The best BBQ Ribs in Chicago?

[Omniscient]

The title pretty well sums it up. What's the consensus on where a guy can get the best ribs in the city? I've had Carson's, Robinson's, the artist formerly known as Hecky's and a few others but none stand out.

I come to you. Who's ribs are must have? Where should I go when that need strikes.

[Sudo Intellectual]

I like the ribs at the Fireside Grill and Twin Anchors. I used to like Smokin' Woody's but they've had so many management changes in the last few years it's become very inconsistent. But Ribfest is this weekend in Northcenter / Lincoln Square. It's a great opportunity to try a LOT of different places.

[Omniscient]

Originally Posted by Sudo Intellectual

I like the ribs at the Fireside Grill and Twin Anchors. I used to like Smokin' Woody's but they've had so many management changes in the last few years it's become very inconsistent. But Ribfest is this weekend in Northcenter / Lincoln Square. It's a great opportunity to try a LOT of different places.

Ribfest might have had a little to do with my starting the thread to be honest. I've had Twin Anchors and they were good but not the slow-cooked, fall off the bone tender that I prefer in my ribs. I've had Fireside as well in the past and they were decent but not exceptional.

I tend to prefer the Kansas City and Memphis styles of ribs.

So far I think Carson's are the best I've had in the city, but I feel like there has to be a less publicized place out there that beats them.

[jnglmassiv]

Do you prefer a smoked Hecky's type or the Carson type?

For Carson's style, many people like Gale Street Inn, very close to my home. I like the tomatillo soup there, too.
For smoked, try Smoque.

[Omniscient]

Ah yes. Gale Street Inn. Another classic. I've dined in over there and enjoyed it but again it wasn't truly memorable. So many of these city ribs seem like they are boiled baked or braised. They are tender and moist but tend to be a little fatty and cling to the bone more than I prefer. I think I lean towards the smokier, slow outdoor cooked version where the fat and connective tissue renders away almost completely.

I definitely prefer Carson's to Hecky's (though I've only had the ill-fated Chicago franchise version of Hecky's and not the original Evanston store's) and find Robinsons to be a little too cloyingly sweet.

I'm going to head to Ribfest tomorrow. I will have to return with a complete review and ranking.

[Omniscient]

I ended up stopping by Ribfest tonight and got a start on my sampling.

First was Fireplace Inn, not to be confused with Fireside Restaurant. I tried a 3-bone sampler of their BBQ Baby Back Ribs. Very good ribs, meaty and reasonably lean with very little smoke flavor. The ribs weren't seasoned too heavily and they came away from the bone easily, but did not fall off the bone. The sauce was very nice, tangy and slightly sweet without being cloying. This a fairly thin brightly colored sauce, not too heavy on the molasses. All in all, a wonderfully balanced rib.

Next I had Chicago Joe's. Again I had the 3-bone Baby Back sampler. These ribs were strikingly similar to the Fireplace Inn ribs. The meat was cooked and seasoned almost identically and the sauce had the same basic character. A bright, tart orange sauce applied modestly. Again the smoke flavor was almost nonexistent. I think both of these two ribs were baked and braised before hitting the grill as opposed to wood smoked. The sauce had a unique flavor, something sharply sour, that I couldn't place which set it apart from the Fireplace Inn version.

I followed those up with a dramatically different style in The Smoke Daddy. These ribs lived up to their name. Intensely smokey and dry. You could tell these ribs had spent a long time in the smoker, the pink smoke ring penetrated nearly all the way to the bone and almost all the fat and collagen was rendered out leaving the meat vaguely jerky-like. Nonetheless they were tender and fell away from the bone easily. The ribs also had a very heavy bark from the dry rub that tasted strongly of cumin and black pepper. I had these barely sauced as intended and let the smoke and rub carry the flavor. In the end I found the smoke and heavy rub to be too overpowering. The flavor of the meat was very difficult to discern.

