, making small adjustments and giving it all your time usually results in a top tier cook. I would cook 1 brisket, or 1 pork shoulder, not a whole menu of items at the same time if that makes any sense which like I said results in most cases a cook better than most of the food from a bbq joint dine in or take out. We are also not in BBQ central but there are a bunch of BBQ/smokehouses around.

That being said, we did spend a fair amount of time away from restaurants, most of 2020 we didn't get much chance to get out and eat. We do have a few favorites that make traditional central Mexican food for one and another one that makes the best non chain home cooked meals we have had out of any restaurant. Both are an hour drive away which is basically as far as we will go for good food. Once we were able to get out again and get back to eating some of our favorites again, we became a bit surprised. The quality had drastically declined at most of our eating places. We would try one of our places, be disappointed but we would always give it a second try just to make sure it wasn't a fluke. Sure enough when we went to go back later on again it was the same thing.....just not very good. There are many things this could be..........I have improved my cooking techniques drastically or it could be the shortage or workers as I did notice different faces in the staff or it could be other things I don't even know.......but we do know we were disappointed in a few and probably will not return to those places.

Pricing of the food has increased considerably too, we can all see that when we are out getting our groceries or what we need for that cook ect.
Higher food costs.....for some reason higher drink costs.........equals higher bills, and higher tips........it really just costs a bunch more to go out. Simply stating I bet it is 20% more I think would be a fair guess. When it costs us over $100 to go out for a couple plates and a couple of drinks we starting choking back the amount of time we spend going out to eat. We can still get some fair priced grub for sure......such as pizza and Thai and Vietnamese food and others similar to that. A couple take out Thai dishes and a soup to split generally comes to about $25 to $28 and this is a lot of food for 2 of us. We tend to just do one of those I listed if we want to have an easier night or it has ben a long week ect.

It is too bad, I can get in the whole medical situation everyone has been in since about January 2020 but that is worse than talking politics but it really has put a strain on the industry for sure.......and I don't think that it something that is a big concern to some. I have family over for food and just this past weekend we had friends happily come over and the husband comes right up to me and says I have never had a bad meal here.....
It is a great compliment. To go along with cooking at home almost all the time is it is actually great, I get better with my dishes and it keeps me busy and we have a great time doing prep work and cleaning together........
Click to expand...
Agreed, liked, spot-on.
 
There is a very popular BBQ joint here in town, and I have been told, by several people, that my Q is as good or better than joint I just mentioned. With that said, I have not ate any restaurant Q in a good while.

My Q also got rave reviews at two church gatherings of late. :)
 
I normally stay away from eating out. I'm biased, but most places can't compare to what I cook (Brisket,ribs,steaks) Usually when I do go out with the Wife I'm more turned off by the service than the food.
 
Food service ambiance timing waste expense, safety. Parking. Pita.
But still if safe, there a re a few i may go to.
Of note, smoque has had a strict policy in the past on pickups. I think that may be gone now.
 
Depends on the meat. I'll put my pork butt up against anything anywhere. Have not tasted better pork in years, including while judging KCBS competitions.

My brisket is better than most local joints here in VA, but there are some that I admit are better than mine -- ZZQ comes to mind. I'd like to cook along side someone who really does brisket well and learn. Competition brisket tends to be pot roast most of the time, and that is not what I am going for.

My pork ribs are good but I will gladly eat most ribs in BBQ joints. I don't cook beef ribs.

And my chicken is a different flavor profile / style of cooking than competition meat. I like mine for what it is, but competition chicken can be really really good. Restaurant smoked chicken, not so much.

I do about the best smoked lamb you can imagine, but no restaurant in this area is doing that. My smoked turkey breasts are good.

My smoked sausage sucks. Still working on that one.

And smoked fish is "the great white whale" for me -- I wanna, but I am intimidated TBH.
 
I like to try BBQ joints, especially when traveling the country. I've had some good, bad and ugly. In general, I think everyone on these BBQ forums is striving to make better BBQ than what they can buy. I think it's what makes BBQing your own fascinating.

As for eating restaurants that don't fix food as good as we can, I'll just say that sometimes it's the only place to eat when traveling and sometimes I don't want to cook when at home.

My wife just spent 2 days cooking down some turkey parts just to make a turkey stock for the gravy this Thanksgiving. You could dip a flipflop in that stuff and it'd be better than the best open faced turkey sandwich in any restaurant. But that won't stop me from ever going to a restaurant and ordering an open face turkey sandwich. I try to just be practical about restaurants. Sometimes a restaurant is more about just getting a meal or meeting with a friend than some mind blowing sensory experience.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top