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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.