Lastly and most remarkably were the ribs from the Chicago BBQ Company. They aren't a restaurant and appear to essentially be a competition cooking team that tours the summer festivals around the Midwest. I upgraded to the Half-Slab of the Baby Backs and was thoroughly impressed. The ribs were very meaty and robust. These ribs were easily the juiciest and fattiest of the ones I sampled and also the heartiest. The meat was probably only briefly smoked and the quality of the meat was exceptional. They tasted like perfectly cooked pork chops, which is uncommon for most ribs which are generally transformed into something far smokier and less delicate. They were perfectly seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic and the rub was subtle and not overpowering. They were lightly sauced with a bold red molasses based sauce that married wonderfully with the seasoned meat. I augmented this with the two sauces they offered, a Sweet and Sour BBQ and a Smokey Chipotle. Both were wonderful, the Chipotle was fairly vinegary and had a very subtle and nice heat. I loved this sauce and would like to have it on a variety of grilled foods. The Sweet and Sour BBQ was your traditional midwestern BBQ sauce with a balance of sour, sweet and tart without being overly sugarly like some Kansas City styles can be.

In the end it was no contest.

Rankings
1st - Chicago BBQ Company
2nd - Fireplace Inn
3rd - Chicago Joe's
4th - The Smoke Daddy

I'll probably be back tomorrow to try the ones I missed.

[WhyNot]

Ribfest? Ribfest?! And me with no car, no money, and no babysitter. Cruelty, that's what that is. Seer wanton cruelty...Ignorance is bliss.

[Omniscient]

I wanted to give a special mention to a non-Rib entry at Ribfest on Sunday. Celtic Crown (what's up with the awful website and weird url?) featured two of the most decadent and delicious things I have tasted in quite some time.

First was the Banana's Foster Cheese Cake Bites. They are little nuggets of cheesecake crusted with a brown sugar and banana and lightly fried until crisp. Then they are dressed with a little strawberry coulis that cuts the richness of the cheese. I mean wow, these things were delicious, combining 2 of my all time favorite desserts.

Last but not least was the deep fried Twinkie. I'd heard of these and seen places making them on Food Network on occasion but I'd never had the pleasure of tasting one. Let me tell you, it is everything you think it is. The fried breading is firm and helps the Twinkie hold it's shape and is dusted generously with powdered sugar. The creamy filling in the cake essentially disappears and infuses it's way throughout the cake, essentially changing the Twinkie into a nice sweet banana accented bread pudding. Quite wonderful.

[pulykamell]

If you're looking for real barbecue ribs (this means not braised or boiled, but cooked over wood and/or charcoal slowly, you know, the way God intended for ribs to be made), among barbecue afficiandos, there is pretty much a consensus that the best examples are Uncle John's, Honey 1, Barbara Ann's, and Lem's. For ribs, my favorites are either Lem's or Honey 1. For rib tips and links (what I normally get at a Chicago barbecue joint), my favorite is Uncle John's. Except for Honey 1, none of these have dine-in options and they are located deep in the South Side. Honey 1 is a West Side barbecue joint that relocated to Wicker Park. The owner, Robert Adams, is from Arkansas and knows his way around an aquarium smoker (the predominant type of smoker used in old school Chicago barbecue in the African-American/Southern tradition, and also the type of smoker you'll find at Cozy Corner in Memphis.)

My recommendation is always to ask for sauce on the side, so you could taste the meat itself, and then sauce to taste. The Chicago tradition is, generally, more sauce-heavy, though.

In my opinion, Carson's and Robinson's are not very good (or, I should say, not to my tastes.) And if you're talking about Hecky's that became Hickory's (on Halsted), that place is utter crap. Hecky's in Evanston is better, but still second- or third- tier for Chicago barbecue.

If you want a more sit-down, family friendly dining experience, there've been a couple new joints that opened up in the last few years. The best among them are Smoque and Honky Tonk barbecue.

