# Why is it that I can get a rack of ribs everywhere EXCEPT a BBQ joint? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 27, 2013, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-that-i-can-get-a-rack-of-ribs-everywhere-except-a-bbq-joint/669821 "2013-09-27T17:59:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![oft\_wears\_hats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7993a0/32.png) [@oft\_wears\_hats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oft_wears_hats)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-that-i-can-get-a-rack-of-ribs-everywhere-except-a-bbq-joint/669821/21 "2013-09-28T14:15:30Z")
I think you have to kill them and eat their heart. That’s how I got my last two jobs. ---
**Author:** ![Wash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9dc877/32.png) [@Wash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wash)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-that-i-can-get-a-rack-of-ribs-everywhere-except-a-bbq-joint/669821/22 "2013-09-28T14:39:21Z")
You live in Dallas, you want ribs, and you haven’t been to Bone Daddy’s yet? ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-that-i-can-get-a-rack-of-ribs-everywhere-except-a-bbq-joint/669821/23 "2013-09-28T14:43:19Z")
I’ve been to the Bone Daddy’s in NE Tarrant county. Absolutely fantastic service. The food was mediocre, at best. I’ve eaten better food out of cans. IMO, Bone Daddy’s offers atmosphere, scenery, and service. It’s sort of a BBQ Hooters. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-that-i-can-get-a-rack-of-ribs-everywhere-except-a-bbq-joint/669821/24 "2013-09-28T14:49:41Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I’ve been to the Bone Daddy’s in NE Tarrant county. Absolutely fantastic service. The food was mediocre, at best. I’ve eaten better food out of cans. IMO, Bone Daddy’s offers atmosphere, scenery, and service. It’s sort of a BBQ Hooters. Agree. Bone Daddy’s also has a weird obsession with putting onions in _everything_. I about lost my lunch one time when I took a big bite of their coleslaw only to find it had onions in it. Seriously, who puts raw onions in a traditional coleslaw? Bleh! I HATE raw onions! ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-that-i-can-get-a-rack-of-ribs-everywhere-except-a-bbq-joint/669821/25 "2013-09-28T16:35:44Z")
It might be that many restaurants that serve ribs do so as a prepared service item, which is easy and profitable to add to an existing non-BBQ menu,\* so we are used to seeing ribs on quite a few menus. As to why a BBQ place wouldn’t serve them… han’t a clue. Maybe they are too expensive for the clientele, or too low-profit for the kitchen? They do take a hell of a lot of prep and cook time. - And often on a par with a McD’s McRib… I hate getting food-service meat of any kind. ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-that-i-can-get-a-rack-of-ribs-everywhere-except-a-bbq-joint/669821/26 "2013-09-28T17:36:47Z")
> [@F.Pu-du-he-pa-as](#): > > Yeah, how do _I_ get your job? I pretty much created my job. I also do a live music column and one of the few times I actually met my editor face to face (I’m a freelance writer/photographer so I do everything from home) we started talking about BBQ. I’m a bit of a BBQ geek and had done a single BBQ review for another paper so he agreed to let me try it. Been doing for almost 3 years now. ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-that-i-can-get-a-rack-of-ribs-everywhere-except-a-bbq-joint/669821/27 "2013-09-28T17:53:46Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > It might be that many restaurants that serve ribs do so as a prepared service item, which is easy and profitable to add to an existing non-BBQ menu,\* so we are used to seeing ribs on quite a few menus. As to why a BBQ place wouldn’t serve them… han’t a clue. Maybe they are too expensive for the clientele, or too low-profit for the kitchen? They do take a hell of a lot of prep and cook time. > > - And often on a par with a McD’s McRib… I hate getting food-service meat of any kind. it is very easy to make ribs tender, and coat them with a sweet sauce and people will spend money for it. to make ribs properly takes 5-6 hours in a smoker. Baby backs are easier still, but they don’t have as much meat or flavor. So a non-bbq joint can just get some baby backs, boil them, then bake some overly sweet sauce on them to hide the fact they don’t have any flavor of their own left and serve them all day. If you get ribs that the meat just falls off the bone, they have probably been boiled. Unlike brisket, ribs don’t re-heat so well. Most BBQ joints will reheat a brisket if it all doesn’t sell the day before, but you have to guess how many ribs you are going to sell because you can’t cook them to order. it can get expensive in hurry if you don’t guess right, which is why a lot of places will run out of ribs later in the day. ---
**Author:** ![Wash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9dc877/32.png) [@Wash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wash)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-that-i-can-get-a-rack-of-ribs-everywhere-except-a-bbq-joint/669821/28 "2013-09-28T18:00:23Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Agree. Bone Daddy’s also has a weird obsession with putting onions in _everything_. > > I about lost my lunch one time when I took a big bite of their coleslaw only to find it had onions in it. Seriously, who puts raw onions in a traditional coleslaw? > Bleh! I HATE raw onions! You asked for a place that did full racks, you didn’t say anything about quality. The ribs are decent enough. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-that-i-can-get-a-rack-of-ribs-everywhere-except-a-bbq-joint/669821/29 "2013-09-28T18:03:26Z")
> [@bdgr](#): > > Unlike brisket, ribs don’t re-heat so well. Most BBQ joints will reheat a brisket if it all doesn’t sell the day before, but you have to guess how many ribs you are going to sell because you can’t cook them to order. it can get expensive in hurry if you don’t guess right, which is why a lot of places will run out of ribs later in the day. I’d wager that most non-BBQ restaurants that serve ribs are selling pre-cooked, portioned entrees that need only heating and finishing. You’d be surprised how many entrees, even in slightly better restaurants, come packaged from Sysco et al. A few years back, I tried a new competitor to Outback/Black Angus on the urging of the acquaintance who opened the franchise, and in two tries got two entrees (sliced tri-tip and a shredded steak sandwich) that had that slightly sweet, gamy taste of twice-cooked, once-chilled/frozen meat. I finally got him to admit that the chain cooked only their slab meat from fresh, and all else was prepared commercially and portioned. No, I never went back. I also won’t order prepared-meat entrees like this unless the server can assure me it’s prepared from fresh meat within the service day. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-that-i-can-get-a-rack-of-ribs-everywhere-except-a-bbq-joint/669821/30 "2013-09-28T19:55:33Z")
When I’m in Texas I always get a side of ribs to go with my steak. 4-5 is about right. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-that-i-can-get-a-rack-of-ribs-everywhere-except-a-bbq-joint/669821/31 "2013-09-28T20:18:23Z")
> [@Wash](#): > > You asked for a place that did full racks, you didn’t say anything about quality. The ribs are decent enough. The racks at Bone Daddy’s are fucking great. Too bad they’re not on the menu. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-that-i-can-get-a-rack-of-ribs-everywhere-except-a-bbq-joint/669821/32 "2013-09-28T20:21:51Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Agree. Bone Daddy’s also has a weird obsession with putting onions in _everything_. > > Seriously, who puts raw onions in a traditional coleslaw? I do. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-that-i-can-get-a-rack-of-ribs-everywhere-except-a-bbq-joint/669821/33 "2013-09-28T21:49:22Z")
> [@Wash](#): > > You asked for a place that did full racks, you didn’t say anything about quality. The ribs are decent enough. > [@Shakes](#): > > The racks at Bone Daddy’s are fucking great. Too bad they’re not on the menu. And the ladies that the racks are attached to are really great, too. If I were to open a restaurant, I’d try to recruit some servers from Bone Daddy’s. I don’t agree that Bone Daddy’s ribs are decent enough. I admit that I’ve only had one sample, but honestly, I’d rather eat a McRib than a Bone Daddy’s rib. The brisket wasn’t anything to write home about, either. My husband and I ordered completely different plates, and we gave each other samples of each item. I know we ordered ribs, brisket, potato salad, cole slaw, and beans. I’m pretty sure that we ordered another side. The food was edible, but no better than that. We would have had a tastier meal if we’d gone to Taco Bell. Bone Daddy’s is basically a hangout with barbecue. The main attraction is “Daddy’s Girls”, that is, the waitresses in the skimpy costumes…just like Hooter’s isn’t selling food, it’s selling the friendliness of the Hooters Girls. You’re paying for the friendliness, and for the loud music. If that’s what you want, then you get a good deal. My husband and I wanted good BBQ, and one of the guys at work loves Bone Daddy’s, so we tried it. ---
**Author:** ![Carl\_Corey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Carl\_Corey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carl_Corey)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-that-i-can-get-a-rack-of-ribs-everywhere-except-a-bbq-joint/669821/34 "2013-09-28T22:30:51Z")
Now I want ribs. Damn you all. Yes, I am shaking my metaphorical fist at you. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-that-i-can-get-a-rack-of-ribs-everywhere-except-a-bbq-joint/669821/35 "2013-09-28T23:08:57Z")
You can’t have ribs unless you get cole slaw, too, you know. It’s a toss up between potato salad and beans, after that. May I suggest [Poor Daddy’s?](http://poordaddys-smokehouse.com/index.htm) I’ve had better potato salad, but the ribs and the brisket are very good indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-that-i-can-get-a-rack-of-ribs-everywhere-except-a-bbq-joint/669821/36 "2013-09-28T23:34:26Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > You can’t have ribs unless you get cole slaw, too, you know. It’s a toss up between potato salad and beans, after that. What have you got against Brunswick Stew? ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-that-i-can-get-a-rack-of-ribs-everywhere-except-a-bbq-joint/669821/37 "2013-09-28T23:42:10Z")
I’ve never had Brunswick Stew. Why? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-that-i-can-get-a-rack-of-ribs-everywhere-except-a-bbq-joint/669821/38 "2013-09-28T23:43:22Z")
Meh. They never put enough Brunswick in it. ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-that-i-can-get-a-rack-of-ribs-everywhere-except-a-bbq-joint/669821/39 "2013-09-28T23:48:54Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I’ve never had Brunswick Stew. Why? Because it’s the best BBQ side there ever was. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-that-i-can-get-a-rack-of-ribs-everywhere-except-a-bbq-joint/669821/40 "2013-09-29T04:41:02Z")
It’s after midnight. I’m broke. I’m not supposed to drive yet. I’m starving. And now I am craving ribs so much I have just looked up the locations of my favorite place for ribs just to be sure they are still in business and checked the prices on ribs to see if maybe I could swing some tomorrow. I hate you people! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-that-i-can-get-a-rack-of-ribs-everywhere-except-a-bbq-joint/669821.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-that-i-can-get-a-rack-of-ribs-everywhere-except-a-bbq-joint/669821.md?page=3)