Given the nature of barbecue and your timing, your experience can be hit-or-miss. I've had best luck hitting these places during lunch time or early evening (6 p.m.-ish), although Lem's will quite often have ribs just coming off the smoker fairly late into the night.

[MikeG]

Once again, Pulykamell said everything I would have said. Honey1 is my favorite.

[Omniscient]

Originally Posted by pulykamell

If you're looking for real barbecue ribs (this means not braised or boiled, but cooked over wood and/or charcoal slowly, you know, the way God intended for ribs to be made), among barbecue afficiandos, there is pretty much a consensus that the best examples are Uncle John's, Honey 1, Barbara Ann's, and Lem's. For ribs, my favorites are either Lem's or Honey 1. For rib tips and links (what I normally get at a Chicago barbecue joint), my favorite is Uncle John's. Except for Honey 1, none of these have dine-in options and they are located deep in the South Side. Honey 1 is a West Side barbecue joint that relocated to Wicker Park. The owner, Robert Adams, is from Arkansas and knows his way around an aquarium smoker (the predominant type of smoker used in old school Chicago barbecue in the African-American/Southern tradition, and also the type of smoker you'll find at Cozy Corner in Memphis.)

My recommendation is always to ask for sauce on the side, so you could taste the meat itself, and then sauce to taste. The Chicago tradition is, generally, more sauce-heavy, though.

In my opinion, Carson's and Robinson's are not very good (or, I should say, not to my tastes.) And if you're talking about Hecky's that became Hickory's (on Halsted), that place is utter crap. Hecky's in Evanston is better, but still second- or third- tier for Chicago barbecue.

If you want a more sit-down, family friendly dining experience, there've been a couple new joints that opened up in the last few years. The best among them are Smoque and Honky Tonk barbecue.

Given the nature of barbecue and your timing, your experience can be hit-or-miss. I've had best luck hitting these places during lunch time or early evening (6 p.m.-ish), although Lem's will quite often have ribs just coming off the smoker fairly late into the night.

I'd be curious how you'd rate the ribs from Chicago BBQ Company. Not sure if you've tried them or if you frequent the street festivals but I was pretty pleased with them.

I'm adding Honey 1 to my queue for the next tasting, they are located fairly close and I've seen them featured on Food Network and Check Please. One day this week there will be a meaty adventure.

[WhyNot]

Originally Posted by pulykamell

The best among them are Smoque and Honky Tonk barbecue.

Man, I must have hit Honky Tonk on a bad night. I keep hearing wonderful stuff about them, but their pulled pork was so dry it flaked and their ribs were downright tough. Even my 16 year old boy didn't bother finishing his ribs. Incredibly disappointing.

[pulykamell]

Originally Posted by WhyNot

Man, I must have hit Honky Tonk on a bad night. I keep hearing wonderful stuff about them, but their pulled pork was so dry it flaked and their ribs were downright tough. Even my 16 year old boy didn't bother finishing his ribs. Incredibly disappointing.

Yep. That's the nature of barbecue, very hit or miss depending on your timing. I'm not a huge fan of Honky Tonk's ribs, but their pulled pork is quite nice. If it was dry and flaky, you definitely hit them on an off-night. My main complaint with Honky Tonk is the bread they serve with the barbecue. Barbecue is the one place where squishy American-style white bread really is what's needed. Their meats are usually very good, but I'm a rib tips and hot links guy, so I find myself most often at Uncle John's.

Also, if anyone likes fall-off-the-bone type ribs (Twin Anchor, Gale Street Inn), my suggestions are NOT that style.

[pulykamell]

Originally Posted by Omniscient

I've had Twin Anchors and they were good but not the slow-cooked, fall off the bone tender that I prefer in my ribs.

I missed this the first time around. Twin Anchors is kind of the epitome of fall-off-the-bone ribs that barbecue purists deride as "meat jello". They are baked, slathered with barbecue sauce, then finished on a gas grill. Other than the sauce, they have nothing to do with barbecue. Memphis and KC ribs, which you say you like, are toothsome and not soft, fall-off-the-bone styles. They should be somewhat tender and pull away from the bone, but they don't just fall off.

[MikeG]

Originally Posted by Omniscient

I'd be curious how you'd rate the ribs from Chicago BBQ Company. Not sure if you've tried them or if you frequent the street festivals but I was pretty pleased with them.

I'm adding Honey 1 to my queue for the next tasting, they are located fairly close and I've seen them featured on Food Network and Check Please. One day this week there will be a meaty adventure.

My kids and I are in that Check Please episode. I'd kill for a slab right now.

[Omniscient]

Originally Posted by pulykamell

I missed this the first time around. Twin Anchors is kind of the epitome of fall-off-the-bone ribs that barbecue purists deride as "meat jello". They are baked, slathered with barbecue sauce, then finished on a gas grill. Other than the sauce, they have nothing to do with barbecue. Memphis and KC ribs, which you say you like, are toothsome and not soft, fall-off-the-bone styles. They should be somewhat tender and pull away from the bone, but they don't just fall off.

I would be willing to make another trip to Twin Anchors (it's been a couple years since I last went) but I distinctly remembering thinking the meat was still fairly well attached to the bone and took a bit of chewing. I went in with the expectation of slow-cooked, buttery soft ribs and was disappointed. I wonder if I dined on a bad night. The flavor of the meat was good, porky and peppery, and I think they were served naked or very lightly sauced. Good but not worth the hype.

Maybe I'll walk over for another trial after Honey 1 gets it's sampling.

Hmm, I feel like maybe there's a blog to be written in this rib adventure.

[pulykamell]

Originally Posted by Omniscient

I would be willing to make another trip to Twin Anchors (it's been a couple years since I last went) but I distinctly remembering thinking the meat was still fairly well attached to the bone and took a bit of chewing. I went in with the expectation of slow-cooked, buttery soft ribs and was disappointed. I wonder if I dined on a bad night. The flavor of the meat was good, porky and peppery, and I think they were served naked or very lightly sauced. Good but not worth the hype.

I personally am not a fan of Twin Anchor. If you are a fan of this style of ribs (baked/boiled/braised, fall-off-the-bone) then I'd say Gale Street Inn is the best example of this style. Just don't call it barbecue.

Maybe I'll walk over for another trial after Honey 1 gets it's sampling.

I'll be curious to hear what you think of Honey 1. I have a feeling you might be disappointed given what I'm making out your preferences to be. At any rate here is a local message board's thread on Honey 1 (with pictures and links to another massive thread on the joint.)

Here's a thread on Uncle John's (my personal favorite.) And here's Lem's (another favorite.)

[pulykamell]

I should also note that spare ribs are the name of the game at all the places listed in the above post. No baby backs. I'd suggest getting sauce on the side, to give the meat a chance to shine through.

I'll be curious to hear what you think of Honey 1. I have a feeling you might be disappointed given what I'm making out your preferences to be.

Actually, I'm not quite so sure about my statement, now re-reading. But if Honey 1 doesn't fit the bill for you, I think Smoque might be up your alley (it's real barbecue, too, but I think it might be more to your style, given the reviews of Ribfest.) Another one worth a shot is Fat Willy's. Fat Willy's has a mixed reputation -- the barbecue snobs tend to look down their noses at it -- but I've always had good experience there.

[Omniscient]

I think I need to start making a clearer distinction between baby backs and spare ribs. Perhaps my preferences are influenced by that more than by cooking style or time. Hmm.

The photos of Honey 1's ribs look like they will be texturally right up my alley. I think I tend towards a slightly softer texture but these obviously show the time and process taken. Looking forward to it. I'm not a huge fan of a really heavy smoke character and I like them wet, but not too wet, so it will be a fun experiment.

I've had Fat Willy's and was really disappointed with them. I don't recall precisely what bumped me about them, but I didn't particularly like anything about them including the service. The movie I saw afterwords was more remarkable and I'm pretty sure it had Nick Cage in it.

I'm starting to think I need to take a very systematic approach to this like oenophiles and beer snobs do.

[maddin]

Do you ever have BBQ at Carson's eaten, it is really good?

[Shepy]

There is no doubt in my mind. Carson's is good, but the unquestionably best ribs in Chicago can be found at Honey 1. Don't veer from the ribs - the rest of the menu is mediocre at best.

Smoque serves, overall, the best BBQ in the City, but Honey 1 has better ribs.

Smoke Daddy was once decent but has gone downhill and is now far overshadowed by other 'que spots. Fat Willy's is far superior to Smoke Daddy, and has the best mac & cheese I've had as well as a pretty tasty brisket. I don't even bother with Smoke Daddy anymore, even though I live 4 blocks away.

But for ribs - Honey 1, no question.

Take this entire post with a large grain of salt, as my experience with South Side barbecue is extremely limited and Lem's and others have outstanding reputations that I've yet to test.

[pulykamell]

Originally Posted by Shepy

Don't veer from the ribs - the rest of the menu is mediocre at best.

Actually, Honey 1 is probably better regarded for their tips & links than their ribs, although it's close. All three are excellent.

[Omniscient]

Made the excursion to Honey 1 tonight at about 8PM. I was greeted with disappointment when I was informed they were out of slabs of ribs for the evening. I ended up getting a large order of tips and hot links instead. It wasn't a complete disaster since pulykamell's witnessing had convinced me to get a half-slab and a small order of tips and links. I settled for the tips and links and I resigned myself to being burdened with making another venture over there sometime soon. Tragic, I know.

Anyways, here are my impressions. First, the portion size was a little bit of a disappointment. I had planned on getting a Small Tips and Links Combo which according to the menu serves "a hungry 1" (the Mini order serves 1) and pairing it with a half-slab. This seemed like too much food, but I'm a big eater and I was making an event of this. When the ribs were unavailable I upgraded to the Large order which "serves 2 to 3 people". Mr Adams (it was Junior who served me), with respect, bullshit! I ate the order myself and felt content, but not full. For $14 it was a okay value (though tips most places are dirt cheap) but there's no way in hell 2 people could share that, let alone 3.

It was served all in one heaping paper basket. Small serving of inoffensive french fries at the bottom. Topped with about 6 tips and 6 hunks of hot links which were tossed together in their delicious sauce. Above that rested 2 slices of Wonder bread. All of it was very nice, the sauce was applied conservatively and the fries at the bottom soaked up the drippings. The Wonder bread is just right with BBQ.

The Rib Tips tasted outstanding. I really think these ribs are going to be precisely to my liking. The were not terribly fatty or grisly, for rib tips anyways. The smoke flavor was apparent but not dominant and the meat came away from the bone very easily. They had a very tasty bark which married with the tangy, not too sweet sauce perfectly.

The Hot Links were also very, very good. Not especially spicy, which was a little disappointing. I love spicy foods and a extra spicy hot link is a real treat, but these were a couple steps back from what I would call a "hot" link. Nevertheless, the flavor was spot on. It's a interesting cross between a chorizo and a polish sausage. Fairly lean and chopped into several 1" x 1" discs. The sauce and the links came together in a surprisingly nice way, initially I had reservations about a spicy sausage in BBQ sauce but the marriage worked wonderfully.

The fries were nothing special, and the portion-price was a little troubling but all in all an excellent adventure. I will be thrilled to go back regularly.

[pulykamell]

Glad you enjoyed it. I'm always a bit nervous trying to figure out what somebody's barbecue tastes are, since they can be so variable. I am surprised you thought the portions small, though. The large tip-link combo is what I normally split with one other person. And that leaves both of us full.

There's two main styles of hot links in Chicago, one the finer ground style you find at Honey 1 and Moo & Oink supermarkets, and then there's a coarser grind of hot link you find at Barbara Ann's and Uncle John's. (Plus Smoque has Texas-style hot links, but they're not an indigenous style.) My preference is towards the coarse-ground styles. I've never found a hot link I would call especially spicy. If you find one somewhere, let me know. They all have the heat level of a hot Jimmy Dean's breakfast sausage.

And, yeah, the fries suck. The fries suck at all the old school barbecue places. However, with the meat drippings and sauce, they can be tasty.

Did you have the hot sauce or the mild? You can ask for it mixed, which I think is the best of both worlds. Honey 1 does have a lovely sauce. It's my favorite, along with Lem's (who have a very assertive clove-tinged sauce. You either love Lem's sauce or hate it.)

[Omniscient]

I haven't eaten a lot of hot links at restaurants and BBQ joints. Most of the time it's just something I pick up at the supermarket and keep on hand at home. I suppose my expectations of "hot links" from a Texas BBQ joint tended towards the spicy based on the southwestern reputation.

At home I'm a fan of Scott Petersen's Hot Beef Polish. They occasionally have them at Jewel and Dominick's, and when they do I stock up. I suppose as a polish they might not be "hot links" in the strictest sense but I'm not sure what the difference might be besides name. Nice and spicy. I think I prefer the fine grind style, the texture and quality of Honey 1's were perfect.

I didn't realize they had a regular and a hot sauce. I got the food to go, and when asked if I wanted it sauced I just said "yes". He didn't mention that I had a choice, as such I'm pretty sure I got the regular. Next time I get the Tips and Links I'll try the hot sauce.

Not sure what was going on with the portion size. No way anyone could have split that and both people been full. I'm almost wondering if they made a mistake and they prepared me a small and charged me for the large by mistake. Next trip over there I'll have to compare. Who knows, it was later in the evening and maybe they were running low on tips and decided to skimp a little to stretch the food through the night.

[Omniscient]

Made another trip to Honey 1 and got a large order of Rib Tips. No Links this time as they had run out. Again the portion size sucked! $13 for about 10 tips, 2 slices of Wonder Bread and about 20 french fries. That's a crappy value and considering those tips are about 50% bone and gristle you aren't getting much food. With a Tips and Links combo at least the links are 100% edible, going tips only makes the portion even more untenable. They are tasty, but it's patently absurd that their menu claims this order serves 2-3 people.

I like the food quite a bit and I know BBQ tends to be pricey (though usually not tips), but it's getting pretty frustrating to get home and finish off those tips and still be hungry. Both trips I've made were within a half an hour of closing and they were out of various items, so perhaps they are skimping due to the late hour and limited remaining quantities but it seems more likely that it's just the way they are.

I'll make another trip and get the Ribs themselves before I make a final judgment but for now I can only give the place a lukewarm recommendation.

[pulykamell]

Originally Posted by Omniscient

Made another trip to Honey 1 and got a large order of Rib Tips. No Links this time as they had run out. Again the portion size sucked! $13 for about 10 tips, 2 slices of Wonder Bread and about 20 french fries. That's a crappy value and considering those tips are about 50% bone and gristle you aren't getting much food. With a Tips and Links combo at least the links are 100% edible, going tips only makes the portion even more untenable. They are tasty, but it's patently absurd that their menu claims this order serves 2-3 people.

Either you're getting a smaller portion than I do, or we just have different appetites. I can't finish a large tip-link combo by myself--like I said, I normally split it with one other person and feel full (I'm 5'11", 165 lbs). I don't think the 2-3 people claim is absurd, if we're talking normal portion sizes (and I think most restaurant portions are at least two servings, not one.)

If you get a chance, do make your way to Lem's, Uncle John's, or Barbara Ann's on the South Side. It's by far better value in terms of price and portion vs the north side joints and, in my opinion, it's better quality, too. (Tips&link combo is around $9 at Uncle John's for example, if I remember right. A full slab of ribs is around $15.) If you have to pick one, pick UJ's for tips and Lem's for ribs.